As a General Dentist with a special interest in Endodontics (root fillings) David is committed to relieving pain and saving your teeth.

Your tooth is made up of two parts- the crown and the root. All you can see in your mouth is the crown, the root is below the gum line. The root contains the pulp of the tooth which is mainly made up of blood vessels and nerves.

When the tooth is damaged beyond repair, typically by decay, the nerve dies and becomes infected, commonly presenting as an abscess.

From here there are usually 2 options to prevent the infection and pain worsening- extract the tooth or save it by root canal treatment

Root canal treatment is performed under local anaesthetic and you should feel no pain. If the tooth is particularly inflamed and you can still feel pain we can administer more anaesthetic or apply a sedative dressing and return for a second visit- we will never carry on regardless if you are in pain.

The tooth is isolated from the rest of your mouth with a rubber sheet so you can breathe comfortably and swallow normally, without getting masses of water or debris in the back of your mouth and throat. A typical appointment can last 1 hour, but many patients have fallen asleep whilst I have performed this procedure, particularly with the memory foam chairs at Broughton Dental Surgery.

Once numb the infected pulp is removed from the tooth and canals cleaned under the aid of the operating microscope to aid precision.

The canals are then either dressed with a temporary paste to remove any further bacteria and finished on a second or visit or finished in one visit- each case is unique. The canals are filled with a special material which tries to stop further infection in the future and allows the area to heal over time. The tooth is then restored either with a filling or more likely a crown to return it to full  function.