Root Canal Therapy (RCT) is an endodontic treatment. This treatment is used to save a natural tooth when it is badly damaged by infection or other reasons. RCT is a repair procedure and is intended to save the tooth from extraction, according to my dentist brisbane.

RCT becomes necessary when a cavity is neglected to the point that damage reaches the pulp (tooth centre) and an infection occurs there. Regular visits to the dentist, routine oral health maintenance and check-up and clean can minimise progress of cavities to the centre of the tooth.

Dental trauma can damage the nerve of the tooth and the nerve can die and get infected. The infection of the nerve can progress further to the tip of the root of the tooth. The infection at the root of the tooth, is also known as a dental abscess. The abscess at the tip of the root, if not treated, can start to dissolve the bone.

An infected pulp cannot heal on its own and it must be treated. This infection can affect and weaken the entire immune system of the body. It can be painful and it can become dangerous and a risk to your overall health.

The symptoms of an infected pulp include:

• Pain
• Sensitivity to cold or hot temperatures
• Pain with biting
• Pain with pressure
• Bad taste in the mouth
• Swelling

An infected pulp can have no symptoms sometimes. Patients may be unaware of the infection in the pulp until a dental checkup.

With the RCT procedure, the dentist cleans out the infected pulp of the tooth. He or she would then disinfect the root canals. Once the infection is controlled and resolved, the dentist would fill the canals. This is to prevent it from further infection. RCT can weaken then tooth structure and most dentist would recommend a suitable dental crown to restore the strength of tooth structure.

RCT is an attempt to repair. The only alternative to RCT is extraction and replacement of the tooth with a dental implant or dentures, bridges, etc. RCTs can fail, however, nothing can replace a natural tooth and most dentists would recommend RCT to extraction because nothing can replace a real tooth.

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