A tooth requiring root canal treatment is isolated from the rest of the mouth through the use of a rubber dam. This prevents saliva (which contains lots of bacteria) from entering the tooth during treatment, as well as keeping the rest of your mouth safe from the chemicals used to disinfect the internal parts of your tooth.

Once isolated, dental drills are used to create an opening into the inner portions of the tooth where the nerves and blood vessels within the tooth reside. This is commonly the source of a tooth infection.

The infected dental nerves and blood vessels are removed from the tooth through use of specialised instruments and disinfectant chemicals. This removes the majority of bacterial infection with in a tooth.

The tooth root contains canals which often harbour bacteria and infected tissues. Specialised brushes (or files) are used to clean along the canal of the tooth root to remove bacteria and debris.

Further disinfectant solutions and antibacterial dressings are placed within the tooth to remove as much of the bacteria as possible. These dressings are sometimes left for several weeks to allow them to take full effect and reduce the chance of infections returning within the tooth.

Once cleaned and disinfected, the canals are filled with a biocompatible material (known as obturation) to prevent reinfection of the tooth.

Once the canals are cleaned and filled, the tooth’s external structure are restored with a filling or dental crown to return adequate strength and protection for the tooth.