Decay or a blow to a tooth can lead to infection of the root canal of a tooth. The cleaning and filling of an infected root canal is root canal treatment.

If the tooth is infected, the infection usually spreads resulting in a potentially dangerous swelling and loss of the tooth.

No. A local anaesthetic is used and it should feel no different to having an ordinary filling done. Sometimes it can be sore afterwards because of infection, but antibiotics usually resolve this problem.

Yes, up to 20% of the cost can be claimed back from the taxman. We will fill out the tax form for you at the end of treatment.

It depends on how weak the tooth is. We generally advise that back teeth be crowned after root canal treatment. If you don’t crown a root canal treated back tooth, it has a 50% chance of breaking within three years.

In the past, a root filled tooth would often darken after treatment. However, with modern techniques, this does not usually happen. If there is any discolouration the tooth can be whitened, or crowned.

Very successful, the infection subsides nine times out of ten. In one in ten cases the root canal treatment has to be repeated or the tooth extracted.

Root canal treatment is a skilled and time-consuming procedure that take place over two visits.

First Visit: Small hole drilled into tooth and root cleaned out with tiny instruments called files. Temporary filling placed (don’t worry if this chips/falls out).

Second Visit: Tooth filled to tip of root with a rubber stopper (like plugging a sink). Rarely one of the thin files can break in the canal and be left to plug the root along with the rubber filling.

If you have any concerns on root canal treatment or feel that you may require it, then please call the clinic on 01 8417344.