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Root Canal Treatments


What is Root Canal Treatment?

Endodontic treatment (also known as root canal treatment) is a means of saving a tooth that may be damaged by fracture, infection or decay. The purpose is to restore the tooth and surrounding tissues to health, relieving both pain and infection. Without Endodontic treatment the only other alternative is to have the infected tooth removed, and so replace it with either an implant, a fixed bridge or a removable denture.

Preparation of the Root Canals

Endodontic or ‘root canal’ treatment can often be performed in one or two visits. First the area is carefully numbed so you don’t feel any pain at all. A small protective sheet called a ‘dental dam’ is placed over the teeth to keep the area clean and dry. We will then create a small opening in the crown of your tooth to allow us to clean out the infected pulp from inside your tooth.

Filling of the Root Canals

After the space is cleaned and shaped, the root canals are filled with a rubber-like material called ‘gutta-percha’ to ensure the root canals are completely sealed and the opening in the tooth is restored with a filling or core. Once we are satisfied that a good result has been achieved we would usually recommend a restoration to cover the cusps of the tooth, such as a crown or onlay. This strengthens the weakened tooth and creates a complete seal to prevent reinfection of the root canal system

Root canal treatment can be carried out by one of our experienced team or you may be offered a referral to a specialist endodontist if your general dental practitioner feels the complexity requires a specialist's extra training and equipment.