Root canal treatment is required if the internal tissue of the tooth has died due to infection, chemical or physical trauma. The reason for the treatment is often deep tooth decay which often forms under a filling. Pain may occur, however, the process often remains painless for a long time. The need for root canal treatment may arise in the course of a procedure (e.g. filling replacement). For example, when approaching the pulp during cavity preparation it may affect the tooth in such a way that it can only be saved by root canal treatment. It is not rare that dentists are obliged to do root treatment during the preparation of the tooth for a crown for the same reasons, and do the filling afterwards.

During root canal treatment, the tissue in the tooth is removed in order to explore the entire inner cavity of the tooth: we inspect all root canals and clean the interior both mechanically and chemically. This can be a single procedure when the dead tissue is removed and the canals are expanded while filling them with the necessary compound. However, for a long existent issue, a single session does not resolve the infection. In this case, the root canal is first filled with a disinfectant paste, not with the final filling material. The final root filling is prepared at the second or even third session.

Root canal treated teeth are more fragile, therefore we need to pay special attention to restore the ability to chew. Since the root-treated teeth are usually heavily damaged we often build up the cavity with posts, inserts or crowns other than a simple filling. If the infection has spread through the root tip to the surrounding bone and caused specific tissue modification, the root canal filling alone may not rectify the situation completely. In this case, a surgical procedure called root tip resection is necessary.