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Root canal treatment (also called endodontic treatment) is the process where a dentist removes the pulp (the blood and nerve supply) from an infected or dying tooth and replaces it with dental filling material.
The aim of root canal treatment is to eradicate the infection in the root canal and save the tooth.
The pulp of your tooth can become infected when decay passes right through the hard parts of the tooth into the root canal system in the middle.
It can also happen if the tooth is accidentally damaged.
You won't necessarily feel any pain in the early stages: but just because a tooth isn't hurting yet doesn't necessarily mean that it is healthy.
The only other effective treatment option is for the dentist to extract the tooth.
Antibiotics will NOT by themselves "cure" an endodontic infection.
Delaying treatment reduces the prospects of success and it may prove impossible for your dentist to save the tooth at a later stage.
Teeth often last for many more years after a root filling has been placed.
Nonetheless, root filled teeth are more brittle and prone to damage than "live" teeth.
This often means that it is necessary to place a crown on the tooth after root canal treatment.
The crown helps to hold what remains of the tooth together and to protect it.
