Root Canal Treatment (RCT) is used to save a tooth that’s badly infected, decayed, or damaged. Instead of removing the tooth, the dentist removes the infected pulp (the soft tissue inside the tooth that contains nerves and blood vessels), cleans the root canals, and seals them to prevent future infection.
The goal of root canal treatment is to eliminate all infections from the root canal. The treatment is intricate and time-consuming, often requiring multiple visits to the dentist.
The initial appointment involves the removal of infected pulp and the cleaning and shaping of the root canal, followed by the placement of a temporary filling. The tooth is then checked at a subsequent visit, and if the infection has cleared, a permanent filling is applied. The root is subsequently cleaned and filled to prevent further infection.
