Endodontic Treatment
What does endodontic treatment involve?
Treatment usually requires from one to three appointments. During these treatments, your dentist removes the diseased pulp. The pulp chamber and root canals of the tooth are then cleaned, shaped, filled and sealed to prevent recontamination of the root canal system.
What Happens During Treatment??
Step 1 : Relief of Pain. Removal of the infected/damaged pulp from the inside of the tooth. Measurements of the lengths of the root canals.
Step 2 : The root canals are cleaned, shaped and sterilized to a form that can be completely sealed.
Step 3 : The final stage is to seal the canals with a filling material to prevent further infection.
This treatment can take one or a number of visits, depending on the state of the tooth and the severity of the infection. Sedative dressings and temporary fillings may be placed inside your tooth between visits in order to settle the surrounding tissues and destroy any remaining bacteria.
Is there an alternative to RCT?
No, the only alternative method of removing the infection is to extract the tooth. Loss of a tooth can lead to many other complex problems in the region, which should be avoided.
Will there be any pain?
RCT is a comfortable procedure and it involves no pain since the tooth will be anaesthetized during treatment.
Success of Treatment
Studies indicate that about 95% of cases heal successfully and uneventfully. However, because people have varied healing responses and some infections respond differently no guarantee can be given.
We inform patients in advance if their tooth is considered less favorable and only treat teeth if there is a very good chance of it lasting a long time.
After Treatment
The final restoration of a root canal treated tooth is just as important as the root canal treatment itself to ensure long term success. The tooth needs to be restored to its original shape, and strength as soon as possible and this may involve the placement of a post and crown to achieve this.
The type of material used for the crown may depend on where the tooth is located in your mouth. A front tooth that affects appearance, for instance, most likely will be restored with a porcelain or a porcelain-fused-to-zirconium crown. When a back tooth has been badly fractured or decayed, a gold or porcelain-fused-to-metal crown may be used. Your dentist will discuss these options with you.
