How is a root canal done?

The tooth consist of hard tissue (the enamel and dentin), covering soft tissue (the dental pulp). When the outer (hard) tissue is cavitated, the usual treatment is a filling. However, if the decay reaches the dental pulp, it becomes infected and the tooth starts hurting. The filling by itself, in these cases, isn’t enough to prevent further problems in that tooth, because the pulp becomes infected.

This is one of various reasons why a root canal is necessary. The procedure itself is quite simple, and consists of three phases:

1.- Root canal desinfection
2.- Root canal obturation
3.- Final restoration of the tooth

You can see in the following videos the steps of the root canal treatment: