During your consultation or check-up, your dentist will inform you whether or not this treatment is necessary, and talk you through any questions you may have.

Endodontic treatment is a complex and highly skilled procedure. It is usually done over a number of appointments. At each appointment the tooth will first be numbed using local anaesthetic – this is done as comfortably as possible and we try and ensure it is pain free.

On the first appointment, access is made to the infected nerve tissue within the tooth. Time is then taken to carefully clean and disinfect the entire root canal system within the tooth, and remove any inflamed pulp or nerve tissue, and ant debris. At the end of the appointment, a temporary filling will be placed.

On the second appointment, the temporary filling is removed and the dentist will ensure the whole tooth has been cleaned effectively. They will then proceed to fill the root canal system with specially designed filling material and seal the top of the tooth with a filling. Several x-rays will be taken through the procedure to ensure it is as successful as possible.

This will be discussed with you prior to starting any treatment, but most teeth require a strong covering as endodontic treatment can weaken the tooth as it is effectively hollowed out. These teeth often require a crown, which can be thought of like a helmet, to protect the tooth.

Afterwards you can sometimes experience some discomfort, as you would after any slightly invasive procedure, but this should be easily managed with pain relief and should subside after a couple of days.