What is Root Canal Treatment?

Root canal therapy (or endodontics) can help prevent a tooth from being extracted by removing infected or inflamed pulp from inside the tooth. Full of nerves and blood vessels, the pulp is the ‘living’ tissue at the heart of the tooth. It can become infected due to bacteria entering via areas of decay, a deep filling or damage to the tooth.

Once we have removed the pulp, we seal the root and then finish off with a permanent filling or crown, ensuring the tooth is kept well-protected in future. Even though the pulp is removed, the tooth remains functional as it is kept nourished by the surrounding vital tissues.

Five signs of infection

Serious toothache when eating, or when you put pressure on the tooth. Does it hurt when you bite down hard?

Excessively sensitive teeth. Does the sensitive pain linger after the initial contact with hot or cold foods or drinks?

Darkening of your tooth. Has your tooth changed colour? This may be a sign of the nerve dying.

A small bump on the gum, close to the painful tooth.

Tender or swollen gums around the tooth.

What does treatment involve?

Although root canal therapy is often thought of as being a painful procedure, we carry out this tooth saving treatment as painlessly as possible. We use fast, flexible rotary files to shape the root canals and then fill these with a warm, compressible substance known as ‘gutta percha’. The experience should be no different to having a normal filling.

Root Canal Treatment in Petworth

What is Root Canal Treatment?

Five signs of infection

What does treatment involve?

The benefits of Root Canal Treatment

When was your last check up?