Root canal treatment is a procedure, which often provokes feelings of fear and anxiety, especially among patients who suffer from dental phobia, but what exactly is it and do you really need to be worried if your dentist utters the word root and canal in the same sentence?

Root canal treatment is a commonly performed procedure, which is designed to save a tooth, which is severely infected or damaged. If your tooth is decayed and the infection has reached the pulp tissue, root canal treatment is usually recommended. The pulp tissue is located inside the tooth and it contains the living tissue, such as the nerves and blood vessels. Once an infection has reached the pulp chamber, there is a very high risk of further infection and dental abscesses and the tooth effectively begins to die.

What happens when you have root canal treatment?

Before you have treatment, your tooth will be numbed completely using local anaesthetic. Your dentist will then drill into the affected tooth to access the pulp tissue inside the root canals; all the decayed and damaged tissue is then cleared from the root canals. Once the root canals have been cleaned thoroughly, they are then filled with gutta percha, a dental material. The canals are then sealed. We often recommend placing a new crown following root canal treatment to offer greater protection and strengthen the tooth.

Usually, root canal treatment is an alternative to tooth extraction.

Is there anything to worry about?

Our expert dentists have experience in providing root canal treatment and they do everything they can to achieve the best results with minimal discomfort. Your tooth will be numbed before treatment begins, so you won’t feel any pain and our dentists will encourage you to relax with a film or some music. We promise that root canal treatment really isn’t as bad as its reputation suggests; the majority of our patients leave with a smile on their face wondering what all the fuss was about!

Root canal treatment is a procedure, which may be called into action when the tooth pulp becomes infected or injured. The pulp lies beneath the enamel and dentine layers and contains the living tissue of the tooth, including the blood vessels and the nerves. Once an infection reaches the pulp, there is often only one alternative to root canal treatment and this is extraction.

The root canals are narrow channels, which run from the top of the pulp chamber to the tip of the root.

What happens when you have root canal treatment?

The aim of root canal treatment is to remove decayed pulp tissue and clear the root canals to prevent an infection spreading. In order to do this, your dentist will drill into the tooth to access the root canals, clear all the decayed tissue away and then clean the root canals thoroughly. All this will be done under local anaesthetic, so you won’t feel any pain at all.

Once the root canals are clear and clean, they will be filled using gutta percha, a dental material. Filling the root canals helps to reduce the risk of bacteria spreading into the roots.

In most cases of root canal treatment, it’s advisable to replace the tooth crown with a new crown; this helps to protect the tooth from further injury or damage. Crowns are custom-made and they sit on top of your natural tooth; we recommend ceramic crowns for a natural looking aesthetic.

Does root canal treatment hurt?

There is a popular belief that root canal treatment is very painful and unpleasant, but our dentists are highly skilled and they use their expertise to prevent discomfort. The tooth is numbed using local anaesthetic beforehand, so you won’t feel any pain. Many of our patients dread the procedure coming in and leave wondering what all the fuss was about! If you’re a nervous patient, don’t hesitate to mention this to your dentist, so they can take extra special care of you and help you to feel less anxious.