Root Canal Therapy – What to expect during your treatment

Jul 03, 2016 News

By Dr. Neromini Fagu
During the last several weeks we have covered the reasons for root canal therapy as well as some of the equipment and materials that are involved in the procedure. This week we will conclude our discussion and talk about what to expect during your treatment.
Once it has been determined that your tooth needs RCT your dentist will schedule your treatment for one or several appointments. During your first treatment session, your dentist will numb the tooth using local anesthetic to help prevent any discomfort during the procedure.
After this, a rubber dam will be placed to isolate the tooth to be worked on. Rubber dams are important during RCT because they prevent contamination of bacteria from the mouth and it also protects you from any accidental swallowing of the small files or disinfecting solution used during your treatment.
After isolation of the tooth, your dentist will use the drill to remove all the decay from the tooth. Next an access hole will be made to get to the pulp of the tooth which contains the nerves and blood vessels. Once the opening has been made your dentist will use a broach to remove any pulp tissue.
This will be followed by an endodontic file to navigate down to the root tip opening. The initial x-ray that was taken of the tooth will be used to help determine how far down the file needs to go (working length) without protruding beyond the root. Another x-ray will now be taken to confirm that the file is within a few millimetres of the root opening. This x-ray will also be used to make any adjustments to the working length. In the absence of x-rays, an apex locator may also be used to determine how far down the file needs to go.
Once the correct working length has been established, your dentist will proceed to clean out the canal by filing and shaping, and disinfecting it with antiseptic and antibacterial solutions. Files of sequentially larger diameters will be used to shape the canal. This can be very time consuming as care must be taken to ensure the canals are thoroughly cleaned and also to keep the files from perforating the canal.
The use of rotary instruments will help to speed up this part of the treatment.
After the canal has been cleaned, shaped and rinsed out, it will be dried. The next step is to fill the canal. Guttapercha matching the size of the tip of the canal will be placed into the canal and another x-ray will be taken to ensure it has reached the required depth into the canal. Any adjustment will then be made and measurements noted and the guttapercha will be removed. A special sealer will be used to coat the walls of the canal after which the guttapercha will be reinserted into the canal.
It may take several cones of guttapercha to fill a canal and after this is done the excess guttapercha will be removed.
The following step is to seal off the access hole that was made and to restore the tooth. This is an important step as it will prevent bacteria from your mouth from re-infecting the canal. If the tooth was severely broken down then a post and crown may be needed to restore the tooth. If there is sufficient tooth structure remaining, a permanent composite resin or amalgam filling material can be used to reconstruct the tooth.
You may be given antibiotics and pain medication to take after the procedure and it is normal to experience mild discomfort for a few days.
The success rates for root canals are very high. However, it is important that you maintain proper oral hygiene and visit your dentist regularly. Depending on the reasons for the root canal you may need to have recall visits to monitor the progress of the treatment. This is why x-rays are important as they will enable your dentist to make comparisons of your progress.
I hope you now have a better understanding of Root Canal Therapy and will consider it for future dental treatments, especially as it is the only way of saving teeth from being extracted.
For more information contact OMNI DENTAL at 295 Quamina Street, Georgetown Tel: 227-0025, Parika Tel: 260-3133 or send emails to [email protected].

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