Most of us have experienced the excruciating dental pain at least once in our lives. The amount of pain vary depending upon various factors from extent of nerve damage, trauma, pain while chewing food, sensitivity to heat and cold ,for how long the pain has been occurring, etc.
Along with other medical ministrations, dental treatments are also pioneering excellence . Here we are going to discuss one of those age old dental practices that begun in 1838 i.e the root canal therapy.
Now you must be wondering that the practice begun in 19th century so what’s new about it ? Intially, RCT was done in multiple visits. Later, In 1959, Feranti reported that there was little difference in postoperative sequelae between single-visit and two-visit root canals. Amongst these constantly evolving medical practices we are opting for more conservative and therapeutic treatment options for RCT as well.
So what is Single Visit RCT or Single Visit Endodontics ?
Single-visit endodontic therapy is defined as “the conservative and nonsurgical root canal treatment of an involved tooth consisting of complete biomechanical preparation and obturation of the root canal system in one visit.”
Indications of – Single visit RCT :
⦁ Vital teeth
⦁ Uncomplicated teeth
⦁ Physically challenged patients who cannot come for multiple visits
⦁ Fractured anteriors and bicuspids where esthetics is a main concern
⦁ Mentally compromised patients who require sedation while performing the procedure
⦁ Immediate endodontic treatment following acute trauma
⦁ Absence of severe pain, swelling or sinus tracts
⦁ Patient acceptance
⦁ Professional expertise to diagnose the possibility of single visit treatment
Advantages to the patient – Single visit RCT :
⦁ Reduced number of visits
⦁ Convenient
⦁ Economic
⦁ Reduced intra-appointment pain
⦁ Only one time anesthesia is needed
Advantages to the clinician – Single Visit RCT :
⦁ Reduced risk of Inter-appointment microbial contamination
⦁ Reduced risk of flare ups
⦁ Better restorative conditions
⦁ Convenient to place posts and core build up in same visit
⦁ Economic and more productive
To conclude I would like to say that the proper techniques, equipments and professional expertise to ruminate and diagnose the disease would lead to the success of single visit root canal treatment.
