SECTION ONE Your tooth and the treatment Why treatment is needed Once the pulp is infected it cannot heal itself. The infection spreads down the canals and collects at the root tip as an abscess, causing anything from a dull ache to severe pain, tenderness on biting and swelling. Early on there may be no pain at all and the tooth may simply darken. Left untreated, the tooth will need to be taken out. Does it hurt? No. The tooth is fully numbed, so treatment should feel no different to an ordinary filling. It may be tender for a few days afterwards. What it involves A skilled and time-consuming procedure, usually completed in one long visit or two shorter ones. The infected pulp is removed, the canals are cleaned, shaped and disinfected, then sealed to keep infection out. A temporary filling protects the tooth in between. How successful is it? Usually very successful, and a well-restored tooth can last many years. The stages of treatment 1. Infected tooth decay reaches the pulp and an abscess forms 2. Cleaned and shaped infection removed, canals disinfected 3. Root filling placed canals sealed to keep infection out 4. Tooth restored permanent filling, onlay or crown fitted Enamel Dentine Pulp chamber Jawbone Root canal Abscess nerve and blood supply infection at the root tip Page 2 Root canal treatment
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