| Inside a tooth there are nerves
and a blood supply in the ‘root canal’. When
the tooth is healthy, the nerves are alive
but decay or injury can cause the nerves
to die. A dead nerve inside a tooth can
cause an abscess at the end of a root.Root
filling means removing damaged or dead nerves
and filling the space left. The tooth that
is left can then be repaired.
A root filling often needs more than one
visit.
What are the benefits?
- Nerve damage can cause severe 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 nerve would probably have to be
taken out.
- Root fillings are usually successful
(about 9 out of 10) and can last many
years.
What are the potential problems?
- occasionally a root filling does not
work fully and you still may require further
treatment or even the tooth removed.
- the tooth can be quite tender for several
days after the root filling is completed
 The
tooth on the right has decay which
has gone through the outer enamel
layer into the dentine below. The
decay is the yellow-brown area near
the top of the picture. If left untreated,
this will continue to spead. The tooth
on the left has a much smaller area
of decay in the enamel only, just
near where it touches the other tooth.
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 In
the tooth on the right, the decay
has continued to spead through the
dentine and has reached the nerve,
which has died. An abscess has formed
at the bottom of the root (red, round
area). The decay in the tooth on the
left has continued to spread but the
nerve is still alive and can be saved.
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 The
decay has been removed from both teeth.
The remnants of the dead nerve have
also been removed from the tooth on
the right using a special instrument.
The nerve in the tooth on the left has
not required treatment because the decay
was caught earlier.
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 The
tooth on the right has been root-filled
to fill up the dead space inside and
prevent further infection. During
the course of treatment the abscess
has disappeared. The tooth on the
left has been filled and the nerve
remains alive.
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