By Arthur Kezian
A root canal treatment otherwise known as RCT is considered in dental world a highly effective and lucrative treatment method for preventing tooth extraction and tooth decay. In fact, tooth decay is a serious dental problem that not only affects your tooth but also causes damage to gums. Root canal therapy becomes necessary when a tooth's pulp chamber starts showing signs of decay or infection. This treatment method is meant to cure teeth which are partly or fully dead due to pulpal tissues or necrosis problem. Basically, symptoms like instant pain during biting, sensitivity to cold and hot foods or infection in tooth due to serious injury or decay inform us about the requirement of root canal therapy.
Valid Reasons for choosing Root Canal Therapy
A root canal method is the most productive and less painful method for reinstating a diseased tooth. This treatment option works best for all those people who develop inflammatory reactions after surgery. Mostly people are seen feeling an unbearable pain in a tooth with damaged nerve tissue. This damage in nerve tissue of tooth may be due to physical injury or far reaching infection. When tooth pulp develops infection, there is a high chance of abscess being formed around the root canal region. This condition should be treated at the earliest otherwise infection might spread to the bone, causing further complications.
It always becomes necessary to get rid of the damaged tooth pulp so as to reduce tooth pain and control the infection from spreading more. However, root canal therapy enhances your chance of saving decaying or damaged tooth with minimal discomfort.
What is the treatment procedure for a root canal therapy?
Generally, an endodontic dentist deals with root canal treatment procedure. Root canal therapy involves the process of creating an access cavity through which damaged nerve tissue can be removed. After that root canals are disinfected by proper cleansing and sterilization. Cleaning of the affected area is mainly done at the beginning stage so that second phase of treatment can be carried out. The second phase of the treatment plan includes filling the root canals with suitable filling material and sealing it with ‘gutta percha’ or other similar kind of hygienic plastic material. The main objective is to prevent the loss of any fluid from the root canal tissue. Another reason is to ensure that the tooth does not break even if the fluid inside it becomes inactive. Thereafter, silver amalgam or laser treated synthesis resins are used permanently to fill up the root canals. Finally, all the treated teeth are coated with porcelain made cap which is either fused to gold or base metal. This cap helps in protecting the tooth and restoring it to its natural ability.
After finishing up with root canal treatment procedure, you may feel sensitivity in tooth which will gradually reduce with lessening in inflammatory reactions. Root canal therapy may take you 3 to 4 appointments which may last from 15 to 20 days.
Your dentist can guide in right direction in case you feel like getting root canal therapy. So, discuss your dental issues prior to taking any help from the root canal therapist.
-N.S.
