Root canal treatment is often the most feared dental treatment. However, the treatment is often a tooth-saver and can mean the retention of your natural teeth, or the instant relief from acute dental pain due to infection.
Your teeth are held into your jaw by their roots. Front teeth normally have one root, but the bigger teeth further back have more. At the core of the tooth is a soft mass of tissue called the pulp. The pulp may become inflamed or may die if there is significant decay in a tooth, if there is a large restoration (filling or crown) or if the tooth has been subjected to trauma. Decay or injury can damage the pulp, which can lead to an abscess and severe toothache.
Root canal treatment (also known as endodontics) is a great way of preserving teeth by removing damaged or dead pulp and filling the space at the centre of the tooth. This may take a couple of appointments, however the happy end result is that root fillings have a fantastic success rate and can last many years.