Root Canal Treatment

What is it and why would you want it?

Root Canal Treatment (RCT, also called endodontics) is a dental procedure to treat infection at the centre of a tooth (the root canal system). The infection is caused by bacteria that live in the mouth and invade the tooth when:

Tooth decay occurs
Fillings leak
Teeth are damaged by trauma, such as a fall

Quite often it is the only alternative to removing a tooth and it can be provided for several different reasons, such as:

Treatment of an infected tooth
Foundation treatment to allow a tooth to be rebuilt
Treatment for a discoloured, dead tooth

What is done during root canal treatment?

Root canal treatment involves removing the infected tissue from inside the pulp of the tooth, cleaning, shaping and disinfecting the root canal(s) and then filling & sealing it/them with a special material.

Once the root treatment is complete, the tooth is then repaired with a filling or crown.

Will I need to be referred to a specialist?

Whether the treatment can be performed by your dentist or via referral to a specialist endodontist depends on a number of factors. Your dentist will assess the tooth prior to, and during treatment, and may suggest that a referral to a specialist is appropriate. The complexity of this treatment varies significantly between front and back teeth, with front teeth generally easier because:

They generally only have one canal (back teeth usually have 3 or more)
The canal tends to be quite straight (unlike canals in back teeth)
They are easier for the dentist to access because they’re at the front and are also wider

Will it hurt?

The treatment is usually entirely painless, with local anaesthetic used at every stage of the procedure. Following treatment, the tooth may feel a little tender for a few days, but this can be normally controlled with the same medication that you might use for a headache. You will be advised of the need for medication at the end of the appointment.

What’s the success rate?

In around 9 out of 10 cases, a tooth can survive for up to 10 years after root canal treatment, but problems can recur and it may be necessary to re-treat the tooth, or provide alternative treatments to remove the residual infection if extraction is to be avoided.