Root Canal Treatment (Endodontics)

Root canal treatment removes infected or inflamed tissue from inside a tooth, cleans and shapes the canals and seals them, relieving pain and allowing the natural tooth to be kept rather than extracted. FROE carries out endodontics with a dedicated rotary system, and prices follow the number of canals involved. A tooth that has had root canal treatment is often restored afterwards with a crown for protection.

Inside every tooth is a soft core of nerve and blood vessels called the pulp. When the pulp becomes infected or inflamed, through deep decay, a crack or trauma, it can cause severe toothache and, if left, an abscess. Root canal treatment, or endodontics, treats this from within: rather than removing the tooth, the dentist removes the damaged pulp, disinfects the hollow canals and seals them, which relieves the pain and lets you keep your own tooth. At FROE the tooth is numbed with local anaesthetic and isolated so it stays clean and dry during treatment. Using a dedicated endodontic motor and fine instruments, the dentist cleans and shapes the canals, then fills and seals them to prevent re-infection. Because back teeth have more canals than front teeth, the fee reflects whether the tooth has one, two or three canals; a tooth that was root-treated before but has flared up again can also be re-treated. After root canal treatment a tooth can become more brittle, so the dentist often recommends restoring it with a crown, especially on chewing teeth, to protect it long term. Modern endodontics is associated with high success in saving teeth and is usually no more uncomfortable than having a filling. The dentist will confirm whether the tooth is suitable for root canal treatment or whether extraction and replacement would be the better option, and will outline the restoration needed afterwards.