Root Canal Therapy

When the soft inner tissue of a tooth, the pulp, has been damaged through infection or trauma, a root canal treatment is recommended.

The dental pulp refers to the soft tissues situated in a canal or channel that runs through the root of a tooth. It consists mainly of nerves and blood vessels. The main function of the dental pulp is to regulate the growth and development of the tooth during childhood. Once the tooth is fully formed, the main source of nutrition for the tooth comes from the tissues surrounding the root.

The tooth pulp can become irritated and infected from excessive decay, gum disease, trauma or other causes. Bacteria growing within the tooth pulp may cause pressure and pain or, occasionally, the deterioration of the pulp happens so gradually that little pain is felt. Either way, the bacteria can eventually destroy the pulp. As this happens, the bone surrounding the tooth may become infected and abscessed which may lead to the destruction of the bone surrounding the tooth.

Root canal therapy removes diseased pulp tissue from the interior of a tooth and is followed by cleaning, disinfecting and sealing the narrow channels in the inner part of the tooth. A tooth can function normally without its pulp and can be kept indefinitely. After root canal treatment, the tooth is pulpless but it is not a dead tooth.