Q&A: Root Canal Treatment

WHAT YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT ROOT CANAL TREATMENTS!

Q. What is Root Canal Treatment?
A. When the cavity in a tooth penetrates the top (enamel) and middle layer (dentine) to reach the innermost layer (pulp/nerve layer), it infects the nerve of tooth. This nerve passes from the center of tooth through the canals into the root of tooth. When the nerve of tooth gets infected, the dentist has 2 options- (a) Save the tooth by removing infected nerve. This is called root canal treatment, and, (b) Remove/extract the tooth itself, saving the natural tooth is the best possible treatment option as no artificial tooth can match the natural tooth.

Q. Is Root Canal Treatment painful?
A. A recent survey showed that patients who have experienced Root Canal Treatment are 6 times more likely to describe it as painless than patients who haven't it. Pain during Root Canal Treatment which could be mild, moderate or severe (in few cases) depends upon severity of infection. With the latest available technologies, anesthetics and antibiotics a root canal is as comfortable as getting a filling done in a tooth.

Q. What symptoms should a patient keep in mind for a tooth which needs Root Canal Treatment?
A. (a) Sensitivity/pain in a tooth on having something cold especially drinking something chilled/cold.
(b) Pain in tooth while applying pressure to eat/chew something. (patient avoids eating on the side where the infected tooth is)
(c) A pimple near the gum of the infected tooth which comes and goes (may or may not have pus). This tooth may or may not have pain.

Q. Is it mandatory for a root canal treated tooth to have a cap/crown?
A. Yes, it is mandatory for a root canal treated tooth to have a cap/crown as the tooth though now healthy is brittle (because the nerve and blood supply has been removed). If not capped or crowned the tooth fractures on eating something hard like toast, nuts or bones. Then it has to be removed or extracted.

(Courtesy: Dr. Supriya Bhatia, Dentist on panel for Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd.)