l had an abscess tooth and the dentist said the only way to save it is by rct and he strongly recommended that l extract it because he said its most likely not gonna heal but still l went on with the rct and now on the 2nd phase of treatment

You tooth should have been x-rayed before the procedure. At some places even during the procedure the dentist can follow on a screen what is he doing inside of ur roots, they need to be absolutely cleaned & filled out completely. The only way to know what is going on inside the roots for sure is X-ray.
Usually at least three or four x-rays r required during treatment to insure that every step is performed correctly. We r concerned about reducing the radiation exposure to our patients. Our office takes computerized dental radiographs. This new x-ray technique reduces ur radiation exposure by 90%. Since the x-ray image is viewed on a computer screen, u can more easily see & understand the problem associated with ur tooth, & the steps in providing therapy. This technology also saves time because the x-ray image is seen immediately without having to wait for it to be manually or machine developed.

WHAT STEPS ARE INVOLVED IN ROOT CANAL THERAPY?

• Root Canal Therapy Involves:

Diagnosis - A series of tests (only one of which is an x-ray) that relates ur chief complaint of pain to a specific tooth requiring treatment.

Access - A hole made in the back side or top of the tooth to gain entry into the root canal system so a root canal can be performed.

Instrumentation (Cleaning & Shaping of the root canal space) - The preparation of the root canal space is performed to the end of each root. Files (small, metal wire like instruments) & irrigation (continuous flushing) r used to remove tissue, debris, & bacteria contamination.

Filling the root canal space - This step involves placing a rubber filling material (gutta percha) along with a sealer cement to seal the canal (s) & prevent future contamination.

Recall checkup - An evaluation 6 months to 1 year after an endodontic procedure is performed to check the healing.

When l knocked out my front tooth the dentist could tell l needed a root canal just by looking at the tooth. l am not sure if its the same thing for abscess tooth but the dentist usually knows what their doing (unless your in a the back of a truck in mexico or something.)

If they r going to extract ur infected tooth, they will not do a root canal on it. Either way, l had a tooth that needed a root canal but my dentist tried to aoid it & l lost that tooth due to the infection. VERY PAINFUL! All that was left was the roots still in my gums.
my new dentist pulled the roots out. But generally if the dentist says they r going to extract it, they wont do a root canal on it first. both my root canals have costed $2,200 a piece. so it would be senselss to do that first then do the $112 extraction. just make sure ur not getting fooled