Inside each of your teeth, there is a mixture of blood vessels and nerves called pulp. Pulp sits inside a space called the pulp chamber and this extends down into the roots of the tooth. The pulp chamber within the root is called the root canal. If the pulp inside the tooth becomes infected, from tooth decay or trauma this can spread into the pulp inside the root canal and you may experience severe pain and discomfort.
Root canal treatment can be undertaken to stop the pain and resolve the infection, saving the need for a tooth extraction. Root canal treatment normally requires 1-2 visits depending on the tooth, and how infected it is.
After the root canal treatment, the tooth may need extra protection, as they tend to be weaker structurally. This may be in the form of a crown.