Things You Need To Know Before You Get a Root Canal Treatment

Things You Need To Know Before You Get a Root Canal Treatment

A Blog by Value Smiles, Affordable Lithia Springs Dentist

You may have heard the term RCT, or Root Canal Treatment and wondered what it meant. This article by Value Smiles, an affordable dentist in Lithia Springs will provide you with basic information about this common dental procedure with the express wish that you never have to undergo this procedure. Not that the RCT procedure is harmful, or painful, but I wish that you keep smiling with your original God-given teeth. However, if you ever have to undergo a Root Canal Treatment (RCT), the paragraphs below will help you understand Root Canal Treatment while they will also answer the most common questions people ask about it.

1. What is Root Canal Treatment?

While your tooth surface is covered by the hard enamel, and the (less hard) dentin, the inside of the tooth is like a small tube or canal running down to the root. This canal (root canal) is filled with soft tissue composed of soft material mostly pulp and nerve. In a fully grown tooth this material is redundant. If this region gets infected and inflamed, you can feel unbearable pain. To relieve this situation permanently, the canal is drilled into, cleaned, dried, filled with inert material, and closed at the top. Hopefully, that tooth will never ache again and is saved from extraction. That is RCT or root canal treatment.

2. Is Root Canal Treatment a common procedure?

Millions of people undergo RCT every year in USA alone. According to an estimate by American Association of Endodontics in 2010, 15 million teeth are being saved every year by root canal procedure. So, you can see that it is a very common procedure in dentistry. Almost every dentist who has had thorough training in Endodontics will be able to do it. Of course experience, matters and our dentists at Value Smiles have lot of experience in successfully performing Root Canal Treatments.

3. When will I need Root Canal Treatment?

Root Canal Treatment is done to relieve the inflammation and infection in the nerve or pulp of the tooth. You cannot tell yourself whether you will need a simple caries treatment like filling or a Root Canal Treatment to relieve your pain. Your dentist at Value Smiles will be able to diagnose and take necessary action.

4. What happens if I don’t get Root Canal Treatment?

If Root canal Treatment is required not performed over time it can lead to severe pain, abscess and ultimately extraction. There are a couple of cases on record where neglect led to death due to abscess getting out of control.

5. What’s the cost of Root Canal Treatment?

The cost will depend on the number of roots of the tooth and location of the tooth. But Value Smiles is an affordable dental care clinic offers its patients special prices for Root Canal Treatment.

Value Smiles Special package can be viewed at the link below

TOOTH POSITION                       PRICE             REGULAR PRICE

Front                                                $499                         $900

Middle                                             $599                         $1000

Back                                                 $699                         $1100

6. What’s the success rate of Root Canal Treatment?

Data collected in various studies indicates that about 95-98% of RCT procedures end up successfully. Of course, the success rate varies from dentist to dentist. At Value Smiles you will be treated by a highly qualified and experienced dentists.

7. Why do root canals fail?

Failures are rare. Possible causes of RCT failure are extra canals, root fractures, leaky fillings and perforations.

8. How much time does it take to perform a Root Canal?

It will vary from case to case. RCT of molars (rear teeth) takes more time than the front teeth because of difficult access. Usually one procedure is completed in about 60-90 minutes.

9. Do I need antibiotics after or before a Root Canal Treatment?

Our expert dentists at Value smiles will decide the need for antibiotics based on the condition of the infection in your individual case.

10. Should I get a crown after root canal treatment?

While the RCT saves a tooth from extraction, the affected tooth can get brittle and liable to crack or break. A crown is normally recommended after an RCT procedure. But there are some instances where there is no need for Crowns, the dentists at Value Smiles will give the best case scenario for your case.

11. Do I need pain medications after RCT?

Not always. But in some cases you might need an over the counter pain medicine like Tylenol or Advil or Motrin for a few days after root canal treatment. If stronger medication is needed our dentists at Value Smiles will prescribe for you.

12. Does root canal treatment hurt? Do I have pain during RCT?

No. Root Canal Treatment is performed under local anesthesia and patients should not feel any pain during the procedure. However, if the patient indicates pain the dentist at Value Smiles can give more of local anesthesia.

13. Is there any alternative to Root Canal Treatment?

The only alternate to root canal treatment is extraction. It is, always better to avoid extraction because it can cause changes in bite, difficulty in eating, and bone loss. Nothing can replace our natural tooth completely.

14. Post op instructions for Root Canal Treatment?

RCT can make your tooth brittle, and more likely to crack or break under chewing stress. A crown will protect against this and also seal the canal doubly against penetration by any inward seepage. After the RCT, you are advised to avoid hard food before you get a crown on that tooth.

15. How can we avoid getting a Root Canal in the future?

Simply follow the following guide lines by Value Smiles Dentist

• Brush and floss at least twice a day for at least two minutes.
• Visit your dentist regularly for routine checks to catch any decay at an early stage.
• Wearing custom mouth guard prevents tooth injury.
• Make it a habit to eat healthy food low in sugar and carbohydrate content.

16. Does Root Canal Treatment cause any illness?

There is no scientific evidence that RCT can cause disease. Anything to the contrary may be opinion of some lone individual. The best source of information on RCT are websites like American Association of Endodontics and American Dental Association. The links are:

American Dental Association Link

American Association of Endodontics link

Please contact us at 770-489-9141 or visit us at WWW.MYVALUESMILES.COM for any further information. We have same day appointments in most situations. We accept most major dental insurances. We are conveniently located at 2635 Lee Road, Suite C4, Lithia Springs, GA-30122. We are in the Publix plaza at the intersection of Fairburn Road and Lee Road. Value Smiles provide Affordable Dental Care with Excellent Customer Service to patients in Lithia Springs, Douglasville, Austell, Mableton, Powder Springs and surrounding areas.