At the core of the tooth is soft tissue (otherwise known as pulp). The hollow area that houses this soft tissue contains a space towards the top of the tooth called the pulp chamber. This pulp chamber is connected to the root of the tooth via pipe-like canals, giving rise to the term “root canal”.The blood vessels in these canals provide nutrition to the tooth.

Occasionally, the internal soft tissue of the tooth becomes infected and can result in a serious infection if left untreated. Root canal treatment should take place before the infection gets too serious.

Technically “root canal” is not the name of the procedure but refers instead simply to the thin tubes that connect the pulp chamber and the tip of the tooth’s root. In fact, the procedure that laymen refer to as a “root canal” is actually known as a pulpectomy to dentists. A pulpectomy is an endodontic treatment to cure an infected root canal. In the old days, damage to the core of a tooth usually meant it had to be removed. Today, however, a “root canal” procedure (or pulpectomy) disinfects and refills the inside of the tooth, thus preventing pain and limiting damage to the tooth.