Root Canal Treatment: The Honest Guide to a Misunderstood Procedure
Root canal treatment has an unfair reputation. Here's what actually happens, why it saves teeth that would otherwise be lost, and what it costs on Wimpole Street.
Few phrases in dentistry provoke more anxiety than 'root canal'. Yet the procedure itself is one of modern dentistry's quiet successes: it removes the source of severe toothache and lets you keep a tooth that would otherwise need extracting. Most patients tell us afterwards that the anticipation was far worse than the appointment.
Why a tooth needs root canal treatment
Inside every tooth is a soft core of nerves and blood vessels — the pulp. When deep decay, a crack or trauma lets bacteria reach it, the pulp becomes inflamed and then infected. That is the throbbing, keep-you-up-at-night toothache patients describe, and no filling placed on top will fix it.
Left untreated, the infection spreads beyond the root tip into the jaw, forming an abscess. At that stage the choice narrows to two options: root canal treatment to clean out the infection and keep the tooth, or extraction — after which you face the separate cost and complexity of replacing it.
What actually happens in the chair
The tooth is numbed with local anaesthetic — the same as for an ordinary filling. Your dentist then makes a small opening, removes the infected pulp, cleans and shapes the fine canals inside each root, disinfects them and seals them with a rubber-like filling material. Depending on the tooth, this takes one or two visits.
Because a root-treated back tooth becomes more brittle over time, molars usually need a crown afterwards to protect the remaining structure — your dentist will include this in your written plan from the start, so the full cost is clear before you begin.
What it costs on Wimpole Street
At our practice, root canal treatment starts from £695 for a front tooth and from £895 for a molar — front teeth have one canal; molars have three or more, which is why they cost more. A protective crown, where needed, is from £995. Every price is published on our fee guide and confirmed in writing before treatment.
If you're in severe pain now, don't wait: we hold same-day emergency appointments at the practice on Wimpole Street, London.
This article is general information, not personal clinical advice. For a diagnosis and a plan tailored to you, book a consultation with a GDC-registered dentist.
Written by Dr Kamran Yazdi · reviewed by Dr Kamran Yazdi, GDC 197926
This article is general information, not personal clinical advice. For a diagnosis and a plan tailored to you, book a consultation with a GDC-registered dentist.
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