Root Canal Treatment (Endodontics)

Root canal therapy to save a tooth whose inner pulp has become inflamed or infected, removing the diseased tissue, disinfecting the canals and sealing them. At CIISE endodontic treatment is carried out under magnification with apex-locator guidance for accurate working length, and is priced by the number of canals. Saving the natural tooth this way avoids extraction; a crown is often recommended afterwards to protect the restored tooth.

Root canal (endodontic) treatment is used when the soft tissue inside a tooth — the pulp, containing its nerve and blood supply — becomes inflamed or infected through deep decay, a crack or trauma, often causing pain or an abscess. The aim is to relieve the problem while keeping the natural tooth: the dentist removes the damaged pulp, cleans and shapes the fine canals inside the roots, disinfects them and fills them with a sealing material so bacteria cannot re-enter. At CIISE this is performed under local anaesthetic with the support of magnification and electronic apex locators (the clinic uses IPEX and Raypex systems) to measure canal length accurately, which helps the canals be cleaned and sealed to the correct depth. Treatment is priced by complexity, since back teeth have more canals than front teeth; the clinic also handles more demanding cases such as re-treatment of a previously root-filled tooth, sealing a perforation with MTA and retrieving a fractured instrument. Because a root-treated tooth can become more brittle, the dentist will usually recommend rebuilding it afterwards with a substantial filling or, for back teeth especially, a crown to protect it from fracture. Done well, root canal treatment lets a tooth that would otherwise be lost continue to function for years. The dentist confirms the diagnosis — supported by the clinic's in-house imaging — and explains the likely number of visits and the restoration needed afterwards.