Root Canal Treatments

Once a diagnosis is made, treatment is planned around your specific case.

Under local anaesthetic, a small rubber sheet (a dental dam) is placed around the tooth, isolating it from the rest of the mouth so treatment can be carried out in a clean, sterile environment.

A small access opening is made through the biting surface of the tooth, down into the pulp chamber. The damaged tissue within the pulp and root canals is then carefully removed using specialist instruments, and the canals are disinfected with antiseptic and antibacterial solutions before being shaped and filled with root canal filling material and sealer.

Depending on your diagnosis, treatment is usually completed over one or two appointments. Any after-effects tend to be minimal, typically settling within a couple of days to about a week.

Your tooth will need a permanent crown or onlay afterwards, to seal and protect it — without this final step, or without the root canal treatment itself, a dead tooth would eventually need to be removed, since the risk of infection spreading into the surrounding bone remains.