The root canal is the hollow within a tooth containing soft tissue, or pulp. The pulp is made up of blood vessels and nerve tissue, which can become infected through decay or injury. Because of the concentration of nerves, an infection here can be particularly painful.

Root canal treatment may be needed when the pulp (nerve) inside your tooth becomes infected through tooth decay or damaged by an injury. This infection may spread through the tooth, which could eventually lead to an abscess, causing a great deal of discomfort. In these circumstances, treatments are limited to root canal or extraction.

Dr Shah, the specialist endodontist at Glow Dentistry, will remove the inflamed pulp in the root canal, and then clean the root canal system to prevent infection from coming back. When he is sure that all of the infection has cleared, he will fill the root canal. You may then need to restore the repaired tooth with a crown. This will protect the tooth from fracture and make it easier to use and clean.

Using specific techniques and advanced equipment, our specialist endodontist will administer a local anaesthetic so you will feel no pain during the treatment. The procedure overall should feel no different to having an ordinary filling placed. There may be some tenderness when the local anaesthetic wears off - this can typically be managed with over-the-counter painkillers such as paracetamol.

Root canal treatment is carried out to relieve pain, prevent further decay and spread of infection, and ultimately save a tooth which otherwise would require extraction. After the procedure, the tooth will be restored in appearance and functionality by our highly skilled specialist dentist.

Root canal treatment is a skilled and time-consuming procedure and most courses of treatment often involve two visits. You can rest assured that your care is in very safe hands – Dr Shah has completed 3 years of root canal-specific training and that’s in addition to the 5 years it takes to become a general dentist.

Usually the only alternative to having a root canal treatment is to have the tooth taken out. This may leave an unsightly gap, but it can also affect your ability to eat and chew properly. With this in mind, it is usually best to try and save teeth where possible.

Occasionally a tooth cannot be saved. Endodontic treatment can only be performed if the root canals are accessible and can be adequately cleaned and sealed. The tooth must also have sufficient bone support. Dr Shah will only carry out treatment where he can give a good long term outlook.