A root canal treats infection inside a tooth by removing the damaged pulp, cleaning the canals, and sealing them — so the tooth can stay in your mouth instead of coming out. Most people need one or two visits. The procedure itself is done under local anaesthetic, and the pain people associate with root canals is almost always the infection beforehand, not the treatment.
What is actually inside a tooth
Below the enamel and dentine is a soft core called the pulp, which contains the nerve and blood supply. It runs down through narrow channels — the root canals — into the jaw.
When decay, a crack or a deep filling lets bacteria reach the pulp, it becomes inflamed and then infected. Because the pulp is sealed inside a hard tooth, the swelling has nowhere to go. That pressure is what produces the particular, relentless ache people describe as toothache.
Signs you may need one
None of these on its own is proof, and only an examination and an X-ray can confirm it. But they are the patterns we see most often:
- Pain that lingers for more than a few seconds after something hot or cold is removed
- Pain that wakes you at night or comes on when you lie down
- A tooth that hurts when you bite on it, or feels taller than the others
- A gum boil, a bad taste, or swelling near one tooth
- A tooth that has visibly darkened compared with its neighbours
What the appointment is like
The tooth is numbed with local anaesthetic — the same kind used for a filling. Most people find the injection the least comfortable part, and after that the tooth is silent.
A small opening is made in the top of the tooth, the infected pulp is removed, and the canals are cleaned and shaped. We use motorised rotary instruments, which shape canals more precisely and more quickly than hand files, so the appointment is shorter than it once would have been. The canals are then filled and sealed.
You will usually need a crown afterwards. A tooth that has had its pulp removed is more brittle, and a crown protects it from splitting. We will tell you at the start whether a crown is likely, so the cost is not a surprise later.
How many visits
Often one, sometimes two. A tooth with an active infection or an abscess may need a dressing left in place for a week or two before it can be sealed, which means a second appointment. Front teeth with a single canal are usually quicker than back molars with three or four.
What it costs in Chennai
Cost varies with which tooth it is, how many canals it has, whether it is a first treatment or a retreatment, and whether a crown is needed. We examine first, explain what is needed, and give you a written estimate before anything starts — including the crown if one is required. If treatment can reasonably be staged so the cost is spread out, we will say so.
Root canal or extraction?
Taking the tooth out is quicker and cheaper on the day. It is rarely cheaper over ten years, because the gap then needs filling with an implant or a bridge, and the teeth either side drift towards it if it is left.
There are teeth that genuinely cannot be saved — split roots, or too little tooth left above the gum to restore. When that is the case we will tell you plainly rather than attempt treatment that will not hold.
Afterwards
The tooth is often tender to bite on for a few days while the ligament around the root settles. An ordinary painkiller you have taken safely before is usually enough. Avoid chewing hard food on that side until the permanent filling or crown is fitted.
Contact us if the pain gets worse rather than better, if swelling develops, or if your bite feels uneven once the numbness has worn off.
Read more about Root Canal Treatment on our website, or call +91 9585 360 320 to speak to us.
This article is general information, not a diagnosis. Every mouth differs — please see a dentist about your own symptoms. How we review our content
