What is RCT ?

Root canal treatment is a dental procedure which is undertaken to treat the infected pulp of a tooth. The pulp is the technical name for the soft tissue inside the tooth which lead into a series of channels or ‘root canals’ – hence the name.

These canals contain nerves, arteries, veins and lymph vessels which ensure that the tooth receives enough nutrients to keep it strong and healthy.

Not every tooth has the number of root canals. The front teeth usually have a single canal whereas the back teeth or molars will have 3 or more canals.

However, the pulp can become infected as a result of an injury (for example, a blow to the face), gum disease or severe tooth decay.

If this happens then it can lead to an abscess: an abscess is a painful condition in which pus gathers in the canals which causes the tooth to shift upwards out of its socket.

Symptoms of this include swelling around the tooth or in the gums, persistent toothache, fever and difficulty in swallowing. If you experience any of these then seek dental treatment right away.

The procedure itself is complex and requires a high degree of skill on the part of the dentist. It can be performed in the one visit but can take two or more visits depending on the extent of the treatment. If you have an abscess then you may find that your dentist will prescribe antibiotics beforehand to reduce any swelling and tenderness before carrying out the treatment.

How many appointments root canal take ?

It can be one as least as possible but may take two to three appointments in few cases too. so it has single sitting and multiple sittings approach too.

1.single sitting rotary root canal procedure :-

Earlier dentist always preferred root canal procedure broken into two or more steps.

Later it shifted to single sitting appointment approach with latest advancements and got widely accepted as technology made it possible to complete a patient's work in a single sitting without compromising treatment quality.

Advantages :-

For the patient, the obvious benefit is that all of their treatment is completed in a single sitting. Although, with multi-rooted teeth that visit might be fairly extended, possibly as long as 90 minutes.

2. Multiple sittings approach :-

- The first sitting is focused on the task of cleaning and shaping the tooth’s root canals.

- The second is used for filling and sealing the tooth.

- The two appointments are usually scheduled about a week apart.

Advantages :-

advantages of this approach are that it makes managing any flares that develop easier and more predictable, and it also gives the dentist an opportunity to monitor the progress of the tooth's healing process.

Research studies suggest that case selection should play the biggest role in deciding which approach is most appropriate.

The primary consideration should be the degree to which the tooth's root canal system harbors infection. Possibly (and this is heatedly debated in the dental community), a two-visit approach that involves the placement of medication (calcium hydroxide) in the tooth between appointments is more effective in disinfecting the tooth's interior.

Examples

A)   Single appointment cases

If a tooth's pathology is limited to just a portion of its nerve tissue (meaning the tooth still harbors some live pulp) then the single-visit approach makes an excellent, possibly even preferred, treatment choice.

This scenario could include teeth that require root canal treatment due to the exposure of their nerve tissue during dental treatment or tooth fracture, and teeth that are in the early stages of pulpal degeneration.

b) Multi appointment cases :-

In those cases where the entire root canal system harbors bacteria, single-visit treatment may, or may not, be an appropriate choice. This would include teeth whose pulp tissue has died (non-vital, necrotic teeth), teeth with active infections, and retreatment cases.

And as a general rule, if the patient is experiencing pain, tenderness or swelling at the time of their appointment, the dentist will be less likely to choose single-visit treatment.

They will also be more likely to choose a multi-appointment approach for complex cases because they will simply take more time to complete. This might include teeth that have multiple root canals (molars), or teeth that have canals that are generally difficult to find, access or negotiate.

How long does a root canal appointment take ?

Over the last few decades new techniques and new types of equipment have been developed that have improved the efficiency with which endodontic therapy can be performed and these improvements are one reason why single visit treatment has now become so much more common place.

Appointment length :-

As an estimate, you can expect that any single root canal appointment will last somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes.with more involved cases the time needed might rise to as long as an hour and a half.

A more precise answer is given by a study it depends upon the number of canals in the involved tooth.

Teeth having single canals – incisors,canines and some premolars take on average 45 minutes.

Teeth having multiple canals – molars and some premolars take average 90 minutes o complete the procedure.