If you have a tooth whose internal structures are damaged, you may benefit from root canal therapy. Also called endodontics, root canal therapy can restore your tooth to its state of health by treating the damaged part of your tooth. If you have the choice, it's always best to keep your original teeth.

Parts of the tooth
Your tooth has two basic parts: the crown is the part you see above the gum, and the roots anchor your tooth to your jawbone. Inside the crown and roots is soft tissue (pulp) that helps keep your tooth nourished.


Crown: An outer enamel layer and the dentin inside protect the tooth's underlying structures and prevent bacteria from entering the tooth.


Root: the root canals house the pulp and extend to the underlying bone. The pulp helps nourish the tooth and is made up of tiny blood vessels and nerves. The blood vessels carry nutrients to the tooth, and the nerves give feeling to the tooth. The bone holds the tooth with the help of tiny ligaments attached to the roots. The pulp tissue enters and exits through openings at the root tips.


What happens if the pulp gets injured?
When the pulp is diseased or injured and can't repair itself, it dies. The most common cause of pulp death is a cracked tooth or a deep cavity. Bacteria can invade your tooth through a loose filling, a cavity, or a crack. Your pulp becomes infected as it is attacked by bacteria. Eventually, the bacteria may destroy the pulp. This may lead to the bone getting infected as the bacteria escape through the root openings. The bone breaks down, and your ligament surrounding the root may swell and loosen the tooth.

What are symptoms of root canal (pulp) injury?
The inflammation and infection spread down the root canal, often causing sensitivity to hot or cold foods, throbbing, aching, or pain when you chew. Pain may be prolonged or constant.

Why do I need root canal therapy?
Because the tooth will not heal by itself. Without treatment, the infection will spread, bone around the tooth will begin to degenerate, and the tooth may fall out. Pain usually worsens until one is forced to seek emergency dental attention. The only alternative is usually extraction of the tooth, which can cause surrounding teeth to shift crookedly, resulting in a bad bite. Though an extraction is cheaper, the space left behind will require an implant or a bridge, which can be more expensive than root canal therapy.

What does treatment involve?
Treatment often involves from one to three visits. During treatment, your general dentist or endodontist (a dentist who specializes in problems of the pulp) removes the diseased pulp. The pulp chamber and root canal(s) of the tooth are then cleaned and sealed. This is all done under local anesthesia. Contrary to popular myth a root canal is causes very little discomfort.

Once it is determined that treatment is successful, the tooth needs either a filling or a crown to protect it from possible future breakage, because root canal filled teeth are brittle. It is estimated 24 million teeth are treated per year with root canal therapy. If the teeth were instead removed, the options of replacing them are usually more costly and less natural. Those options include implants, cemented on bridges, or removable partial dentures.