Root Canal Treatment

Number of Visits: 2 - 3
Appointment Time Per Visit: 60 - 90 minutes
Recovery Period: NA‍
‍

Root Canal Treatment (RCT) is a common dental procedure that is performed to treat a tooth that has become infected or is causing pain. During the procedure, the dentist removes the infected pulp from inside the tooth and replaces it with a filling material. This helps to prevent further infection and save the tooth from extraction.

1. A hole, chip, or crack in tooth
2. Extreme pain that wakes you up in the night.
3. Significant toothache/ pain while chewing, or pain when putting pressure on the tooth.
4. Extreme sensitivity or pain in teeth when exposed to either hot or cold food/drink that lasts beyond the food/ drink removal
5. Pink tooth (internal resorption)
6. Tenderness or swelling of the gum area surrounding the tooth
7. Additional swelling around your face and/or neck
8. Swollen lymph nodes.
9. If a tooth becomes darker / brown than the surrounding teeth.
10. Traumatic injury to mouth.
11. Pimple on gums: pimple-like bump on the gums that does not go away.
12. Prolonged sensitivity to pressure or temperature.
13. Deep cavities: cavities penetrating deep into the teeth causing pain and tenderness.
14. Repeated dental procedure on same tooth can cause damage to the pulp tissue.
15. Trauma from occlusion(TFO): Extreme occlusal force can sometimes cause fracture tooth root.
16. Long-term gum disease.

RCT is necessary when the pulp inside the tooth becomes infected or inflamed due to an injury or decay that has reached the nerve.
‍
Delaying root canal treatment can increase the risk of the infection spreading to other teeth or even to other parts of the body. This can lead to more extensive dental issues and overall health complications.
‍
The longer the infection persists, the greater the likelihood of irreversible damage, potentially resulting in the need for tooth extraction or more invasive dental procedures in the future.

Radiograph X-Rays will be needed before, during and after the treatment. Sometimes the canals are very narrow and complex. These teeth can only be cleaned adequately using a surgical microscope LEICA where the whole tooth is magnified.
‍
The dentist will even show you on the TV the cracks, fractures and the canals properly. Usually a crown is highly recommended after a root canal treatment.

We have 3 root canal dentist ,they do root canal treatment using Dental Operating Microscope which magnifies the image and makes it easier to view:
-Narrow canals
-Extra canals
-Crack in teeth/roots
-Calcified canals

-Minimal invasive procedure as it magnifies the image and make it more accessible to visualise and work.
-Improved accuracy as the microscope illuminates and magnifies the image which make it easier to address tiniest imperfection and minimise the risk of error.
-Easier communication as the image can be shown on tv and explain the ongoing procedure, which allows patient to understand better.
-Dentist can magnify the treatment area allowing for closer and more detailed examination.
-Fracture , cracks can only be confirmed through the microscope. Microscope is absolutely essential to thoroughly check the fracture and cracks on the teeth .
-Retreatment of failed RCT tooth can only be done properly under dental operating microscope.

1. Dentist will first put  anaesthesia to numb  your teeth and surrounding teeth.
2. Your dentist will place a thin sheet of rubber(RUBBER DAM) around the teeth to make sure its dry and DAM also prevents you from breathing and swallowing the chemicals  and material used during treatment.
3. Then they will use special instrument to drill a hole to access the root on the crown part of your teeth.
4. Then they will use thin needle like instrument to remove the pulp(nerve tissue) from the root and  irrigate the canal with disinfecting solutions.
5. Later they will fill the prepared root  canal with rubber-like material called GUTTA-PERCHA.
6. And seal the crown part with restorative material(dental filling).

Normally it takes less than a week to recover from root canal treatment but its important to look after the tooth when recovering from RCT. Your restored tooth might not be painful but you may still feel sore for few days.

-you should avoid biting on hard food from the same tooth to reduce pain and help promote healing.
-keep your teeth clean, and floss regularly.
-though the treatment is itself painless under anesthesia, pain relievers might help manage any residual pain after anesthesia wears off
-gargle with warm salted water.
-stay hydrated to support healing.
-Regular follow-up with your dentist.

Although each tooth is unique and the time required to complete the treatment depends on the tooth's level of decay and infection you should plan on spending about an hour and a half at our office during your root canal treatment appointment or what the dentist recommend may be a single visit or 2 visit appointment.

In some cases where the previous root canal treatment has not been done properly then a ROOT CANAL RETREATMENT may be necessary.

The previous root canal treatment’s material must be removed during a root canal retreatment.

To avoid infection, the root canal is cleaned once more during retreatment.

Any infection in the tooth is cleaned out by the dentist, and then fresh filling materials are put in.

You will require a root canal retreatment if you have recently developed dental decay or tooth damage.

Two or more root canals are possible. The retreatment of a root canal takes 90 minutes or more according to the pain and infection caused.

-Preservation of natural teeth: by removing the infected portion of the tooth structure we can preserve the natural tooth structure which maintains the natural position of tooth and prevents the need for tooth replacement.
-Prevents spread of infection: during RCT the infected parts are removed which prevents the further spread of infections and medication are used to prevent the further spread of infection to surrounding tissues and eventually heals them.
-Pain relief: once the damaged and infected nerve tissue is removed there will be immediate pain relieve.
-Preserves jaw bone: as infection could lead to bone resorption and so does extraction.

Operating microscope- In addition to digital radiographs which reduce the x-ray exposure, we also utilize operating microscopes which magnifies our field of view up to 30 times and illuminates our field with Xenon fiber optic illumination. This combination allows for exceptional diagnostic technical ability to treat the tiny root canal spaces inside your tooth.

Today, problems such as cracks, root fractures and calcified canals can be better visualized and therefore treated.

Also, a video camera on the operating microscope can record images of your tooth to document our findings further. We believe that RCT should only be performed under these microscopes for the highest quality of care to be rendered.

Apex locators—These machines allow for the electronic and accurate measurement of the root length to verify the radiographic findings precisely. They improve the quality of care and allow for more precision-based endodontics.

Sonic activation—Electronic instruments create sonic vibrations, which clean the root canals more effectively and efficiently. These instruments increase the quality of care and allow for success in previously hopeless situations.

Nickle Titanium instrumentation—Today, root canal cleaning and shaping is no longer a brute procedure done with hand files. The job is now done with mechanized, engine-driven rotary files that have made the procedure more efficient, predictable, quieter, and far more comfortable than ever before.