Root canal Tips

Taking a good meal before the RCT is advised as the process can take as long as three hours in some cases.

Even after the RCT is complete, patients must visit their endodontists or dentists to get the proper restorative work completed on the tooth.

A root canal is a treatment to repair and save badly damaged or infected tooth. The procedure involves removing the damaged area of the tooth (the pulp), cleaning and disinfecting it and then filling and sealing it. The common causes affecting the pulp are cracked tooth, a deep cavity, repeated dental treatment to the tooth or trauma. The term "root canal" comes from cleaning of the canals inside the tooth's root.

Millions of teeth are treated and saved each year with the root canal, or endodontic, treatment. Learn more about root canal treatment and how it can relieve your tooth pain and save your smile.

The Procedure-

1. A root canal procedure begins with an X-ray to determine the shape of the root canals and whether the infection has spread to the adjoining bone.

2. Local anesthesia is then administered to numb the affected area.

3. A rubber sheet is then placed around the tooth to keep the area and prevent it from the saliva.

4. A hole is then drilled in the affected tooth, following which the decayed pulp and nerve tissues are removed.

5. The removal is done by using root canal files which are inserted into the hole and then used to scrape and scrub the insides of the tooth.

6. After the scraping, water is used to clean and flush out the debris.

7. After the tooth is cleaned, it is sealed after administering medications to prevent infection.

8. The sealing process involves filling the inner portion of the teeth by a rubber-based compound and a sealer paste.

Modern endodontic treatment is very similar to having a routine filling and usually can be completed in one or two appointments, depending on the condition of your tooth and your personal circumstances. You can expect a comfortable experience during and after your appointment.

Saving the natural tooth with root canal treatment has many advantages:

• Efficient chewing.

• Normal biting force and sensation.

• Natural appearance.

• Protects other teeth from excessive wear or strain.

Post-obturation:

1. Once the surgery is done, the tooth may become sensitive due to inflammation of the tissues for the first few days.

2. This pain and inflammation can be limited by pain medications such as ibuprofen.

3. It is advised to avoid any chewing by the affected teeth as it can slow down the repair process. You can brush and floss your teeth regularly.

Having your dentist say to you that you need a root canal, can be a daunting affair. This means that the pulp or soft tissue inside a tooth has been damaged by bacterial infection. A root canal involves removing the damaged pulp, cleaning the infection and filling in the emptied space. Not every tooth infection requires a root canal and hence it is essential to know the indication of a root canal.

Here are a few situations when a root canal may be needed:

1. Pain: Discomfort ranging from a dull ache to a sharp pain can be a sign that you need root canal treatment. This type of pain is usually characterized by throbbing and may change as you switch positions. It is usually triggered by chewing, applying pressure on the tooth or eating something cold or hot. In some cases, the patient may not be able to indicate the exact tooth that is hurting but can only identify the painful area. 
2. Gun tenderness: Swelling that indicates the need of root canal treatment can range from being slightly red and inflamed to pronounced lumps on the gums. In some extreme cases, this swelling may extend out of the gums into the face and neck region. Sometimes, a pus filled boil with a pimple like head may also form on the gums. If this head bursts, the patient may notice a foul taste in the mouth. This swelling can come and go as the tooth decaydeteriorates and may or may not be accompanied by pain. Teeth may also feel like they have been pushed out of their sockets and are taller than usual. 
3. Tooth discolouration: Discolouring of teeth can be a sign of internal tooth damage. This is especially noted if the teeth take on a dark yellow, grey or blackish tint. Tooth discolouration is fairly common in cases where the tooth has undergone trauma such as an accident etc. 
4. Exposure of the dental nerves: At times during regular dental work, the nerves in the tooth may be exposed. This indicates an exposure of pulp tissue and can trigger pulp degeneration if left untreated. 

However, all of the above symptoms can be symptoms of other types of dental problems as well and do not necessarily individually indicate the need for a root canal. Only a dentist can properly diagnose a need for root canal treatment after a physical examination and testing.

When a tooth is decayed or accidentally fractured and reaches to the sensitive vital part of the tooth, the pulp, it can be risky to just fill and leave. 
Risk is that the root canal gets infected which may lead to pus formation below causing swelling, severe pain, fever and over time it can lead to more severe complications like granuloma, cyst or tumor formations. 
So basically root can treatment is performed to eliminate future complications. In this, we remove everything inside the canal and fill it with inert materials followed by crown/ capping. 
Capping ensures the durability of a tooth since it is dead now after performing the root canal. Sometimes we perform intentional RCT in which a tooth is expected to expose its vital pulp during filling or when a crown preparation is done for the dental bridge. It ensures that after bridge placement the tooth may not become symptomatic else whole bridge has to be removed or we need to perform a difficult RCT from over the crown.

When the pulp of the tooth becomes inflamed, septic or lifeless, one needs to go through the root canal treatment.

When the pulp of the tooth becomes inflamed, septic or lifeless, one needs to go through the root canal treatment.  

Root canal therapy (RCT) followed by a crown is the most common mode of treatment for severely decayed teeth. However, this is not devoid of failure. In another case, if a tooth could not be salvaged by RCT, then extraction followed by a bridge (replacing the removed tooth with support from adjacent healthy teeth) became the next best option.

In both cases, especially latter, healthy teeth are being manipulated to support the tooth being replaced. The next quest was to work without touching the sound tooth. So, instead of taking support from adjacent teeth, thought was given to provide support from within the bone - very similar to how a natural tooth stands. The lost root is replaced by a compatible metal, on which a tooth crown is then built. This was the beginning of dental implants, which has gained significant popularity over the last two to three decades.

Advantages:

-Does not affect adjacent healthy teeth
-Functionally better, as it has stronger support from the bone
-More esthetically appealing
-Maintain facial bone and soft tissue structure
-Better for the gum health compared to bridges
-Easier oral hygiene practices

Mechanism: A strong, biocompatible material is used to make screws which are inserted into the bone. Titanium is the most preferred material, and because of its unique property of osseo-integration (fuses with the bone), it fuses with the bone to reduce bone loss after the tooth is gone. In most cases, the titanium screws which act as the root for the implants are placed into the bone and allowed for some weeks to few months to fuse with the bone.  Then, an interim crown may be used until the screw is ready to take on an implant. The screw is periodically monitored and once it is completely accepted, then an abutment is placed on it. This acts like a stump or a root, over which a crown will be placed.

Though most implants are done for replacing single teeth, in many cases, multiple teeth may be replaced using abutments. If the missing teeth are adjacent to each other or in the same quadrant, then a denture might be overlaid over the abutments.  Alternately, a partial denture may be used which is screwed over an abutment.

Maintenance: Regular brushing and flossing, rinsing and mouthwashing assume a greater significance in patients with implants. Also, regular visits to the dentist are a must.

Dental implants are a boon for missing teeth, with the various advantages. However, it is not for all, with excellent bone health being one of the prerequisites.  A thorough dental examination will help determine if you are a right candidate.  Visit your dentist to find out more.

Most of the people dread visiting the dentist for a root canal treatment, owing to the myths associated with it. What is also commonly seen is that the fear is based on someone else's experiences and not of their own. The perception that this treatment is painful stems from early treatment methods which were used. Advancement in the field of endodontics as well as the use of effective anesthesia aid in making this procedure relatively painless and safest way to save a natural tooth. It's important to learn the truth about root canal treatment and unlearn the build-up fear around it.

Usually, people ask why we need a crown after root canal treatment. As we removed the decayed part of tooth during the treatment, remaining tooth structure is not sufficient to bear the masticatory load and it might fracture. Moreover, root canal treated tooth don't have blood supply which makes tooth brittle hence prone to fracture. What is the use of root canal treatment when eventually you will end up breaking your tooth. 
Crowns are mandatory after root canal treatment.