Root Canal
Removing the infected nerve inside a tooth, disinfecting the canals, and sealing them, so the tooth stays in your mouth instead of coming out.
The reputation is forty years out of date. With modern anaesthetic and rotary instruments, most patients read or nap through it and report it felt like having a filling.
The tooth needs a crown afterwards. A root-treated back tooth without one splits, and that is the failure we see most.
What patients notice
- ✦Ends the pain at the appointment
- ✦Keeps your own tooth instead of replacing it
- ✦Costs less than extraction plus an implant
Questions
Is it as bad as people say?+
No. The pain people remember is the infection that brought them in, not the treatment. You are numb throughout, and the ache is usually gone before you get home.
Safety & what to expect
Biting tenderness for a few days is normal. Occasionally a canal is blocked or curved beyond what we can treat, and we refer to an endodontist rather than push on.
More in Fillings, Crowns & Bridges
Tooth-Colored Fillings
Composite fillings bonded into the tooth and shaded to match it, for new decay or for replacing old silver work that has started to leak.
Same-Visit Crowns
A ceramic crown scanned, milled, and fitted in one appointment. No putty, no temporary, no second visit.
Inlays & Onlays
A custom ceramic piece bonded into a tooth that is too damaged for a filling but does not need the whole surface covered by a crown.