Root Canal Treatment: Procedure and Cost
Talking about the basic structure of tooth, the portion that we can see in the oral cavity is the crown of the tooth and other that is embedded is the bone and gums is the root portion. Tooth comprises of outer enamel layer, middle dentinal layer and the inner pulp part. Enamel is absent in the root portion and is replaced by the cementum here. Pulp part is the main in which all the blood vessels and nerves are present and all the sensations of the tooth are present. Pulp is present in the pulp chamber that extends to the root in the form of root canals and then after passing through it, the small blood vessels meet with the major ones.
Infection of tooth
Root Canal Treatment is required when the tooth gets infected and the infection has reached to the pulp part. Otherwise the only treatment that left behind is extraction of the tooth. Bacteria release some of the acidic contents and create caries in the tooth first by involving the enamel, then dentin and finally pulp. In this case Root Canal Treatment is the only treatment left behind to save the tooth.
Procedure
1. In the procedure of Root Canal Treatment, firstly the entire carious portion is removed with the help of air rotor. Access cavity is prepared adjoining with this step of removing infected part of the tooth and this step is done by giving some anaesthesia so as to decrease the pain and discomfort.
2. In the second step the canals are located with the help of files. The canal length can be determined by the use of X-Ray films or with Apex Locators.
3. In the third step of Root Canal Treatment, cleaning and shaping of the canals is done. This step is done with the help of files and irrigants. The irrigants most commonly in use are Sodium Hypochlorite or Chlorhexidine Gluconate.
4. After this step, the next step in Root Canal Treatment is the Obturation and is done with the help of Gutta Percha in the canals. Then the crown portion is filled with suitable material and capping is done on the crown portion after getting the real tooth trimmed.
Cost
In south Asian countries treatment can cost $89 to $ 100 depending upon the conditions. In Europe, US and Canada price varies from $500 to $3000. Root Canal Treatment requires 2-3 sittings to complete the procedure.
