Root Canal Treatment

Benefits of RCT

• Pain Relief: The infected pulp inside the teeth causes sharp pain frequently and increases the sensitivity of your teeth. As a result, you may feel discomfort and irritation while chewing food or having hot and cold drinks. RCT removes the infection and fills it with a flexible rubbery material called gutta-percha.
• Preventing Further Spread of Infection: The infected pulp in the teeth can spread to the gum because they are very close to each other. Infected gum can lead to loose teeth and jawbone infection. The risk of this further infection is eliminated by RCT.
• Maintaining Natural Teeth: Unlike other dental treatments like bridges, dentures and implants where teeth are replaced by artificial materials, RCT only removes and replaces the infected pulp inside the teeth. This helps in maintaining the natural teeth and preserves bite alignment.
• Improves Oral Hygiene: Infected teeth affect your oral health and hygiene negatively. It can lead to a bad smell, discolouration of teeth and bad gum health.

These benefits are the reason for the popularity of this treatment and around 15 million people in the United States get root canal treatment in a year.

Cost of Root canal treatment

The cost of a Root canal treatment in the United States is around $600 to $2000 and a portion of this payment can be covered with your insurance but that depends on the insurance plan. Also, the cost for your particular treatment may vary as it depends on other factors including the location of the tooth(molars are more expensive than front teeth), the severity of the infection and the clinic location.

People think RCT is expensive but some studies prove the Cost-effectiveness of root canal treatment in the long run and this is because RCT preserves your natural teeth. With natural you won’t have to worry about having them replaced as seen in the cases of Dentures and Bridges.

Details of the Root Canal Treatment Procedure

A root canal is a complex procedure that is done in multiple steps with extreme precision and caution by an experienced Dentist or Endodontist. The details of these steps are given below:

• Initial Examination: The Dentist or Endodontist will first take an X-ray of the infected tooth and the surrounding area to understand the severity of the infection. This initial examination determines the course of further treatment.
• Anxiety Relief Medication: Patients often experience anxiety before the RCT because they assume that the treatment will be painful. To deal with this anxiety, your Endodontist will either give anaesthesia or prescribe a medication. Restoril is one such medication that is used for treating anxiety before RCT. It is important to know that Restoril is a controlled substance and you can only buy Restoril online or from a medical store with a valid prescription.
• Removing the Infected pulp: In this step, the professional will use high-powered tools to drill a hole in the infected tooth and then will use specialized instruments to take out the infected pulp without extracting the tooth.
• Filling the Teeth with gutta-percha: After removing the infected pulp, a biocompatible rubber material called gutta-percha is then filled in place of the teeth pulp.
• Sealing the Teeth: The dentist will then temporarily seal the operated tooth with a tooth filling so that the rubber pulp can settle down. This temporary filling protects the tooth from germs and bacterial infections.
• Replacing the temporary filling: This step is done in the second visit which is usually scheduled after 2-3 weeks of the initial treatment. The temporary filling is replaced by a dental crown which aligns your bite and permanently seals the operated tooth.

When do you need Root Canal Treatment?

The below signs may indicate that your teeth have an infected pulp and you may need to get root canal treatment.

• Sensitive teeth that cause sharp pain while having hot or cold drinks.
• You may experience pain while chewing hard food or it pains when you touch your teeth.
• Discolouring of Teeth is caused by the infected pulp inside the teeth.
• Visible hole or crack in Teeth
• Bumps and Swelling of Gum are caused when the infected pulp invades your gums through your teeth.

Do not ignore these early signs because it is important to get RCT in the early stage of the infection to prevent further severe damage to teeth and gums. The root canal of teeth and gums are close to each other, when the infection is not treated in the early stage it spreads to nearby tissues reaching the gums. This infection when reaches the gum may lead to loose teeth and other gum diseases.

How to Deal with pain after the treatment?

Our teeth and gums are filled with sensitive nerves which are affected during the root canal treatment. This is why it is common to experience minor pain after the treatment, although the severity of pain depends on the health of your gums and the expertise of your Dentist. However, it is important to know the pain after the treatment will be less significant when compared with the pain you were experiencing before the RCT.

In case you experience pain after the treatment some things can help in relieving the pain including:

Prescribed Medication: The pain after the treatment is not severe and is only temporary but in case the treatment fails and injures your teeth or gum, there are chances of severe pain. To deal with this severe pain you can get some prescribed medications like IBUPROFEN, acetaminophen or a combination of tramadol and acetaminophen. Tramadol is a strong opioid-based medication and before you use or buy tramadol online get a prescription from a licensed professional and use it only under the supervision of a medical professional.

Avoid hard and sticky food: Dentists recommend avoiding hard and sticky food because after the treatment you may experience sensitivity that can cause pain while chewing. This pain is only temporary and you can continue to eat anything you like after your teeth are completely healed.

Keep your head elevated: To help with minor pain after root canal treatment keep your elevated while sleeping until the pain gradually fades away.

Using an Ice pack: Pressing the ice pack on the operated area restricts the blood flow which helps in reducing the pain.

A note from Dentis Healthcare

Dentis Healthcare knows the real significance of root canal treatment is not just removing the infected pulp but also improving your overall oral health. That is why we also guide our patients throughout the treatment and give them important aftercare tips.

Significance of Frequent Checkups: Root canal treatment’s complexity and cost depend on the severity of the damage caused by the infection. Regular dental checkups help in detecting these infections in the early stage. This early-stage detection and treatment can significantly reduce the cost of the treatment and can also prevent further damage. When left untreated, this infected pulp can even cause tooth decay.

How to save yourself your future expenses: There are cases when the operated tooth may get infected again due to several reasons. This reinfected pulp requires retreatment which can cost you. You can avoid this expensive retreatment by keeping good oral hygiene, brushing and flossing regularly and avoiding high-sugar foods.

Conclusion

If you are experiencing sharp pain while chewing or while having hot or cold drinks, this may be a sign of infected pulp. During the root canal treatment, this infected pulp is drained out without removing the teeth. This treatment relieves pain and prevents the infection from spreading further. Choosing an experienced and skilled dentist or endodontist can significantly reduce the pain and help in avoiding risk during the treatments.

Root canal treatment is now almost painless with the help of advanced technology and precise equipment. With the use of anaesthesia and prescribed medication, you can complete the treatment with significantly low pain and discomfort.