What is a Root Filling

All teeth have roots, and canals within these roots. Different teeth have a different number of roots and canals.

Front teeth (incisors and canines) have 1 root and 1 canal. Side teeth (premolars) have 1-2 roots and 1-2 canals. Rear teeth have 3 roots and 3-4 canals (upper molars), or 2 roots and 3-4 canals (lower molars). The cost of private root canal work depends on the particular tooth involved and how complicated the work is. If there is infection this must be removed/resolved and then either a filling or a crown must be placed at the end of the treatment.

A tooth has an outer layer of enamel, and pulp, nerves and blood vessels inside the tooth. Sometimes the pulp can become infected because there has been trauma to the tooth or because of decay, fracture or gum disease, and the tooth can die.

The options are to try and save the tooth with root canal treatment or extract the tooth. If the tooth is left untreated, the infection will spread, bone levels around the tooth will begin to lower, and the tooth may fall out. The patient normally has pain and this can become intense.

To save the tooth with root canal treatment the dentist drills into the centre of the tooth, removes the diseased tissue, cleans out the canal and places a root filling (a rubbery material) in the subsequent space to prevent recontamination. The work can be straightforward and routine and take about 1 hour for the dentist to do, or can be very complicated and take significantly longer than this, and can sometimes involve multiple trips to the dentist. Heavy infection will require more time and will not be routine.

When the root canal work has been completed a filling or a crown will be needed to permanently seal the area.