Root Canal Treatment (Endodontics)

Root canal treatment saves a tooth whose inner pulp has become inflamed or infected, usually from deep decay, a crack or trauma. The dentist removes the diseased tissue, cleans and shapes the canals and seals them, relieving pain and keeping the natural tooth in place. ASP Stomatologia prices endodontics by the number of canals in the tooth, with anaesthesia included, and can also re-treat teeth that were root-filled previously.

Inside every tooth is a soft core of nerve and blood vessels called the pulp. When decay reaches it, or a tooth is cracked or knocked, the pulp can become irreversibly inflamed or infected — often causing significant pain, sensitivity to heat and, if left, an abscess. Root canal treatment (endodontics) is the procedure that removes this damaged pulp from the crown and root canals of the tooth, allowing the tooth itself to be kept rather than extracted. At ASP Stomatologia the tooth is numbed with local anaesthetic (included in the price), the canals are carefully cleaned and shaped along their length, disinfected, and then filled and sealed to prevent reinfection. Because back teeth have more canals than front teeth, the clinic prices treatment by canal count — one, two or three canals — which keeps costs transparent. Some teeth need devitalisation first, and teeth that were previously root-filled but have flared up again can be re-treated, with an additional charge reflecting the extra work of removing old filling material; a separate fee covers retrieval of a fractured instrument left from earlier treatment elsewhere. After root canal treatment a tooth is more brittle, so the dentist will often recommend restoring it with a substantial filling or a crown to protect it long term. Modern endodontics under anaesthetic is generally comfortable, and saving a natural tooth is associated with better long-term function than removing it. The dentist will confirm whether the tooth is suitable for root canal treatment based on examination and X-rays.