Root Canal Therapy

No. The procedure is carried out under local anaesthetic, and most patients report no pain during it. Afterwards the tooth is often tender for two or three days, which ordinary painkillers manage. The discomfort people associate with root canals is usually the toothache that brought them in, not the treatment.

A root canal keeps your own tooth, which is nearly always preferable to a replacement. Extraction means losing the bone around the root, so the gap eventually has to be filled with an implant or a bridge. Keeping the tooth also avoids the cost and time of a second procedure.

Usually one or two appointments of 60-90 minutes each. A back tooth has more canals than a front tooth, so molar treatment often takes longer. If a post or crown is needed afterwards, that is a separate visit once the tooth has settled.

Almost always, for a back tooth. Root canal treatment removes most of the tooth''s structure, and without a crown the remaining tooth is prone to fracturing. Your clinician will tell you whether a crown is necessary based on how much tooth is left.

With a crown and good oral hygiene, a treated tooth often lasts many years, sometimes decades. The main risk is reinfection, which is why a crown is fitted to seal the tooth properly afterwards.