What is RCT?

RCT or Root Canal Treatment / Therapy is a dental procedure that is performed to treat an infected pulp of a tooth. It comes under Endodontic treatments. The Endodontist is the Dentist who is trained to perform RCT.

The human teeth are actually made up of the following:

• Enamel: is the hard structure on the outside that surrounds the Dentine.
• Dentine: is also hard and it makes up the bulk of a tooth. It consists of small fluid-filled tubules (Dentinal Tubules) extending from the pulp chamber housing the pulp tissue to the enamel.
• Pulp: is the central portion of the tooth and consists of connective tissue with cells, blood vessels, nerves, lymphatics etc.

The decay of a tooth, if left unchecked, will first breach the enamel and also the Dentin, leading to the inflammation of the dental pulp and hence root canal pain. The patient who experience immense root canal pain, would require immediate dental treatment.

The dentist would normally opt for removing the dental pulp with all its blood vessels and nerve connections. This procedure of removing the pulp is called Root Canal Treatment. It actually involves the cleaning and sterilization of the root canal and the removal of the tissue from the canal.

Most of traditional RCT’s failures are due to the incomplete removal of the damaged tissue from the canals. Read more about Root canal treatment

What is Laser Assisted RCT?

This is a type of RCT where Diode Laser is used as an adjunct in RCT. After gaining access to the root canal with conventional methods (drillis), the Laser is used to clean and sterilize the canals, in cases where there is persistent infection despite good cleaning of the root canal with conventional techniques. local Anesthesia is provided in all cases of Root canal treatment. This provides a painless experience.

Some of the benefits that this type of RCT brings to the tables are:

• It could also minimize the risk of re-infection.
• It reduces bleeding and swelling.
• It could reduce bacteria in the root canal.
• It may reduce the risk of relapse of the infection.

The straight path of the laser fiberoptic is a setback as the root canal spaces are usually curved.

What Does It Do?

It will then help remove the diseased tissue - the dental pulp 

Then it is used to clean, disinfect the root canals. After the preparation, the root canal is sealed, usually with a sealant and root filling material called gutta-percha. 

Authored by DR.NIRANJAN P