Root canal treatment
Treatment that saves an infected tooth and ends the pain.
- NHS and private
- Same-day emergencies
- Published fees
- One team, three practices
Saving the Tooth, Not Removing It
Root canal treatment, known clinically as endodontics, treats infection or inflammation inside a tooth, in the soft pulp that holds the nerve and blood supply.
Read more: Saving the Tooth, Not Removing It
It lets us keep a tooth that would otherwise have to come out. Done under local anaesthetic with modern rotary instruments and magnification, it is no more uncomfortable than a filling for most patients. It is covered on the NHS for the whole course of treatment.
The instinct to pull a painful tooth is understandable, but a natural tooth root keeps the jaw bone loaded and the bite stable in a way no replacement quite matches. Where the tooth is restorable, saving it is almost always the better long-term decision.
What the Pulp Does and Why It Gets Infected
The pulp runs from the crown of the tooth down through narrow canals in each root.
Read more: What the Pulp Does and Why It Gets Infected
It carries the nerve that senses temperature and the blood vessels that nourished the tooth as it formed. Once a tooth is fully grown it can survive without its pulp, which is why removing infected pulp saves the tooth rather than killing it.
Infection reaches the pulp when the protective enamel and dentine are breached: deep decay, a crack, a leaking old filling, or repeated trauma to the same tooth. Bacteria enter, the pulp becomes inflamed, and because it is sealed inside rigid tooth structure the pressure has nowhere to go. That is the source of the classic throbbing root canal pain.
Signs You Might Need Root Canal Treatment
- Persistent toothache, or sharp pain when you bite down
- Sensitivity to hot or cold that lingers long after the source is removed
- A tooth that is darkening compared with its neighbours
- A gum boil, recurring abscess, or bad taste near a particular tooth
- Tenderness or swelling in the gum around the root
- A deep cavity or a crack you can see or feel
Pain is not always present. An infection can smoulder quietly and show up first as a shadow on a routine X-ray. This is one of the reasons six-monthly examinations matter.
How the Treatment Works
The tooth is numbed and isolated with a rubber dam, a thin sheet that keeps the tooth clean and dry and stops disinfectant reaching the rest of your mouth.
Read more: How the Treatment Works
The dentist opens the top of the tooth, removes the infected pulp, then cleans, shapes, and disinfects each canal with fine files. The canals are filled with a rubber-like material called gutta-percha and sealed, and the access cavity is closed with a filling.
Front teeth usually have a single canal and are often completed in one visit. Back teeth have two to four canals and may need two appointments. Because a treated back tooth is more brittle without its blood supply, it is usually best protected afterwards with a crown to stop it fracturing under chewing load.
Does It Hurt?
The reputation of root canal treatment is decades out of date.
Read more: Does It Hurt?
The procedure is carried out under local anaesthetic, so you feel pressure and vibration but not pain. For most patients the appointment is similar to having a deep filling. The pain people associate with root canals is the infection itself, which the treatment relieves. Mild tenderness for a day or two afterwards is normal and settles with over-the-counter painkillers.
After Your Treatment
The tooth may feel slightly different for a week or so as the surrounding tissue settles.
Read more: After Your Treatment
Avoid chewing hard food on it until any final restoration is in place. If a crown is recommended, it is fitted once the tooth has settled, sealing the tooth against re-infection and protecting it long term. With a good seal and routine maintenance, a root-treated tooth can last many years, often for life.
What It Costs
Under the NHS, root canal treatment is covered for the whole course of treatment whether the tooth needs one visit or two. A crown afterwards is covered separately on the NHS. Private endodontics, which allows more time per visit and is often chosen for complex multi-canal molars, is quoted in writing at the assessment with no chair-side surprises.
Practices Offering Root canal treatment
Nuffield Dental Practice
110–111 The StowHarlowEssex CM20 3AS01279 424 038Church Langley Dental
First Floor, Florence Nightingale Health CentreHarlowEssex CM17 9TE01279 306 690Enfield Smiles
195 High StreetEnfield EN3 4DZ020 8804 4320
Frequently Asked Questions
Book an Assessment
If you have lingering pain, sensitivity, or a gum boil, book an assessment so we can confirm whether root canal treatment will save the tooth.
- Nuffield Dental Practice (Harlow): 01279 424 038
- Church Langley Dental (Harlow): 01279 306 690
- Enfield Smiles (Enfield): 020 8804 4320