Root Fillings

What are they?

Teeth are held in the jaw by their roots. Front teeth normally have one root but teeth further back have more.

Inside, the tooth the pulp should be alive, with nerves and a blood supply in the root canal. Decay or injury can destroy this living part and might also cause an abscess at the end of a root.

Root filling means removing damaged or dead pulp and filling the space left. The remaining tooth can then be repaired.

What does the dentist do?

• An X-ray can show the shape of the root canals, and also signs of infection in the surrounding bone. Some tooth roots are easier to fill than others, because of their shape. The dentist will discuss the X-ray with you if it suggests that a root filling isn't going to be successful.
• To keep root canals dry during treatment the dentist may stretch a sheet of thin rubber round the tooth, on a metal frame outside the mouth. This shouldn't be uncomfortable.
• The dentist uses narrow files to find a root canal and remove the dead pulp.
• Another X-ray can show whether all the dead pulp has been removed.
• Roots are filled with rubbery materials and with pastes which set hard.

A root filling could need more than one visit. You might not need a local anaesthetic for a root filling if the pulp is dead, but the tooth could still be tender for a day or two afterwards. You might need to take a mild pain killer.

What are the benefits?

Pulp damage can cause painful toothache but the pain will usually end very quickly when the root canal is cleaned out.

Without a root filling a tooth with a dead pulp would probably have to be taken out.

First-time root-fillings are usually successful and can last many years. Re-treatment is also possible.