A root canal is a specialty dental procedure done by an endodontist to help save a patient’s natural tooth. A root canal helps to eliminate bacteria and remove the infected pulp from the inside of a patient’s tooth, by opening the top of the tooth and using small files to remove the inner pulp from the tooth. Once all the pulp is removed the endodontist uses a material called gutta-percha to seal the root’s canals and places a temporary filling to close the opening protecting the tooth from reinfection until the patient is able to have a permanent crown placed on the tooth by their general dentist.

Reproduced with permission from the American Association of Endodontists