If you have issues with the nerve tissue in your tooth, you can experience extreme discomfort and sensitivity. Often a root canal treatment is necessary to correct the problem and allow you to keep the tooth rather than having it extracted.

The Root Canal

Inside each tooth lies the root canal, a space filled not with hard enamel or softer dentin, but with nerve, vascular, and connective tissue. This soft tissue provides the tooth with a blood supply and the ability to sense temperature and pressure. It also houses cells that help replenish the dentin. A subgroup of dentists, called endodontists, specialize in treating this part of the tooth.

Under normal conditions, the root canal is protected by the harder tissues that make up the tooth’s exterior. However, if the enamel and dentin are compromised, the pulp can become infected. It can also be damaged due to trauma. In these cases, root canal treatment might be necessary. This treatment is commonly used to treat:

Severe decay that allows infection into the pulp

Teeth that have broken off, exposing the pulp

Teeth with nerves that have been damaged due to trauma

Root Canal Treatment and How It Works

Root canal treatment is usually performed by an endodontist. The pulp is removed with tools called files, which come in various sizes to reach all areas of the root canal. The files are inserted through a hole drilled in the tooth. All the pulp is removed, and the interior of the root canal is smoothed with the files. It’s then filled with a sterile substance that helps keep the tooth intact.

After root canal treatment, teeth are treated with crowns so they can withstand the everyday stress of biting and chewing. This is one of the common applications of crowns in modern dentistry, the other being to anchor bridges that provide replacement teeth when one or two teeth have been extracted. With root canal treatment, though, you can often avoid having your teeth replaced with bridges. After treatment, your tooth is functional, and should last for many years.