In the past, if you had a tooth with a diseased nerve, it would usually have to be pulled.
However, with the development of the root canal procedure, in most cases, especially those caught early enough, all or part of that tooth can now be saved.
To explain the procedure further, inside each tooth is the pulp, which runs like a thread down through the tooth, providing the nutrients and nerves the tooth needs to stay healthy. However, when the pulp is diseased or injured, it dies.
And if you don't remove it, the tooth can get infected and eventually it, too, will die.
So once the problem is identified, we'll perform a root canal, which involves removing the pulp, and then cleaning out and sealing the canal to protect the remaining tooth material.
Following this, your dentist will either put a filling in the space, or if too much of the tooth is gone, a crown will be needed.
