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Faq's - Frequently Asked Questions

Root Canal Treatment (Endodontics)

Root Canal Treatment (RCT) is a treatment, by a root canal specialist, wherein the diseased pulp (nerve) of the tooth is removed & the space (the root canal) is filled with an inert material. So you can say it is tooth preserved medically in mouth and does not have sensation of hot or cold.

There are 3 common ways by which the nerve gets affected :

  1. By injury to the tooth.
  2. By decay reaching the pulp through enamel & dentin.
  3. Wearing out of enamel & dentin sometime, the tooth may cause severe pain, particularly in the root canal & then you may get a swelling. The injured tooth may darken over a period & may also get infected. If such a tooth is to be saved, the nerve from within the tooth must be sacrificed.
  4. Sometimes it is done when tooth is taken as a support for bridge.

Under the able hands of a Root canal specialist, the treatment is not at all painful. After the completion, mild to moderate pain may be experienced, but again it is under control with anti-inflammatory drugs prescribed by the dentist.
It takes about 30min to complete the front teeth and posterior or the molar teeth would require about 45-60min that's all.

Usually the tooth is so badly destroyed by decay & the cavity is so large that the cavity require a filling & the tooth weakened by loss of structure needs to be prevented from breaking by covering it with a crown (a cap). In front teeth, when minimal or no tooth structure is lost, a crown may not be required, and a simple filling may suffice.

Whatever decay exist at the time of RCT is removed. Fresh decay can start later like in any other tooth. This can be detected at the time if your yearly check-ups. Pain in a successfully root filled tooth can be cause due to gum disease which in most cases is treatable so this tooth also requires the usual care like other teeth.