What is the first thing that comes to your mind when your dentist says that you need a Root Canal Treatment? It’s the pain.
Many people still correlate root canal procedure with the pain and are therefore afraid of visiting a dentist to get the treatment done. But what they do not understand is that ignoring the treatment for long can lead to severe damage to the tooth which may even result in getting the tooth extracted.
What people get confused with is that the procedure of root canal does not alleviate pain but help to get rid of the pain which is there due to infection or various other reasons.
In fact, RCT is a way to save the tooth from extraction. It repairs the badly damaged tooth and as the name suggests works as a way to clean the pulp or nerve of the tooth from infection. The procedure involves getting rid of the damaged area cleaning the tooth and then sealing it. Though you may feel a little discomfort or pain initially, the modern dental practices make this pain go away in no time.
But before we go on with the procedure and pain and understand if the pain occurs or not, we should first understand the treatment. We need to know as to why do we need to undergo the process of Root Canal Treatment?
If you are facing from the below issues, then the chances of undergoing RCT is quite high:
- A cracked tooth which has exposed the dentin (inner layer of the tooth) is now infected and the infection has spread to the roots of the tooth.
- Deep cavity. When you have a cavity and you constantly ignore it, then it reaches the root of your tooth causing infection which is important to get rid of.
- Repeated dental treatment on a particular tooth. This might be a case where your tooth had an injury due to which it led to multiple treatments on that single tooth which has damaged the tooth. This tooth will then need an RCT.
Because your tooth is severely damaged, hence it needs deep cleaning which can irritate your gums and nerves which can result in a mild pain in the tooth. This mild pain is normal. However, if this pain exceeds for a longer period, then you should consult your dentist.
If we were having this discussion nearly 3 decades ago, then we can say that the procedure led to a lot of pain. But now with the introduction to new dental equipment and advancement in the procedure, the pain is a thing of the past. Dentists today use the pain-relieving measures during the treatment.
For instance, the dentist now administers the local anesthesia in the very beginning which minimizes the pain. Though you might feel some pressure on your root, the chances of pain are null. During the process, the dentist makes a small opening in the crown and cleans the infection from the roots, so you are likely to face the pain. Having anesthesia will ensure that you are secured from the pain.
The next step is filling the opening with the help of gutta-percha material and then seal it with the cement. In all the steps the anesthesia will protect you from the pain. But there are chances of you experiencing the pain once the effect of anesthesia wears off. However, this will not be there for a longer time. Your dentist might suggest over-the-counter medicines to soothe the growing pain.
These medicines will help you get rid of the pain which might take a day or two or in certain cases, you will need more cleaning sessions to get rid of this pain. You will get to know the same if you face a recurring pain.
If the pain continues for a really long time and is not receding, hen you need to surely visit your dentist. There can be a chance of some other damage which your dentist will know only after a thorough check-up and examination.
It is really important that you take the precautions as suggested by your dentist to ensure there is post-treatment care. The post-treatment acre includes avoiding had and crunchy food. Quit smoking and turn to soft food for a day or two.
The root canal charges are usually fixed in any dental clinic. There is not a major link of rct treatment cost and the time taken for the treatment.
