Save a Tooth with Infected or Damaged Roots
No longer does a tooth with root problems need to be extracted. It is now known that it is better to save a tooth than extract it to avoid problems with bone loss and shifting teeth as well as detracting from a person's appearance.
During root canal therapy, the pulp chamber of a tooth is removed and replaced with a special filling material – not the same type of filling as for cavities. It is packed within the tooth to save and restore it. A crown may be placed over the tooth as well, to give added strength.
When root canals were first being performed, patients did not like the procedure. But with today's advancements in technique and anesthetics, they are very manageable and mostly painless.