Root Canal, Explained
What root canal treatment involves, how it feels, what it costs, and what happens to the tooth afterwards.
What Happens During Root Canal Treatment?
Root canal treatment removes infected or inflamed tissue from inside a tooth, then cleans, shapes and seals the root canals so the tooth can be kept. It's done under local anaesthetic, feels much like having a filling, and usually takes one or two visits. Afterwards the tooth is restored with a filling, and back teeth usually with an onlay or crown. At St Vincent Smile in Finnieston, Glasgow, it costs from £450 for a front tooth to £595 for a molar, with a first stage to relieve pain at £150.
Why Would I Need a Root Canal?
Inside every tooth is a soft core of nerve and blood vessels, called the pulp. When bacteria reach it, usually through deep decay, a crack, a heavy knock or an old large filling, the pulp becomes inflamed and then infected. It can't heal on its own, because it's sealed inside hard tooth. Left alone, the infection spreads to the bone at the tip of the root and can form an abscess.
Signs include toothache that throbs, keeps you awake or comes back without a reason, hot food or drink that still hurts after you've swallowed, pain when you bite, swelling or a small spot on the gum near the tooth, and a tooth that turns grey or darker after a knock. Sometimes there are no symptoms at all, and the problem shows up on an X-ray at a dental examination.
What Happens During Treatment?
Usually one or two visits.
- Examination and X-ray. We find the cause, confirm the tooth can be saved, and explain your options and the fee before anything is done.
- Numbing. The tooth is numbed with local anaesthetic. An infected tooth can be harder to numb, so we take our time and check before starting.
- Keeping the tooth clean. A thin rubber sheet, called a rubber dam, is placed over the tooth to keep it dry and clean while we work.
- Cleaning the canals. A small opening is made in the top of the tooth. The infected tissue is removed, and the canals are cleaned, shaped and washed with an antibacterial solution.
- Dressing, if needed. A very painful or infected tooth is dressed with medication and finished at a second visit, once it has settled.
- Sealing and restoring. The canals are filled and sealed. The tooth is then restored with a filling, and back teeth usually with an onlay or crown.
Toothache, or Need a Root Canal?
Book an appointment with Dr Eow.
Does Root Canal Treatment Hurt?
The treatment itself feels much like having a filling. The tooth is numb, so you'll feel pressure and vibration but not pain. Root canal treatment relieves the pain of an infected tooth rather than causing it, and most people are surprised how uneventful it is.
Some tenderness for a few days afterwards is normal, particularly when you bite, and is usually managed with ordinary painkillers taken as directed on the packet. Most people go back to work the same day. If you're anxious about treatment, tell us when you book. Numbing gel goes on before the injection, we agree a stop signal, and for longer treatment IV sedation is available.
How Much Does It Cost?
| Treatment | Fee | Member |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1, to relieve pain | £150 | £135 |
| Front tooth | £450 | £405 |
| Premolar | £525 | £473 |
| Molar | £595 | £536 |
| Repeat root canal treatment, from | £595 | £536 |
| Ceramic onlay, if needed | £750 | £675 |
| Ceramic crown, back tooth, if needed, from | £675 | £608 |
Molars cost more than front teeth because they have more canals, which are narrower and curved, so they take longer to clean and seal. Fees are confirmed in your written plan before treatment starts, and dental plan members save 10%.2 The onlay or crown to protect a back tooth afterwards is charged separately. If you're in pain, a first stage to relieve it is £150, and the rest of the fee follows when the tooth is finished. See every fee.
After Treatment
- Some tenderness for a few days is normal. Ordinary painkillers, taken as directed on the packet, usually cover it
- Avoid chewing hard food on the tooth until it's fully restored, especially while a temporary filling is in place
- Keep the area clean. Brush and clean between your teeth as normal
- If a temporary filling comes out between visits, call us so we can replace it and keep the canals sealed
- Book the onlay or crown promptly if your dentist has recommended one. A root-filled back tooth without one is at risk of cracking
- Contact us if you have swelling, or pain that's getting worse rather than better after a few days
Once restored, a root-filled tooth needs no special care beyond good brushing, cleaning between your teeth and regular dental examinations, where we'll check the tooth and, from time to time, take an X-ray of the root.
Why Save the Tooth?
Keeping your own tooth is usually better and cheaper in the long run than extraction and replacement. A well-restored root-filled tooth can last for decades. You keep your natural tooth, your bite and the gum around it, and you avoid the cost of an implant or bridge: a single implant and crown is from £2,775, and a resin-retained bridge from £675 per unit.
Antibiotics alone won't fix an infected tooth. They're only needed if infection is spreading or you feel unwell, and the tooth still needs treatment afterwards. Root canal treatment removes the source of the infection, which is why it works. Dr Jacqueline Eow and Dr Harry Connor, our general dentists, carry out root canal treatment after examining the tooth and taking an X-ray.
If a Root Filling Fails
Most root canal treatments are successful. Occasionally an old root filling fails, usually because a canal was missed or the seal has broken down, and the tooth becomes tender or infected again. It can often be treated again. Repeat root canal treatment is from £595. For a complex tooth, your dentist may suggest a CT scan, £160, which shows the canals and the bone around the root in 3D; it's taken here on our own scanner.
Sometimes a tooth can't be saved, because it has split, or there's too little left to restore. We'll tell you honestly, and explain the options for replacing it, from a bridge to a dental implant. Our guide to implant costs covers what that involves.
Questions
This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.