Root canal treatment – A detailed guide

Most people usually give less importance to their oral health and avoid visiting the dentist. But ignoring the first symptoms does not help, in fact, it generally increases the pain. By the time they visit a dentist in Aundh, or the area where they reside, the infection widens its reach and spreads to a large area of a tooth or the gum. The prime reason why people avoid visiting the dentist is unawareness. Keep reading this article to gain a detailed understanding of ‘Root Canal Treatment’.

Let’s start with the symptoms that indicate that you might have a root canal

Infection.

• Boils on the gums
• Swollen or tender gums
• darkening of the gums
• Severe pain while chewing or biting
• A chipped or cracked tooth
• Severe sensitivity to hot or cold

If you have one or all of the mentioned symptoms, then it is the right time for you to book a dentist appointment for the root canal treatment. Now, let’s take a look at what a root canal treatment means:

Commonly known as a root canal treatment, it is not the scientific name of the procedure.

This treatment is called ‘Endodontic Therapy’. A root canal is simply a part of the tooth.

To be specific, it is the section of a tooth that holds the blood vessels and nerve tissue, among other cells. This is also known as the pulp.

A tooth mainly has two areas – the crown and roots. The crown is located above the gum, and the roots are below it. It is the primary function of roots to attach the tooth to the jawbone.

The root canal or pulp is inside the crown and roots. It provides moisture and nourishment to the tooth and its surrounding. Besides, the nerves in the pulp sense cold and hot temperatures are painful. When this area gets infected, it needs to be treated, and this treatment is called root canal treatment.

Now, let’s understand in detail about the root canal treatment procedure.

Root canal treatment is performed in three steps that requires one to three sessions.

Step one – Cleaning the root canal

The patient is given local anaesthesia so that he/she cannot experience any pain. Then the dentist, with the help of a small dental drill makes a small access hole in the surface of the tooth. In the last part of this step, the dentist removes the affected tissues with the right tools.

Step two – Filling the root canal

In this step, the dentist cleans and decontaminates the area with the help of tools and irrigation solutions. After this, the dentist fills the tooth with a rubber-like substance, using adhesives designed for teeth. This is done to seal the root canal completely. After successful completion of this step, the patient will no longer experience any pain in that tooth. By the end of this step, the nerve tissues and the infection of the tooth have been removed.

Step three – Adding a filling or crown

The second step of the root canal procedure leaves the tooth brittle and weak. Why?

Since the tooth no longer has nerve tissues, over time the tooth will not receive the right amount of nourishment. To avoid this, and to allow the tooth to gain nourishment from nearby ligaments, the dentist caps the tooth with a filling or a crown. These acts are a protective barrier to the treated tooth.

Until the crown or filling is not in place, it is advised that the patient should not chew or bite on that particular tooth as it would damage the tooth. After the crown or filling is in place, the patient can use the tooth as he/she was using it before. Usually, this treatment is done in one appointment, but if there are multi-canals or extensive infection, then the procedure can take an additional one or two appointments.

You must be wondering is the treatment painful?

 It is a common fear that dental treatments are painful. However, the truth is, the root canal procedure is not where the pain is being generated from; the infection is painful.

When you are undergoing the procedure, the dentist will give you local anaesthesia to numb the tooth and surrounding area to ensure you feel no pain. After the treatment, you may experience some tenderness, but the dentist will prescribe medication to relieve you from the pain.

Are there any complications of root canal treatment?

Well, the simple answer to this question would be, no procedure is complications free.

Even root canal treatment has its set of complications, they are mentioned below:

• For example, if root canal treatment is not properly done and if any canal that remains untreated and infected will continue to spread and may cause infections in nearby areas.
• there is also a possibility of re-infection returning if the proper oral hygiene is not maintained.

As said before, no procedure is complication-free. If any complications occur, the dentist will rectify the issue and complete the procedure. Furthermore, it is advised to follow dentist instruction or medication if given, to avoid complications. Finally, let’s discuss a few things you can do to prevent root canal infection.

To prevent infections, these are the everyday things the dentist recommend-

• Use toothpaste that has fluoride.
• regularly replace the toothbrush.
• Brush teeth daily at least twice.
• Floss daily to clean the gaps between teeth.
• Avoid drinks and foods that have sugar.

Conclusion

You should not ignore the early symptoms that you may experience and should visit the dentist. Early detection and treatment would not only save your tooth but even allow you to undergo the root canal treatment in Pune, Mumbai, Delhi or any other city at the right time.

If you don’t treat the infection in time, then you might need to undergo extraction. And, the cost that you would need to invest in an implant or bridge to replace the tooth afterward would be extremely high when compared to the root canal procedure.