The aim of foot canal treatment (also called "endodontic" treatment) is to save a tooth that has been badly damaged due to decay, disease or injury.

Mnay millions of teeth each year are saved from extraction by having root canal treatment. Most people prefer to save their tooth because generally it will functions better than an artificial tooth.

Your own tooth is usually stronger and more efficient for biting and chewing. Cleaning and maintenance of a natural tooth are much easier. However good an artifical tooth can be, it will never be more than just a substitute for a real tooth.

Problems with biting, chewing and oral health are associated with losing a tooth. For example, nearby teeth can move out of their normal position and tilt into the space left by a missing tooth. This can make chewing and biting difficult, and can lead to further decay and gum disease around the tilted teeth.

Root canal treatment is successful in most cases. If you take good care of the treated tooth, it may last for many years and possible for the rest of your life.

Your tooth will not be treated unless the treatment is likely to succeed. Root canal treatment may not be appropriate in some cases, and extraction may be the best, or only,option.

All general dental practitioners are trained to perform root canal treatment.

INFECTION OR INFLAMMATION OF THE PULP

Infection or inflammation of the pulp can be caused by:

• breakdown of a filling or crown
• a deep cavity
• trauma
• gum disease
• crack or chip in the tooth
• extreme wear
• extensive dental work to the tooth.

Symptoms may include pain, sensitivity to heat or cold, tooth discolouration, and swelling or soreness in the gums surrounding the tooth. To save the tooth, root canal treatment is needed when the pulp becomes severely inflamed or infected.

 To improve the chances of success, root canal treatment should be strarted as soon as possible. All root canals in the affected tooth must be treated.

Front teeth (incisors) have one or two root canals. Premolars (bicuspids) typically have one or two root canals. Molars usually have three or four toot canals.

If the pulp of the tooth is not treated quickly, severe pain and abscesses (infections at the ends of the roots) can occur. If an abscess is left untreated, infection can damage the bone surrounding the root. If the tooth does not have endodontic treatment, it will have to be removed.