As the name suggests, microscopic root canal treatment is type of RCT which is done under microscope. Here are some of the questions which I routinely come across in my practice. Let's look at them one by one:
Question-1) Now why do we need a microscope for doing a root canal?
Answer- Our eyes are not equipped to see open margins which are less than 0.2 mm in size.While doing RCT our main aim is to locate all the orifices and clean them up completely and most of the times one or more of these orifices will be much smaller than 0.2 mm range. Can we even think of cleaning them –if we cant even locate them. So this leads to missed out canals which means incomplete cleaning and eventually failure. Microscope can raise this resolution limit from 0.2 mm to 0.006 mm. thus they help in locating the minutest of orifices and root canal pathways.
Question-2) People have been doing RCT since long without microscope. Why do we need it now?
Answer- People had been doing and are still doing the RCT’s without the microscope but now after understanding the science behind this -my question is –that why should we expose ourselves to all those imperfect ways if these better treatment options are readily available at no great expense
Question-3) I have got my RCT done 12 years back without the microscope. It is doing perfectly fine so why should I go for microscopic RCT?
Answer - Also in complicated cases such as separated instrument cases/perforation repair cases etc where we have to work inside the root canal system-then the only way possible is through microscope.