Root Canal Treatment
The procedure of root canal treatment includes the following parts-
Removal of infected part of the tooth using dental drill or a hard tissue laser
- Local anaesthesia is administered to the patient.
- Once anaesthesia acts completely , the dentist isolates the tooth and identifies the decayed infected hard tissue clinically and removes it using a high speed dental tool.
- The dentist designs the cavity in such a manner to gain access to the canals situated within the roots while preserving as much natural healthy of the tooth as possible.
Cleaning and shaping of the root canals
- Once the dentist gets access to the root canals, the objective is to clean the root canals using fine instruments which are arranged in an ascending size.
- During cleaning dentist cleans the infected soft tissue and also scrapes the hard tissue surrounding it. During this process a lot of debris is created which is flushed out using different antibacterial liquids, while doing the process.
Filling of the root canals
Once the cleaning and shaping is completed and the dentist is sure that the root canals are shaped enough to receive the filling material properly, the dentist inserts the filling material in the root canals and takes radiographs (X-RAY).
Upon confirmation the dentist
- Dries the root canals
- Coats the filling material (Gutta Percha) with a permanent sealing cement which will keep filling material inside the root canals and act as a barrier to prevent the bacteria invading the root canals.
- Excess filling material is sealed off using a heated instrument.
Contrary to the popular belief, root canal treatment is NOT PAINFUL as the entire process is done under the effect of local anesthesia and painkillers are prescribed for few days, if there is post-operative pain.