A root canal treatment is a method used to save a tooth that is in pain, infected, or has pulp damage. A dentist will drill through the side of your tooth and clean out the nerve. This can feel somewhat uncomfortable. Some patients are not even aware of the drill because some ultrasonic tools are used. The nerve and pulp inside the tooth can be treated with medications or removed. The tooth is then sealed off and another tooth can be placed in its place.

It is commonly thought that getting a root canal means the tooth gets repaired and is saved. In fact, this is not the case. It’s true that the tooth does get saved in most cases, but if a nerve is infected, which is quite rare, the nerve dies. In this case, the root canal procedure is to save the tooth. The treatment depends on the level of pain. If the pain is mild, you can use painkillers. If the pain is more severe, you may need antibiotics. The dentist may also recommend a root canal treatment which causes pain only in the affected tooth. But, the majority of people don’t feel any pain at all.