Endodontic Therapy – Root Canal Treatment

Endodontic therapy, or root canal treatment as it’s more commonly known aims to clean, shape and fill the entire root canal of a tooth.

Your teeth have blood vessels and nerves at their centre. This living tissue is called the pulp and it's in a space called the root canal. The number of root canals a tooth has varies, depending on how far back the tooth is in your mouth. Your front teeth often have just one root canal, whereas your back teeth may have three or more.

Decay, injury and gum disease are some of the ways your tooth’s pulp can be damaged. All of these can lead to bacteria becoming trapped in your teeth. When this happens the tooth pulp can become infected and result in a painful infection, swelling or abcess.

 Endodontic Therapy - What Does This Involve?

Root canal treatment aims to get rid of the pulp that is damaged and the bacteria that has caused the infection. By drilling a hole through the top of the tooth through to the root canal the dead tissue can be removed. The empty root canal is cleaned, filled and a permanent seal put over the top of the tooth.

An examination and X-ray will be carried out by your dentist to assess whether root canal treatment is needed. The X-ray will show how far any decay has spread, if there is an abscess and how many root canals your tooth has.

Contact Us

The Smile Centre will be able to advise you on the best type of treatment for you. To book a free consultation, call us on 0800 327 7192. Alternatively, you can enquire online and we will call you back.