ROOT CANAL TREATMENTS

Root canal treatment is a dental procedure performed under local anesthesia for the treatment of deep dental caries. In cases where the cavity has reached down to the pulp and the tooth develops infection and causes pain, root canal treatment or popularly known as RCT is advocated.

RCT basically consists of three steps — access opening, biomechanical preparation and obturation followed by core filling. Access operation is a step in which the cavity and decayed part is removed by high speed rotary instruments. The patient is under local anesthesia and doesn't feel any sensation while doing so. Biomechanical preparation or BMP is a step which uses needle like objects called "files". These files are used in rotary motion and up and down motion to prepare the canal and take out foreign body, infectious matter and debris. Finally, obturation is performed in which the root canal is filled with a material called Gutta Percha or GP. GP is a bioinert and biocompatible material which is placed to seal the canal to prevent microleakage of bacteria.

RCT can be done in single step or multiple steps depending on the presence of infection and other diagnostic factors.