Root canal treatment, or RCT, is one of the most critical dental procedures in dentistry that is usually performed when there is no alternative left to prevent teeth from cavities. Though when the tooth condition is worse, removing it permanently from the roots is the last option to get a new tooth.
However, apart from RCT, there are multiple other dental procedures performed to remove cavities or protect the tooth from harmful bacteria eating the tooth enamel. But the question is, how do u know if you need a root canal treatment to solve your dental problem? Here we are going to discuss about the RCT and the situations or circumstances when you realise you need this treatment.
What is a Root Canal in Dentistry?
RCT is the process of removing the infected pulp from the inside cavity of the affected tooth. The dentist cleans the infected area, including the pulp from the canals, and disconnects the same from the roots. So that your tooth is prevented from further damage and saved from infections. Inside the tooth, under the white enamel and hard layer of the dentin, there is dentin, known as soft tissue, or it’s called the pulp.
Also Read: Top 10 Frequently Asked Questions About Root Canal Treatment
And this pulp contains the blood vessels, nerves and connecting tissues that help the root of your tooth during development. And due to prolonged cavity or deep decay and infections, this pulp is inflamed, infected or dead, making your teeth useless and painful. And after performing the RCT, your tooth is disconnected from the tooth and becomes dead, resulting in the teeth no longer feeling any sensation like sensitivity from hot or cold food or beverages, but you can chew the foods.
When do you need a Root Canal Treatment?
Though there are multiple reasons and stages where you need to get the RCT to save your teeth and make them usable for chewing like normal teeth. From normal pain to extreme agony or infections, cavity, decay, plaque or broken teeth in severe condition, all can be reasons when you need to go through the RCT. However, there are still certain common symptoms and infection levels where you need RCT. Let’s find out.
7 Signs You Need a Root Canal Treatment:
#1 Persistent Pain in Tooth
If you have continuous pain in the tooth for many days, it means there is a bigger problem causing the pain and discomfort. However, the level of pain may vary from person to person; it may be mild or severe, but persistent pain in the teeth can be a result of deep infections in the roots of the teeth.
The reason behind the persistent pain in the teeth could be from simple holes to deep cavities or gum-related diseases. Such severe pain and discomfort can sometimes be treated only with the help of root canal treatment. However, before you go through the RCT, you need to consult with the dentist and check if the persistent pain can be treated with any other dental procedure or RCT.
#2 Badly Fractured Teeth
The tooth fractured or cracked due to an accident or biting a hard substance allows the bacteria to enter the inner layer of your teeth. And such bad bacteria can cause tooth decay and severe infections, which can later become one of the biggest reasons to damage the enamel and dentin of the teeth.
If the tooth is badly injured and fractured, the pain needs to be treated with the right dental procedure. However, if there is no cavity or tooth decay, but if it is cracked or damaged from the roots, it can be treated through the RCT. As the root canal treatment can disconnect the roots of the teeth, and later the restoration and capping protect the teeth and allow a normal chewing experience.
#3 Extreme Teeth Sensitivity
The sensitivity in the teeth is already a big problem, making it difficult for people to consume hot or cold beverages. When your teeth are sensitive, you feel a sensation while sipping a cup of tea or enjoying a cone of ice cream. As soon as extra hot or cold liquid touches your teeth, you feel a sensation in your teeth, and when it becomes severe, it is painful to have such liquids or food beverages.
Also Read: How to Cure Sensitive Teeth & Treatment for Sensitive Tooth
The teeth become sensitive when there is severe tooth decay of a prolonged cavity, eating away at the enamel and breaking down the internal tissue. And when teeth sensitivity becomes highly painful and intolerable, you need to cure it through root canal treatment. The RCT will cut off the tooth connection from the roots, and you will not feel any kind of sensation or pain while consuming the cold or hot food items.
#4 Unable to Chew the Food
This is like a painful experience, especially when trying to bite or chew any food item, which means your teeth are infected with bacteria and cavities have eaten the enamel, making your teeth fragile. In such a situation, if you put hard pressure on your teeth, they can break down or crack.
Also Read: What Foods That Makes Your Teeth and Gums Healthy and Strong
Apart from that, your tooth becomes loose, not allowing you to bite or chew on it due to pain and infection. In such a situation, you need a root canal treatment that will not only make it stronger but also remove infection, enabling you to bite or chew all types of food items.
#5 Deep Decay or Cavities
When the cavity becomes worse or there is deep tooth decay, your tooth will not be able to bite or chew food. Though for most of the tooth problems, cavities are responsible and when your teeth are going through deep decay due to cavities. And when a cavity eats the enamel, it further reaches to dentin and then affects the pulp, eventually reaching to the nerves and blood vessels.
The tooth infected by the deep cavities means your tooth needs the right dental procedure to cure the cavities and decay. According to most dentists, a tooth deeply infected by cavities can be treated through RCT, which will not only remove cavities but also clean and sterilise the affected area. The RCT is the most suitable dental procedure to cure teeth affected by deep cavities.
#6 When Fillings Don’t Work
Initially, when your tooth is affected by cavities, there is a hole that makes the tooth hollow from the inside. And when you have a kind of hole in your teeth, the food particles get stuck while chewing and remain there, causing infection and pain. The dentist usually cleans such infected holes and fills them with composite filling materials like composite resin, porcelain, a ceramic material or silver and gold-coated metal.
Also Read: What is a Composite Filling: How it is Done & Take Care of it
However, many times these fillings don’t work and come out of your teeth, exposing your teeth to bacteria and infection. The reason behind the failure of a dental filling could be from improper filling procedure to quality material or chewing a hard substance, putting extraordinary pressure on the tooth. Here, the root canal treatment is the last option to cure the affected teeth for long-lasting performance.
#7 Frequent Dental Procedures
Last but not least, when your particular tooth undergoes the different types of dental procedures like braces, teeth whitening, dental filling or dental implants, it can be badly affected by such multiple treatment procedures. The frequent dental procedures can make your teeth fragile, making you unable to resist any further medical treatment, especially fillings, implants or bridges.
Also Read: Why Dental Implants Are Important and its Benefits
Here you need root canal treatment, which is the last dental treatment that could save your teeth from bacteria, sensitivity and cavities. However, if RCT doesn’t work, it means you need to remove your teeth permanently from the roots to get rid of the cause of the problem. However, if you visit the Dr Sinha Dental clinic for RCT, you can get the best root canal treatment in Greater Noida here at reasonable charges.
