Endodontics is the specialized field of dentistry that deals with the diagnosis, management and treatment of the dental pulp/nerve of the teeth and the surrounding gums and bony tissue. It is commonly known as root canal treatment (RCT) or nerve treatment.

Endodontics or Root Canal Treatment is needed when you have a toothache, ie there is pain associated with your teeth, a condition known as acute pulpitis. This arises when the pulpal tissue/nerves of the teeth are inflamed due to a variety of factors like decay, trauma, large and deep fillings or insults to the tooth.

On the first visit, after a rubber dam is placed, an access hole is drilled on your tooth and the pulpal tissue/nerves are removed. Medicament is placed to eliminate any remaining bacteria in the tooth. On the second visit, a rubbery type of filling is placed inside the root canal system. You will then be referred back to your dentist who will then build up your structurally weakened tooth with a post-core followed by a crown. Your root canal treatment is completed only when you have your crown fitted.

In the olden days when dentistry was not so advanced, extraction was the only way to relieve the pain from a toothache/acute pulpitis. In the 1960’s, RCT was predictable enough to be offered as a form of treatment. However, the procedure was costly and only the very rich could afford it. Most of the population still had to extract their teeth when they had a toothache. It was common in those days for people in their mid thirties to have a full set of dentures due to removal of all their natural teeth.

Hence, Endodontic or Root Canal Treatment (RCT) is a procedure whereby your tooth is saved from extraction and kept in your mouth, years after years, serving you for your chewing pleasure and for aesthetic.

Extraction followed by replacement with :

1.Denture

2.Implant

3.Bridge

Why do I need root canal treatment (RCT)

Root canal treatment (RCT) is needed when you have a tooth decay resulting in a toothache, a condition known as acute pulpitis. This can be excruciating and will keep you awake the whole night. This arises when the pulpal tissue/nerves are inflamed due to a variety of factors like tooth decay (60%), large and deep fillings or insults to the tooth (35%) or trauma (5%).

Thus, a root canal treatment is done to relieve the pain caused by the inflammation of the pulp. A root canal treatment can also be done electively, that is to say we anticipate that the pulp is going to be inflamed. This is especially so in teeth with large fillings that we would wish to put on a crown/cap.

Is the procedure painful during root canal treatment?

Because pain is an individual experience, the amount and type of pain you may feel may not be the same as what others feel, even when undergoing the same procedure.

Most of the time, after local anaesthesia is given, no dis-comfort is felt during the procedure. However, there are occasions where a severely inflamed tooth is not so receptive to local anaesthesia and twinges are felt during treatment. Please inform the endodontist when this happens and he will take appropriate measures.

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