A root canal treats infection or damage in the pulp — the soft tissue inside your tooth that contains its nerve and blood supply. The infected tissue is removed, the canal is cleaned and sealed, and the tooth is restored.
The reputation is worse than the reality. The procedure is done under local anaesthetic, and for most patients it relieves the pain they arrived with rather than causing more.
What treatment involves
- 01
Diagnosis
An examination and X-ray establish whether the pulp is affected and whether the tooth can be saved.
- 02
Cleaning and shaping
Under local anaesthetic, the pulp chamber and canals are cleaned and shaped. We use rotary endodontic instruments for this.
- 03
Sealing and restoration
The canals are sealed, and the tooth is rebuilt — usually with a crown, since a treated tooth is more brittle than a healthy one.
Good to know
- A treated tooth normally needs a crown afterwards to protect it from fracture.
- Some tenderness for a few days afterwards is normal; severe or worsening pain is not — call us.
- Whether a tooth can be saved depends on how much healthy structure remains. We will tell you honestly if extraction is the better option.