Put simply, endodontic care is the term for the treatments & procedures a dentist will use to save a tooth if it becomes infected or injured. Endodontics involves treating the tissues inside your teeth that surround the root. Most commonly, this includes root canal therapy. But don’t worry, getting a root canal isn’t as painful as popular culture might lead you to believe. In fact, root canals are meant to get rid of pain, not cause it!

Caught early, tooth decay is easily treatable by a general dentist when they can perform a filling procedure. If the decay goes untreated, it may spread past the outer layers of the tooth & into the soft tissue that protects the nerves. Once this happens, endodontic treatment is required to have the best chance of saving the tooth. If the decay goes too far, an abscess can form at the end of the tooth root, exposing the infection & allowing it to spread to other parts of the body. In extreme cases, the only option is extraction & replacement with a prosthetic.

Of course, it’s always best to save the natural tooth. Prosthetics have vastly improved over the years, but they will never look, feel, or function like your natural teeth. Plus, they are often more expensive than endodontic procedures & often require multiple dental visits to complete.