What is a root canal?
Root canal treatment (endodontics) involves the removal of the dead or diseased pulp or nerve of a tooth. Once removed, the space that it occupied is filled with a sealer to keep bacteria out of the tooth.
What is the pulp?
The pulp is the soft tissue inside the tooth that contains the tooth’s nerves and blood vessels. If the pulp gets injured or if decay gets into the pulp, it can’t repair itself and it will die. Once it has died, bacteria cause an infection inside the tooth. If this infection goes untreated it will build up pressure and form an abscess. An abscess can damage and destroy the bone around it and can lead to the tooth being lost.
Do root canal treatments hurt?
No. The pain everyone usually associates with root canals comes from the abscess, which is creating pressure in the bone. When root canal treatments (endodontics) are done, the tooth is numbed just like when a regular filling is being done. Once the tooth is numb you can’t feel anything.
When a tooth has a root canal treatment, it usually means that a portion of the tooth is missing, weakened, and at risk of fracture. We will usually recommend that a tooth like this have a dental crown placed, because a fracture could make the tooth unrestorable and you will end up losing it. You can learn more about crowns on our porcelain crowns page. The crown is a separate procedure with a separate fee.
