Root Canal Treatment and Endodontics
In some cases, root canal treatment can allow an infected or damaged tooth to be retained instead of extracted. Endodontics treats the inside of the tooth so the tooth itself can stay.
Endodontic Treatments We Offer
- Root Canal Therapy (RCT)
- Re-treatment of Failed RCT
- Apicoectomy
- Internal Bleaching (for discolored teeth after trauma)
Contact us to confirm availability at your branch.
What a Root Canal Is, in Plain Language
Every tooth has a hollow space inside it holding soft tissue, called the pulp, which contains the nerve and blood supply. That space runs down the middle of the tooth and out through narrow channels in each root, called canals. When decay, a crack or an injury lets bacteria reach the pulp, the tissue inside becomes infected or inflamed, and the tooth cannot heal it on its own.
Root canal therapy treats that inner space. The infected tissue is removed, the canals are cleaned and sealed so bacteria cannot re-enter, and the outer tooth, the part you bite and smile with, stays where it is.
This is why the treatment is priced per canal. Front teeth usually have one canal, molars commonly three or more.
Saving Teeth From the Inside
Root canal therapy removes infected tissue from inside the tooth. It treats infection or inflammation within the tooth and is intended to address the source of symptoms, and the tooth is then sealed and usually restored with a crown.
If a previous root canal has failed, re-treatment or an apicoectomy can in some cases still save the tooth. Re-treatment means reopening the tooth, cleaning the canals again and re-sealing them. An apicoectomy is a small procedure at the tip of the root, for when the problem cannot be reached from inside the tooth.
Internal bleaching treats a tooth that darkened after an injury. That discoloration comes from inside the tooth, so surface whitening does not change it.
When Root Canal Treatment Helps
Who it may help. Teeth with deep decay, infection or injury reaching the nerve, where the tooth structure is still sound enough to restore.
Symptoms that often lead to an endodontic assessment include lingering sensitivity to hot or cold, pain when biting on one tooth, a tooth that has darkened, or swelling in the gum nearby. None confirms a diagnosis on its own, and some teeth needing treatment give no warning at all.
Things to consider. Not every tooth can be saved. Where damage is too extensive, extraction and replacement may be the sounder route. Imaging and examination decide.
A tooth is harder to save when little sound structure is left above the gum, when the root is cracked, or when the bone and gum around it are compromised.
What a Root Canal Involves
- Examination and imaging to confirm the diagnosis. X-rays show the roots, the canals and the bone around the root tip, where infection shows up.
- Local anaesthesia. The tooth and the tissue around it are numbed first.
- Removal of infected tissue and cleaning of the canals. A small opening is made through the top of the tooth and each canal is cleaned and shaped along its full length.
- Sealing of the tooth. The cleaned canals are filled and sealed so bacteria cannot re-enter, and the opening is closed.
- Restoration, usually with a crown. A treated tooth has lost structure and is more prone to fracture, so it is covered to protect it.
Root canal therapy is performed under local anaesthesia, and your dentist will explain what to expect at each step.
How Many Visits It Takes
Some root canals are completed in a single appointment and others over more than one, depending on the tooth, the number of canals and how much infection is present. The crown is a further stage after that. Your dentist confirms the plan after examination.
After Treatment and Looking After the Tooth
The tooth and the area around it can feel tender for a few days, particularly when biting, and this usually settles. Take any medicine exactly as prescribed.
Until the final restoration is in place, chew on the other side and avoid hard or sticky food on that tooth. A tooth with only a temporary filling is not yet protected. Once the crown or filling is fitted, the tooth is cared for like any other, with brushing, flossing and regular check-ups.
Contact your dentist if pain increases rather than settles, if swelling appears, or if a temporary filling comes out.
How Long a Treated Tooth Lasts
A root-canal-treated tooth that is properly restored and looked after can serve for many years. How long depends on how much sound structure remained, the restoration over it, your bite and your daily oral hygiene. It is not a guarantee: a treated tooth can still decay at its margins, fracture, or become re-infected, which is why re-treatment exists.
Root Canal or Extraction? How the Options Compare
Benefits. Keeping your own tooth preserves the bite and avoids replacement treatment.
Limitations. A treated tooth usually needs a crown, and in some cases re-treatment can be required later.
Alternatives. Extraction with an implant, bridge or denture replacement. Your dentist compares the options for your case.
Extraction is the simpler and cheaper procedure on the day, and what follows it usually is not. A gap left unfilled lets neighboring teeth drift, which is one reason a replacement is considered after the extraction of a working tooth: a dental implant, a bridge or a denture, covered on our prosthodontics page. Extraction itself is handled through oral surgery.
What It Costs
Root canal treatment is priced per canal, so a molar costs more than a front tooth, and the crown that follows is a separate cost.
See our treatment price guide for current guide ranges.
Those ranges apply to our Makati and BGC clinics. Cebu is quoted separately, so please ask the Cebu clinic for its current rates.
Final cost depends on your dental condition, the materials used and the complexity of the case. These ranges are a guide, and your exact figure is confirmed after examination.
How to Prepare for Your Appointment
- Eat beforehand if you can, since the area stays numb for a while afterwards.
- Tell your dentist about any medicines you take and any medical conditions.
- Note when the symptoms started and what triggers them. It helps the diagnosis.
- Book in advance. Some treatments require an examination, x-rays, scans or treatment planning first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Root canal therapy is performed under local anaesthesia, and your dentist will explain what to expect at each step.
The tooth is sealed and usually restored with a crown. Your dentist confirms the right restoration for your case.
A treated tooth, particularly a back tooth, has lost structure and is more prone to fracture. A crown covers and protects it so it can carry a normal bite.
Root canal treatment is priced per canal, and the crown that follows is a separate cost. Current guide ranges are on our treatment price guide, and those ranges apply to our Makati and BGC clinics. Cebu is quoted separately, so please ask the Cebu clinic for its current rates. Final cost depends on your dental condition, the materials used and the complexity of the case, and your exact figure is confirmed after examination.
If a previous root canal has failed, re-treatment or an apicoectomy can in some cases still save the tooth. Contact us to confirm availability at your branch.
Keeping your own tooth preserves the bite and avoids replacement treatment. Where damage is too extensive, extraction and replacement may be the sounder route. Imaging and examination decide.
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