ROOT CANAL TREATMENT

Root Canal Treatment-

Say the word – root canal or RCT and most patients pale a couple of shades.

A root canal is a treatment used to repair and save a tooth that is badly decayed or becomes infected. During a root canal procedure, the pulp is removed and the inside of the tooth is cleaned and sealed. Without treatment, the tissue surrounding the tooth will become infected and abscess may form.

Root canal treatment (RCT) may involve single,  two or three appointments depending on the case. The first step in the procedure is to take an X-ray to see the shape of the root canals and determine if there are any signs of infection in a surrounding bone. The dentist will then use local anaesthesia to numb the area near the tooth.

An access hole will then be drilled into the tooth. The pulp along with bacteria, the decayed nerve tissue and related debris is removed from the tooth. The cleaning out process is accomplished using root canal files. A series of these files of increasing diameter are each subsequently placed into the access hole and worked down the full length of the tooth to scrape and scrub the sides of the root canals. Water or sodium hypochlorite is used periodically to flush away the debris. Once the tooth is thoroughly cleaned, it is sealed.

At the next appointment, to fill the interior of the tooth, a sealer paste and a rubber compound called guttapercha is placed into the tooth’s root canal. To fill the exterior access hole created at the beginning of treatment, a filling is placed.

The final step may involve further restoration of the tooth. Because a tooth that needs a root canal often is one that has a large filling or extensive decay or other weakness, a crown, crown and post, or other restoration often needs to be placed on the tooth to protect it, prevent it from breaking, and restore it to full function.

…… for the life of your tooth as every tooth in human head is more valuable than a diamond.