Root Canal Treatment Singapore

What is Root Canal Treatment (RCT)?

Root canal treatment (endodontic treatment) in Singapore is a dental procedure used to treat infection in the tooth's centre. As a result, the nerve and blood vessels inside the affected tooth (infected pulp tissue) are taken out. The pulp chamber and the root canal(s) are the two components that make up the root canal system. The pulp chamber can be found in the physical crown of the tooth, and the root canal(s) are contained within the root (s). The root contains blood vessels nerves and connectives, which supply blood and feeling to the whole tooth.

The dentist will remove the tooth's inflamed or infected pulp (also called the dead pulp) and carefully clean and disinfect it. Afterwards, will fill the space with an inert material (a material called gutta percha). This treatment is necessary to save the tooth when the pulp tissue (soft tissue) is infected and dead. This can happen because of deep decay or trauma from an accident or fall. The whole purpose of root canal treatment is to save natural teeth instead of removing them.

You may not feel any pain in the early stages of the infection. In some cases, your tooth could darken in colour which may mean that the nerve of the tooth has died or is dying. If the infection is left untreated it can cause severe damage.

Root Canal Treatment Singapore Prices

This treatment fee is an estimate & subject to change. Please check with your clinician for an exact fee based on your unique clinical condition.

The root canal cost in Singapore depends on a few factors. This includes the type of tooth, the extent of the damage, and the post-root canal treatment cost (crowns).

Type of the tooth: Molars tend to be the largest, then premolars and anterior teeth. The complexity increases when there are more roots and multiple roots within a canal.

The extensiveness of the damage: If the damage is larger and the remaining good tooth are comparatively less, then the dentist will need to fill in more structure to replace them and vice versa.

Post-treatment: Your dentist may suggest dental crowns to complete the teeth, and based on the material used, the cost may vary.

Root Canal Treatment Singapore: Can I use MediSave/CHAS?

Root canal cost Singapore: not covered by MediSave, thus not claimable.

Root canal cost Singapore: You can claim through CHAS. CHAS subsidies are available for both root canal treatment (up to 2 per calendar year) and dental crowns (up to 4 per calendar year). You can find the relevant subsidies below:

CHAS Orange | CHASBlue | Merdeka Generation | Pioneer Generation

What are the signs that you need Root Canal Treatment?

You may feel some or all of these symptoms, and these are common indications of the need for a root canal:

• spontaneous pain or throbbing while biting
• sensitivity to hot and cold foods not relieved by other means
• severe tooth decay or an injury that creates an abscess (infection) in the bone

Root Canal Treatment Singapore | Root Canal Procedures

This treatment may require two or more visits to the dentist as it has to be performed meticulously. The aim of the treatment is to remove as much infection from the root canal as possible.

First Visit:

The dentist will take some X-rays during the procedures. The tooth is isolated with a rubber dam and a clamp on the tooth. This is to isolate the tooth and keep it clean and free of saliva during the procedure.

The dentist will administer an injection (local anaesthesia) to the area around the tooth. You will feel a bit “fat” on the cheeks when you are numb. The dentist will drill, remove all decay present, and make an opening into the pulp chamber. Next, using a very fine instrument known as a file, the infected nerve is located and removed. The canal is rinsed, and medication is placed inside the root canal to kill bacteria. The dentist will place a temporary filling to safeguard the canal. This is to prevent it from being damaged by saliva. Material called Gutta-percha, a plastic substance from a Malaysian tree called a percha tree, is used as a permanent filling in root canals

Subsequent Visit:

During the next visit, the tooth will be numbed with a local anaesthetic. Your temporary filling in the tooth will be removed. Progressively thicker files are used to clean and shape the entire length of the root canal. Medication is placed within the root again and a temporary filling is placed.

The dentist will have to repeat the procedure in another visit, depending on the number of canals and the case's complexity. Finally, the root canal is rinsed, dried, and filled with a rubber material. A filling is placed on top. Your dentist will take a post-operative x-ray to check if all affected areas are treated. The dentist may also suggest a dental crown following the treatment to reinforce and restore the tooth.

Why do we need to do crowns after RCT?

It depends! After the root canal, your dentist will inform you if you require a crown or not based on your tooth's condition and by examining the remaining tooth structure. Generally, if the remaining tooth structure is less than half of the tooth, your dentist will suggest a dental crown. So, you will need to have the crown of the tooth rebuilt if it is missing more than half of its original structure.

Is Root Canal Treatment painful? 

If you are afraid that it is painful, you can stop worrying because the procedure is akin to having a filling placed. It only poses slight discomfort, and the pain before the dental care is likely much worse than during the procedure itself. The pulp inflammation or infection causes toothache or pain. When the infected pulp is removed it can relieve the pain and save the natural tooth. The modern techniques and anaesthetics used will keep you as comfortable as possible.

What can I eat after the root canal treatment?

The advice for patients is not to chew hard food after the treatment because there is a higher chance that your tooth-canal-treated tooth can fracture. Anything soft would be ideal. It would be best if you tried to eat soft food like:

• Smoothies, yoghurt, ice cream and milkshakes.
• Soups, soft salads, mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese.
• Eggs, milk, cream of wheat and pancakes.
• Bananas, mangos, pears and peaches.
• Applesauce, pudding and hummus.

These types of foods and beverages can cause damage:

• Hot and cold food and beverages will irritate sensitive teeth
• Sticky foods like gum, caramel, and other candies can stick to your teeth
• Chewy foods like steak and crusty bread will require a lot of chewing
• Hard foods like nuts can damage

It is advisable not to eat for a few hours until the numbness in your mouth goes off so you don’t bite your cheek or tongue.

Can you still get pain in a tooth that has had a root canal?

After the treatment, the tooth is non-vital and dead, so it becomes weak and brittle. It is weak because of decayed areas and the centre of the tooth, whereas the infected nerves and connective tissue have been removed leaving little tooth structure left for support. It is more brittle because the nerves and blood supply are gone. For posterior teeth that experience more force during the chewing cycle, they may develop cracks & fractures if not protected with a crown.

Yes, there’s a possibility that you may experience pain in a tooth that has already had a root canal. 

Some causes of this pain are because of: 

• The root canal not healing properly 
• Unable to completely disinfect the root canal (Due to the anatomy/structure)
• New decay infects the root canal-filling material, which causes a new infection 
• A tooth injury that causes decay of the tooth