Root Canal Treatment is a routine dental procedure, yet many of us are apprehensive and sceptical when it is our turn to sit at the dental chair. These concerns arise mostly out of a lack of clear knowledge and understanding of the root canal procedure and its need. Therefore, present below is all the information you might need to brighten up your stance on the procedure.

What is a Root Canal Treatment?

Simply put, a root canal treatment, or more commonly an RCT, is a dental solution to a tooth Infection. The process will include painless removal of the infected soft tissue followed by a thorough cleaning of the small canals in your tooth’s root. The canals are rinsed, shaped and prepared to receive a sealing material. Once your dentist ensures that the tooth is devoid of any infecting agent, he seals up the canal with an obturating material. Lastly, one may be advised for a dental crown after an RCT if the tooth structure seems fragile.

When Should You Go for an RCT?

Now that we understand the process of a root canal treatment, let us go through the scenarios when you have to undergo an RCT:

• If you experience sharp pain while drinking hot or chilled beverages
• If your tooth has a large cavity
• If your tooth has turned blue after a trauma
• If you have a Periapical infection
• If you have a cracked or broken tooth

Why is it Necessary?

Root Canal treatment is a much-needed procedure if you want to save a damaged tooth. Each tooth has an innermost layer of soft tissue called the dental pulp. This pulp is a living tissue composed of blood vessels and nerves, extending from the crown of the tooth to the root tips. When your tooth gets infected from a caries attack, this tissue gets inflamed, making your tooth sensitive to warm and cold temperatures. Furthermore, if the infection is not intercepted at this stage, it reaches the pulpal tissue.

Once the pulp is infected, the tooth cannot be saved by a mere dental filling. This is when RCT Procedure steps in. A Root Canal Treatment means that the entire infected material and necrotic debris is removed from the tooth, making it completely sterile. It will warrant the health and safety of the underlying bone and the surrounding gums. However, ignoring the tooth’s need for an RCT procedure can have complex and expensive complications since the infection will spread from the tooth to the surrounding hard and soft tissue and ultimately to the rest of your body. It will mean not only losing your tooth and healthy jaw bone but also life-threatening ramifications.

Modern-Day RCTs

Having established the need for a humble RCT procedure, we should also know the comfortable, technology-driven advancements in this procedure that saves our time and delivers successful results.

Nickel-titanium Instruments:

These tools provide improved root canal treatments, owing to their high flexibility and unique tapering design. The result is convenient and improved tooth canal shaping and minimum procedural errors.

Operating Microscopes:

Enhanced Visualisation comes as the most beneficial option for a successful RCT. Dental Operating Microscopes are a powerful tool to supplement your dental surgeon’s skills. They provide magnification and superior illumination that helps to locate all tooth structures, canals and even any micro-fracture present in the tooth wall.

Single-Sitting RCTs:

Present-day advancements offer superior precision and control over the RCT procedure. It enables a dentist to complete the RCT in a single appointment using highly specialised equipment that makes the process very simple, painless and rapid.

The Breakdown

RCT is one such dental procedure that saves millions of teeth every day and helps to maintain our beautiful, healthy smiles. The procedure is a gold standard in dealing with tooth infections or traumatic injuries of the tooth. With the technological intervention, the process has now taken a swift, precise and completely pain-free revamp. Hence leave your apprehensions to the wind and consult your Endodontist because chances are that it might be your most comfortable dental experience.