Root Canal Treatment: Why It’s Done, How It Works, and Risks Involved

Root canal treatment (RCT) is a dental procedure for infected teeth. Dental caries, gum infections, trauma, tooth wear, and reinfection of a restored filling can infect teeth. This is an endodontic procedure in which the tissue inside the tooth is removed and filled with biocompatible material.  

A tooth consists of a crown, the exposed part that can be seen with the eye, and the root inside the bone, which is covered by gums. The Crown has enamel, dentin, and a pulp chamber laid one layer below the other. The root has cementum, dentin, and root canals laid one layer below the other. The pulp chamber and root canals contain nerves and blood vessels, which produce pain when infected. The root canal procedure removes infected blood vessels and nerves from the pulp chamber and root canals.  

The root canal procedure:

Root canal treatment removes the infection and restores the tooth's structure and function. Depending on the tooth's condition, this procedure may be performed in one or multiple visits. The root canal procedure is done in the following steps:

• An X-ray of the tooth is taken to determine the extent of damage, understand the chronicity of the root canal infection, and determine the shape of the root canals.  
• Occasionally, prior antibiotics may be given to reduce the severity of the infection.  
• On the day of the root canal procedure, a local anesthetic solution is injected to numb the offending tooth so that there will not be any pain.  
• A rubber dam is placed to prevent cross-contamination.  
• A small hole is drilled in the tooth using tips called dental burs attached to a machine called the airotor. This drills through enamel and dentin to reach the pulp chamber. This step in the root canal procedure is called the Access opening.  
• Once access to the tooth canals is gained, thin dental files or reamers are used to remove the infected blood vessels or nerves.  
• The tooth root length to be cleaned is confirmed using the apex locator.  
• Once the length is known, the files are placed in the canals, and an X-ray is taken to confirm their position and determine the length they have covered.  
• Once the appropriate length is known, the files are used to scrape the root canals to remove the infected tooth structure. They are then used in progressively increased tapering to clean and shape the root canals. This is done using hand or rotary instruments.  
• Once the canals are cleaned and shaped, the files are removed and filled with a rubber-like sterile material called gutta-percha using a sealer.  
• Later, a permanent filling or restoration is given to close the access.  
• After the permanent restoration is given, the tooth is covered by a partial or complete covered crown.  
• Root canal treatment is painless as it is done under anesthesia, but depending on the tooth's condition, it may occasionally cause pain. This can also be visualized under a microscope.  

Benefits of Root canal treatment:

• Root canal treatment helps to reduce the pain and wards off the infection.  
• It gives the tooth a second chance at restoring its structure and function.  
• The root canal procedure is a relatively safe procedure that helps restore the structure and function of natural teeth. The root canal procedure cost varies from dentist to dentist.