What is a Root Canal?

A root canal is a procedure by which the dentist takes the nerve out of a tooth in cases where the nerve has been damaged by a cavity, trauma, or other reasons. This procedure allows the individual to keep a tooth or a molar that may have had to be removed. A tooth treated with a successful root canal should be without pain or discomfort.

Root canal treatment is necessary to save a tooth when th pulp(the tissue inside the tooth) dies, gets infected or inflamed due to a deep cavity, trauma, fractures, etc... When the pulp is damaged this way, it usually causes pain and inflamation. Even when there isn't any pain, the dead pulp tissue can cause bone destruction around the tip of the root, or darken the tooth , resulting in a less attractive smile.

 The treatment requires usually one visit, during which the dentist removes the pulp tissue from the canal(s) with small files then enlarges them and seals them with a special material.

After the root canal is completed and the tooth is comfortable the tooth needs to be restored, which means that a hard filling material needs to be placed to repair the damaged area of the tooth, and many times a crown is recommended to protect the tooth which may be weak and more likely to fracture than an intact tooth.

Here is a short video presentation about why a root canal is sometimes necessary: