About Root Canal Treatment – Associated Myths
During the last few decades, the rate of tooth extractions has greatly reduced, and, now the emphases is on saving and retaining the affected tooth. Due to advancement in Dentistry, more and more invasive procedures are being undertaken to save teeth, as it has been realized that there is no artificial substitute which can be as good as the natural tooth. One such procedure is Root Canal Treatment. In the past, due to non-availability of precision instruments, medicaments and above all lack of clarity and confidence amongst dentists in carrying out the procedure, patients were not able to get satisfactory treatment. This resulted in Myths about Root Canal Treatment. Some of these are as follows:-
Root Canal Treatment is Painful
When people are told that they require Root Canal Treatment for a tooth, they usually associate the treatment with pain and a number of visits. This is incorrect. Usually there is no pain during the procedure, and if at all there is a slight pain it is due to infection. Root Canal treatment is done toneliminate this very pain.
A local anaesthesia administered before beginning the treatment numbs the tooth and the surrounding area. This ensures that the procedure will be painless. Antibiotics are usually prescribed to take care of any infection. Usually, it is a single sitting procedure with a competent dentist.
The nerves in the tooth are removed during the procedure
Many people believe that once they have had a root canal treatment, they will have no pain in the treated tooth. In a root canal treated tooth, hot and cold sensations are no longer felt. However, there may be a slight pain due to inflammation of the supporting tissue that holds the tooth in the mouth. This gets settled with anti-inflammatory and analgesic medication which a dentist usually prescribes before a root canal treatment procedure.
Why bother getting a Root Canal Treatment done when the tooth will be eventually extracted?
This is incorrect. Many a tooth is saved with a Root Canal Treatment procedure, and it is a fairly successful treatment.
If there is no pain and the tooth is decayed, why should a Root Canal treatment be done?
Root Canal Treatment needs to be done due to several other reasons as well, such as –
- Where the pulp has undergone damage due to infection and it has become narcotic or dead;
- When there is slight or no pain and a boil has formed around the tooth. This boil or abscess is filled with pus originating from the tooth. Due to pressure on this boil it gets punctured and pus is discharged. In such a condition, in order to eradicate the infection and to cure the discharging boil a Root Canal Treatment becomes necessary. If this is not done, the supporting tissue of the tooth, including the bone may get damaged
Root Canal Treatment means, I am having the roots of my tooth, or my whole tooth removed ?
During this treatment it is the inside of the tooth which is treated and not the outside. During the procedure the dentist removes the tooth pulp located in the pulp chamber( centre of the tooth), and does not remove the roots of the tooth or the actual tooth. The aim is of retaining the tooth and not removing it.
After Root Canal Treatment will I have to go back to the dentist?
Once the treatment has been done, one might be tempted not to visit the dentist. This is not true. During the treatment the inner portion of the tooth has been treated and the tooth still requires a permanent filling or a crown (cap) to preserve the structure of the tooth and allow it to be functional in the mouth.
