Removing the nerve from inside a tooth that has become infected, then sealing it.
An infected nerve does not settle on its own. The choice is this treatment or taking the tooth out, and we will lay out both.
The tooth is opened from the top, the canals inside the roots are cleaned and shaped, and then they are filled and sealed. A rubber sheet is clipped around the tooth for the whole appointment to keep it dry and to keep everything else out of the way, which is also why you can swallow normally throughout.
Afterward the tooth is more brittle than it was. Most back teeth need a crown within a few months to stop them splitting, and we will tell you at the time whether yours is one of them.
The reputation comes from what it used to be like and from the pain that brings people in. The appointment itself is long and dull. Rosa does most of ours and will talk you through each stage.
A front tooth has one canal, a molar has three or four, and each one is cleaned and filled separately.
This is informational; consult your dentist for diagnosis and treatment.