What is a root canal?

All teeth have a nerve and blood supply, called the pulp, these are positioned inside one or more canals depending upon the tooth. The larger teeth towards the back of the mouth usually have two to four canals whose structure can be quite complex.

 

When would you need root canal treatment ?

Root canal (or endodontic) treatment is needed when the pulp becomes affected by decay or trauma. The pulp can either become inflamed and painful or in more severe cases non-vital, which means that the tooth loses its blood supply altogether. A non-vital tooth can become infected and this is termed an abscess. if a non-vial tooth is left untreated in most cases an abscess or will develop.

 

What does the treatment involve?

Root canal treatment involves cleaning out the canals in the tooth, disinfecting them and then filling them very accurately and thoroughly with a root filling. This usually requires two or more visits to the dentist. The complexity lies in the fact that the dentist is working inside of the tooth to very small tolerances. It consists of the following stages: 
-Removing the remains of the pulp and if an abscess is present, allowing it to drain.
- The cleaning and shaping of the root canals ready for their filling. 
-Putting in temporary filling. 
-Checking the tooth at a later visit, ensuring that the infection is cleared and filling it permanently. 
- Root canal treatments are usually successful and the infection does not come back, but if it does the treatment can be repeated.