Function

• The pulp of a tooth is at the center and in canals inside the tooth's root. Pulp nourishes each tooth when it first emerges through the mouth gum. The pulp can be removed after the tooth has matured. This can be done without destroying the tooth.
  
  

Identification

• A tooth might need a root canal treatment if it hurts when you bite down on it, touch it or push on it. Treatment might be needed if the tooth is heat sensitive or sensitive to cold for more than a few seconds. There might be swelling near a tooth that needs a root canal. A tooth that is discolored or broken might need a root canal.
  
  

Treatment

• Root canals can be done in one or more visits to the dentist. Some teeth might be more difficult than others to treat because it might have more roots or because the root canals are curved. After a root canal is completed, you will need to see the dentist to have a crown or filling put on the tooth.
  
  

Warning

• If a root canal treatment is not done to an infected tooth, the tooth might have to be extracted. If a tooth has to be extracted, neighboring teeth might drift out of line. Also, the neighboring teeth can be overstressed from chewing. If it's not treated, an infection can spread throughout the body.
  
  

Statistics

• Root canals save about 24 million teeth each year in the United States.