Root canal treatment (endodontics)

If a tooth is severely decayed or damaged, the blood or nerve supply of the tooth can become infected. If that happens, and it's left untreated, the infection can spread through the root canal system of the tooth and you may get a painful abscess. In severe cases the affected tooth may have to be removed. Naturally you don't want to lose teeth unnecessarily, so before any permanent damage is done, we'd offer you root canal treatment.

Treatment is done under local anaesthetic so it doesn't hurt. First, any sign of infection is removed from the tooth, and then it is cleaned and filled to prevent any further infection.

Usually, a temporary filling is used so we can ensure the infected tooth is completely infection-free before filling it permanently, a week or two after your first visit. That way, you're very unlikely to have any more problems with the tooth.