Saturday 25 June 2016

Is RCT or root canal treatment necessary?

A root canal treatment is an attempt to clean the roots carrying nourishment to the tooth. These roots get infected through cavity in the tooth and develop puss cells, which if not removed, could isolate your tooth from the rest of the body and ultimately lead to its decay and death. This process is gradual and causes a lot of pain and swelling in the mouth. To save the tooth, the doctors clean these root canals. A tooth may have one or more roots depending on its type and position. A single tooth in the front of our mouth generally has one canal but the number could vary from person to person. Only a doctor after diagnosing it closely can tell you their right numbers. The rear teeth especially the jaw have multiple canals going into them.



Root canal treatment is also called RCT in short. It may look like technical jargon but is often used by patients as well.

How is the process carried out?
An RCT generally takes a few sittings with the dentist. When you first go to the dentist, he may actually ask you the problem that brought you to him. If he feels that the problem is because of the roots of teeth, then he may go for an X-Ray report. Since the roots are beneath the tooth and can't be seen with a naked eye, the X-ray is the only way in the initial phase to understand the situation. If the doctor couldn't establish the clear cause of the problem, he give a prescription and asks you to come back in a few days or even a week. If the roots are causing the problem, the pain would hit you again. When you visit the doctor this time, he will begin the treatment.  Get more info on root canal cape girardeau.


If your tooth is healthy, the doctor will have to administer you anesthesia by injecting medicine in the gum area of the infected tooth. The doctor would then remove some surface part of the tooth and create opening to reach to the root canals. Once the surface portion of the tooth is removed the rest of the surgery is actually painless. He will then remove the infected portion of the canals. This is done with special sharp pin like instrument that easily enter the roots. They come in different sizes. This process requires quite a lot of skill as there is limited visibility and the roots are difficult to work with as they are more or less like nerves. Once the pulp or the puss cells or the infected portion is removed and the canal is properly restored, the doctor treats them with disinfectants. The cleaning is mostly painless except when the sharp instrument touches the base of the root.

Further, the doctor closes and seals these root canals. The next part is filling the removed part of the tooth with a material of your choice. The surgery is complete but you are strongly advised to get a cap fitted on the tooth that underwent RCT.