Root Canal Treatment: Risks, Merits and Demerits

Root Canal Therapy

Root canal treatment is also known as endodontic therapy. During a root canal infection, an inflamed nerve and pulp chamber of the tooth are infected due to harmful bacteria. Sometimes, root canal treatment is carried due to deep tooth decay, or chipping of tooth, or trauma to the tooth.

In a root canal or other endodontic treatment, the inside of the tooth is carefully cleaned and disinfected and then filled and sealed with a rubber-like material called gutta-percha. Later, a tooth covering called dental-crown is used to restore or to protect the tooth from further infections. Root canal therapy is a better way that rescues damaged teeth from being extracted or removed completely.

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Risks of Root Canal Therapy

There are some common risks associated with a root canal therapy:

• Use of local anesthetics may lead to increase in heart rate. 
• During the treatment, due to the use of dental injections, a temporary stiffness and soreness might be felt in the jaw which makes it difficult for patients to open the mouth wide for several days after the procedure.
• After the treatment, a patient experiences pain, sometimes swelling might occur or some discomfort is felt for a few days for which proper medication is provided. In a few cases, it was also observed that jaw bone infection might occur which is best treated with antibiotics.
• In a very small number of cases where the damage is too deep or the enamel is too frail to withstand the procedure, loss of the tooth results in failure of the treatment.
• There are rare but evident chances that sometimes due to improper treatment, the shaping file might break and get stuck in the root canal or that the root of the tooth fractures.

Merits of Root canal Therapy

• Endodontic therapy removes the harmful bacteria which cause infection and also prevents the infection from spreading to the nearby areas.
• Abscessed Tooth is treated with the help of root canal treatment (due to its high success rate).
• Root canal treatment reduces pain a patient suffers during the infection and restores the ability to bite and chew food properly.
• The procedure is made painless with the help of anesthesia and sedatives and is cost effective (as in most cases, it is covered under dental insurance).
• Another benefit of root canal treatment is that it prevents jaw bone degeneration.
• With the help of root canal treatment, a chance of replacing missing tooth or dealing with gaps and missing teeth is reduced and also the treatment is supposed to reduce the strain on other teeth.

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Demerits of Root Canal Treatment

• The treatment procedure of root canal is much more complicated than an extraction of tooth. The procedure also might take a few hours and may require multiple sessions during the treatment.
• Discoloration of teeth or darkening of the tooth is a common problem after the treatment.
• In some cases, re-infection occurs in case the final restoration is not completed as soon as possible.
• There is a chance that a hidden-root or extra canal might also suffer from infection which also needs re-treatment.

If a root canal therapy fails, then a re-treatment known as retrograde filling is considered as an alternative way to save the tooth. During a retrograde filling procedure, the apex is sealed to prevent the infection from spreading and to save the tooth.