Oh No, Not A Root Canal - Need a Dental Endodontist?

The root canal procedure is not painful, as you may have heard. They numb the tooth so you won't feel any pain, and there is little discomfort afterwards. Extracting the tooth would be less healthy and more expensive. 

Why do people need a root canal procedure? When the nerve of the tooth is irreversibly damaged by decay or an injury, pulp tissue can become infected, often causing pain, swelling and sensitivity to hot or cold.

If it's a front tooth, you may notice it has become noticeably darker in color.

A root canal procedure limits the infection and keeps it from destroying the tooth.  Dental endodontists or your dentist can clean out the root canal and fill it with a sealer. Depending on the number of roots in the infected tooth, the root canal procedure can take from one to three appointments. And the end result? You keep your tooth, and it's infection free.