What is Root Canal Treatment (RCT)

Root canal procedures preserve a dead or infected tooth in the mouth. Root canals are usually treated by an Endodontist, a specialist who has had special training in this field of dentistry. Some general dentists will perform a root canal on a simple to diagnose, single rooted tooth. However, Endodontists can meet the challenges of diagnosing a difficult tooth and can distinguish between a dying tooth and one that can recover. The specialist also is more experienced in thorough removal of the infection with a high success rate. Beyond Borders Dental can provide patients with quality, affordable Endodontists through our vetted dental offices.

Our dentists in Mexico have been performing low cost root canals on Americans for decades. For most people, this equates to saving thousands of dollars on their root canal treatment.

Indicators for Needing a Root Canal — Severe Pain!

 

Pain: Pain is pain, right? Believe it or not, your dentist will ask you about the following four different types of pain.

1. Lingering Pain — when a tooth is triggered by a stimulus, such as hot tea or ice cream, and is painful without subsiding.  Lingering pain can cause sensitivity for an hour.
2. Positional Pain — when your pain gets worse if you lie down or suddenly stand up, or exercise heavily.
3. Spontaneous Pain — if a wave of pain occurs out of the blue, with no obvious cause.
4. Referred Pain — if pain travels away from your tooth to other parts of your mouth and beyond.

A root canal is a therapy to repair and save a tooth that is badly decayed or infected. A tooth’s nerve and pulp can become irritated, inflamed, and infected due to deep decay; repeated dental procedures on a tooth; or large fillings, a crack, or chip in the tooth. It also can happen because of trauma to the face.

Common Causes of Pain Associated with Root Canal Cases

Abscess: An abscess is most commonly diagnosed with X-rays. It shows up as a dark or blackened spot at the bottom of the root (the apical) on the bone. An abscess is formed when the infection from the tooth exits the bottom of the root and bone can’t grow around it.

Fistula: A fistula on the gum or the palate is a white, yellow, or red pimple like bump. The infection tries to find a weak spot in the mouth to escape.

Deep Decay: If a cavity is too close to the pulp (the nerve chamber).

How Much do Root Canals Cost and How Much Can I Save with Beyond Borders Dental?

 

Whether you need an affordable option for a root canal treatment, the price of the root canal treatment depends on the amount of canals in the tooth and by who performs the procedure. An Endodontist in the U.S. can charge anywhere from $1,000 (single rooted tooth) up to $1,800 (a difficult and/or four rooted tooth). With Beyond Borders Dental, you can get a much more affordable root canal by taking the short trip to Mexico. Our Mexico border dentists charge around $250 for a root canal treatment, which is much cheaper than the most simple root canal treatment.  Remember, the Endodontists in Mexico are specialists who solely treat root canals, and are as focused as any Endodontist around the world can be on the skill it takes to treat infections successfully.

How Necessary is it to Treat a Tooth Needing a Root Canal?

If you are in pain, the dentist will prescribe antibiotics for the infection. When you experience some relief by the pain subsiding, please know the tooth is not healed by the antibiotic. It will only be a matter of time that the tooth can blow up again. The antibiotics immediately begin to attack the infection in your body, an infection that could spread to your heart or brain which could be deadly. Our dentists also usually prescribe antibiotics before treating a root canal because they decrease the tooth’s inflammation, which assists in the anesthesia numbing effect. Do not let the relief of the antibiotics fool you!  So, yes, a diseased tooth must be treated or the infection can kill you. In many cases, the root canal treatment is the simplest and quickest option in treating a tooth.

The Root Canal Procedure

1. Anesthesia is given. Even with antibiotics prior, sometimes it takes a tooth in need of a root canal treatment a little longer to get numb.
2. The Dental Dam is placed. A rubber frame is attached to the tooth to isolate it for it to be as sterile as possible and to block any bacteria from the mouth.
3. A small access hole is drilled, either from the back of the tooth or the top. If the tooth already has a porcelain-to-metal crown or a ceramic crown, the hole is drilled right through the crown material without having to remove the restoration.
4. The diseased pulp tissue is removed along with the nerves in the canals. The canals are carefully cleaned out with several individual precision tools.
5. The canals are disinfected with antiseptic and antibacterial solutions.
6. The canals are shaped and prepared for the filling material.
7. Gutta Percha, a rubber-like material is used to fill the canals. The filling material is heated and compressed into the walls of the canals and an adhesive cement is used to seal the Gutta Percha. The cement is crucial in preventing re-infection.
8. A temporary filling is placed.
9. If the tooth weren’t already crowned, you would return to your general dentist to receive treatment for a dental crown. A crown is necessary because the tooth becomes brittle after the nerves are removed. In order for the tooth to withstand the force of chewing with its opposing tooth, it must be protected and strengthened with a dental crown or else the tooth can break.

Whether you are getting a root canal in the U.S. or in Mexico, most often, it is routine for the root canal treatment to take two visits. However, they can range anywhere from one to three appointments. The procedures are broken up and based on the difficulty of treatment, such as more roots than expected with a tooth, and or, the severity of infection.

Reasons Against Having a Root Canal

A root canal treatment demands precision and a highly skilled dentist to perform the task of removing the infection. It is a challenge to clean the canals out 100%, as there are many small accessory canals branching off the main ones. The root canal treatment has a 95% success rate among Endodontists. However, it is important to know, that the only way to guarantee the removal of the infection 100% is to extract the infected teeth. Most people do go on to live healthy and vital lives after a successful root canal treatment. It is still extremely important to discuss with your dentist or Endodontist their confidence in treating your particular tooth and all other possible treatment options. Many people today are opting for extractions and dental implants. No matter what your decision is, dentistry for root canals and implants are much more affordable in Mexico than in the U.S.

If you’re interested in getting a no-obligation, complementary dental treatment estimate for your individual case, click this link to send us your inquiry and we’ll get back to you.