Root Canal Treatment (Endodontics)

Root canal treatment cleans and seals the inside of a tooth whose nerve has become inflamed or infected, relieving pain and allowing a natural tooth to be kept rather than extracted. The price scales with the number of canals in the tooth, and Medent also treats more demanding cases such as re-treatment of a previously filled tooth, removal of a fractured instrument and sealing of perforations. A crown is often recommended afterwards to protect the restored tooth.

Root canal treatment, or endodontic treatment, addresses a tooth in which the soft inner pulp — containing the nerve and blood supply — has become irreversibly inflamed or infected through deep decay, a crack or trauma. Left untreated this typically causes pain and can lead to an abscess, so the aim of treatment is to remove the damaged pulp, disinfect and shape the narrow canals inside the roots, and seal them to prevent reinfection, allowing the natural tooth to be retained. At Medent the procedure is carried out under local anaesthetic so it is comfortable, and the number of appointments depends on the tooth and the state of any infection. Front teeth usually have a single canal, while molars can have three or more, which is why the fee scales with canal count; each additional canal beyond three is charged separately. The clinic also handles technically harder situations: re-treatment (re-endo) of a tooth that was root-filled previously but has flared up again, retrieval of an instrument fragment broken inside a canal during earlier treatment elsewhere, and sealing of a perforation using MTA, a biocompatible repair material. Because a root-treated tooth becomes more brittle over time, a crown or a substantial bonded restoration is frequently advised afterwards to protect it against fracture and restore full function. The dentist will explain the likely number of visits, the prognosis for the tooth and the recommended final restoration before starting.