What Is Root Canal Treatment?
Root canal treatment, part of the dental field called endodontics, removes infected or inflamed tissue from inside a tooth so you can keep it. Inside every tooth is the dental pulp (the nerve and blood vessels), which runs down through narrow channels in the roots called root canals.
When deep decay, a crack or an old injury lets bacteria reach the pulp, it becomes inflamed or infected. In the early stage you may feel sharp pain with hot or cold drinks. Once the damage can’t heal, called irreversible pulpitis, the pain often throbs, lingers and keeps you awake. If the pulp dies, infection can spread to the bone at the root tip and form an abscess.
A root canal clears out the infection, disinfects the canals and seals them so bacteria can’t get back in. The tooth stays in your mouth and keeps working like a normal tooth.
Signs You Might Need a Root Canal
- Toothache that throbs, wakes you at night or lingers after hot or cold food
- Pain when biting or tapping on one tooth
- A swollen gum or a small pimple on the gum near the tooth
- A tooth that has darkened after an old knock
- Swelling in the face or jaw (see an emergency dentist promptly, or a hospital if it’s spreading)
Some infected teeth cause no pain at all and only show up on an X-ray. That’s one reason the dentist may suggest a root canal even when a tooth feels fine.
What Happens During Treatment
After numbing the tooth with local anaesthetic, the dentist places a rubber dam to keep the area clean and dry. A small opening is made in the top of the tooth to reach the pulp chamber.
The canals are then cleaned and shaped with fine flexible instruments, often rotary nickel-titanium (NiTi) files. An apex locator measures the length of each canal, and a disinfecting solution such as sodium hypochlorite is used to rinse them. Finally, the canals are filled with gutta-percha, a rubber-like material, and sealed.
Planning around a trip?
Give the clinic your departure date when you request an appointment. A tooth between visits is protected with a temporary filling, and the notes can go to your home dentist if you need to finish treatment there.
How Many Visits, and What About the Crown?
| Stage | Typical visits | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnosis and start | 1 | Often combined with the first treatment visit |
| Cleaning and sealing | 1-2 | Infected teeth may need medicine placed between visits |
| Core build-up | Often same visit as sealing | Rebuilds the inside of the tooth |
| Crown (most back teeth) | 2, several days apart | A post and core may be needed if little tooth is left |
Recovery and Aftercare
Expect the tooth to feel tender for a few days. Avoid chewing hard food on it until the final filling or crown is in place, as a root-treated tooth is more likely to crack. Keep the temporary filling clean and contact the clinic if it falls out, or if pain or swelling gets worse rather than better.
