Root Canal

What Is Root Canal Treatment?

A root canal treatment — formally known as endodontic treatment — aims to save a tooth by cleaning the crown and the nerve canals within its roots. Using irrigants and precise shaping techniques, we remove bacteria until the canals are as free of infection as possible. Treatment is typically needed when bacteria have invaded the nerve and blood vessels of the tooth, causing infection, inflammation, and eventually the death of the tooth — a process your dentist may refer to as necrosis. Trauma and certain inflammatory conditions can also make treatment necessary.

How We Approach Treatment

We begin with a thorough assessment using digital X-rays to understand your tooth's condition. Once treatment is confirmed, we prioritise your comfort — numbing the area with local anaesthetic while you relax with your favourite show on our ceiling-mounted TV. We then carefully clean, drain, and shape the canals, placing medication inside the tooth if needed to clear a severe infection before sealing. Finally, we place a white filling to restore the tooth and, after a healing period of around three months, prepare it for a porcelain crown to protect against fracture.

Saving Your Natural Tooth

Keeping your own tooth is almost always the best outcome. Replacing a lost tooth with an implant or bridge is far more complex, costly, and time-consuming than preserving the natural root. While we don't currently have an in-house endodontist, our experienced team handles the majority of root canal treatments confidently — and where a complex case requires specialist input, we refer to trusted partners who share our standard of care.