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.

What is Laser Assisted RCT?

This is a type of RCT where Laser is used to assisting in RCT. It is a more comfortable and effective method compared to traditional procedures. Laser is used to clean and sterilize the canals, burning any tissue left and helps in increasing the success rate of Root canal treatments.

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

• It helps in performing the actual procedure faster.
• It also minimizes the risk of infection.
• It reduces bleeding and swelling.
• It actually does not need anaesthesia for performing the procedure.
• It reduces and in some cases completely eradicates bacteria in the root canal.
• It also reduces the risk of relapse of the infection.
• It can effectively remove most or complete

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

What Does It Do?

The laser emits intense focused light energy and can be used to open the tooth’s surface for accessing the root canal. It will then help remove the diseased tissue, the dental pulp and the original debris.

Then it is used to clean, disinfect and also reshape the dentinal walls of the root canals. After the preparation, the root canal is sealed, usually with a sealant called gutta-percha. The laser is also used to soften and mould the sealant.

Authored by DR.NIRANJAN P