Before a root canal
Five questions to ask before you agree to a root canal.
Put these to any clinic, ours included. The answers below are what Dr Arshad’s Dental Care has published, so you can compare like with like.
Prices are given in writing before treatment begins. Rates are reviewed each year.
The five questions
Will you use a dental operating microscope?
The microscope is what lets a dentist see the canals. Without that view, a canal can be missed and decay left behind.
At Dr Arshad’s Dental Care
Yes. Magnification of up to 22-24×, far above what a loupe can reach. Canals are not missed, and decay comes out completely.
Will a rubber dam be placed on my tooth?
The rubber dam keeps the tooth isolated and is what makes it possible to use strong cleaning chemicals inside the canals.
At Dr Arshad’s Dental Care
On every case. It lets the dentist use highly concentrated chemicals to clean inside the canals and kill the bacteria.
Is it one visit or two, and why?
The answer tells you how the case will actually run, and whether an infection is being treated properly.
At Dr Arshad’s Dental Care
One visit, nine times out of ten. A case that arrives with infection, and some re-treatments, need an antibiotic dressing left in the canals for fourteen days, which is two visits.
What does the price include, and is a crown extra?
A root canal and a crown are often quoted separately. Ask for the whole figure for your tooth, in writing.
At Dr Arshad’s Dental Care
PKR 48,000 per tooth, without a crown. A zirconia crown, if the tooth needs one, is PKR 58,000 per unit. Consultation and X-ray are PKR 3,500. Prices are given in writing before treatment begins.
What happens if it does not work?
A clinic should be able to tell you its success rate and what the next step is.
At Dr Arshad’s Dental Care
The success rate is 95 to 100% over ten years and beyond, falling to about 85 to 90% where the tooth already has infection. A root canal that has failed can be re-treated for PKR 55,000, usually over two visits.
Common questions
Questions people ask before they book.
01How successful is a root canal, and how long will the tooth last?
The success rate is 95 to 100%. If the tooth already has infection in it that falls to about 85 to 90%, which does not reduce how worthwhile the procedure is. Those figures are for periods exceeding ten years.
02Why is a rubber dam used?
It lets the dentist use highly concentrated chemicals to clean inside the canals and kill the bacteria. Dentists who do not use one avoid those chemicals, because they taste bad, and risk the treatment.
Ask before you decide, and get the price in writing.
Start with the X-ray. Examination, X-ray and diagnosis are PKR 3,500, and you decide afterwards.