Root Canal Treatment in London

Root Canal Treatment
in London

Saving a decaying tooth doesn’t have to be intimidating. Thankfully, the experienced professionals at Wimpole Street Dental Clinic in London can provide the utmost quality of care to conserve your smile.

private dentist wimpole street

Content:

What is Root Canal Treatment?

As dental patients we all understand what it means to experience severe toothache and not always understand the reason why. Root canal pain can be caused by the inflammation or damage to the root of the tooth that ultimately leads to infection of the tooth and pulp. As our clinical priority at Wimpole Street Dental Clinic is on saving teeth wherever possible, root canal treatment presents an effective and virtually pain-free but necessary opportunity to do this.

The root canal pain and/or discomfort you may be experiencing can cause a ringing, piercing pain in the tooth or perhaps a dull, pulsating sensation. It is prudent for us to act fast to cleanse and disinfect the root canal and surrounding gums of any bacteria, fill and seal the area in order to strengthen the tooth and restore you and your teeth to the comfort and confidence of your natural smile as soon as possible.

Many patients are able to get back to normal straight away though they may experience some slight sensitivity following endodontic treatment.

Who is suitable for Root Canal?

At Wimpole Street Dental Clinic, when you attend your appointment, we conduct an initial consultation with you to identify the tooth affected, discover the extent of the proposed root canal treatment required and its potential complexity and so guide our optimal choice of dental care plan for you.

If there is a good chance of saving the tooth and the patient’s oral health is otherwise in good condition, we may recommend a course of endodontic treatment such as root canal.

Root canal treatment fees

Front tooth

£600
Premolar£900
Molar£1,200
Emergency root canal treatment£250
Front tooth retreatment£800
Premolar retreatment£1,100
Molar retreatment£1,400
Review X-ray£95
Medication change£100

Are you ready to restore your smile?

We know that no patient looks forward to root canal treatment, so our dental team always work hard to deliver the highest quality care.

Treatment for root canal differs in cost from £95 up to £1,400. Costs depend on patient circumstances and oral health. Every one of our patients receives a bespoke personal treatment plan from our specialist team.

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call us 020 3745 7455

What happens during Root Canal Treatment?

Remember that once root canal treatment begins you will receive a local anaesthetic to numb the infected tooth and surrounding gums ensuring you experience a virtually pain-free appointment with us. In terms of pain after root canal, dental patients may only experience minor sensitivity to the tooth in question for a few days afterwards.

Here at Wimpole Street Dental Clinic, we can offer our dental patients video glasses so you can relax by watching a film or television show of your choice as we conduct this procedure for you. Root canal treatment can often be completed in just one visit to us so do not hesitate to book this kind of appointment designed to safeguard your smile and your health.

The root canal treatment process at Wimpole Street Dental Clinic in London:

  • Our state-of-the-art 2D and 3D X-ray technology (CBCT) diagnoses complex root canals as we view the issue in precise detail creating the optimal dental care plan for you.
  • Your nerve canals and pulp are cleaned and disinfected mechanically and chemically to kill existing bacteria and remove tissue remnants which could cause inflammation.
  • We close your root canal with a thick root filling to ensure bacteria is sealed out.
  • Your root canal back tooth is sealed with crowns and partial crowns to prevent fracture or potential re-infection.
  • Your root canal front tooth is either sealed with fillings, crowns and partial crowns.

How does Root Canal Treatment work?

Procedure of a root canal treatment in pictures

Treatment of root canal at London private dentists

01

When a tooth nerve dies due to trauma (decay, impact, grinding, etc.), inflammation occurs at the root tip of the tooth, which can have an impact on overall health. It is then important to clean the tooth and disinfect the root canals all the way to the tip. Here you can see a four-canal lower posterior tooth with cleaned canals.

Treatment of root canal at London private dentists

02

The cleaned canals are sealed with a cement and rubber-like pins.

Treatment of root canal at London private dentists

03

The tooth is then given a filling to stabilise it again. To achieve long-term stability, restoring the tooth with an all-ceramic partial crown or crown is suitable.

Treatment of root canal at London private dentists

04

Here is the exemplary X-ray image of a root canal-filled tooth. The rubber tips ideally reach the end of the tooth root.

Wimpole Street Dental Clinic has bests Endodontists in London

Whenever you need to take care of your smile – in an emergency, during routine care or when booking  cosmetic dentistry – you naturally seek a qualified, skilled and experienced dental professional whom you can trust to deliver the premium dental care you expect at every appointment.

We would like you to consider placing your trust in Wimpole Street Dental Clinic because:

  • We are internationally renowned within the dental profession

  • We pride ourselves on offering evidence-based dentistry with a person-centred approach
  • We use a microscope or other magnifying equipment to ensure world class results
  • We offer a new standard in modern specialist dentistry in our clinical methodology  – leveraging the optimal combination of the finest handcraft, digital computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) technology to deliver excellence in both patient care and dental treatment success
  • We perform all root canal treatments in accordance with the guidelines of the German and British Society of Endodontics here at Wimpole Street Dental Clinic in London.

FAQ’s

The main causes of toothache are tooth decay, trauma (impact or blow), cracks in the tooth, leaky fillings or crowns as well as pressure differences (e.g. when flying, diving). Very rarely do the teeth hurt for one to two weeks, even with a cold. Pain caused by colds or pressure differences should initially only be observed. There are also often sensitive tooth necks that cause toothache with cold and warm food. If necessary, we cover sensitive tooth necks with small fillings. Root canal treatment should only be performed if the responsible tooth has been reliably identified. 

If the tooth nerve inflammation leads to an uncontrolled death of the tooth nerve in the pulp chamber, the inflammation can spread to the tooth supporting structures and bones that surround the tooth (apical ostitis) via the tooth root canals. The dentist can see this on the X-ray as a dark point at the tip of the root, as minerals such as calcium and magnesium are removed from the bone by the inflammation. X-rays therefore pass through the bone more easily and expose the X-ray film more strongly. In pronounced cases, the inflammation breaks through the bone and forms a cavity filled with pus. At this stage, patients often experience very severe pain. 

If the abscess drains through the periosteum and gums into the oral cavity, a so-called dental fistula forms and the pain subsides. When the inflammation becomes chronic, a tooth cyst can form. The patient usually has no pain, but the affected tooth should be treated in any case so that the inflammation does not spread.

Before any endodontic procedure the cause for the pain has to be identified. The the tooth and the affected area is numbed. Treatment under sedation or anaesthesia is of course also possible for anxious patients. Then the affected tooth is covered with a rubber dam and sealed so that no bacteria or saliva contaminate the work area and no liquids that are necessary for disinfection reach the oral cavity.

Any endodontic therapy in our clinic is conducted using an optical magnification – the dental microscope. After drilling into the tooth the pulp tissue in the pulp chamber – the nervous system of the tooth – is removed. The access is a small hole on the chewing surface of the tooth. Afterwards, the root canal system is cleaned with the help of rotating files and an individual sequence of different disinfectant liquids right up to the tip of the root.

The process is very time-consuming as it has a significant impact on the success of the root canal treatment. So that you don’t get bored, we are happy to provide you with video glasses with which you can watch films and series of your choice. 

We determine the length of the root canal with an electronic length measuring device (endometry). We get the exact length of the canals by measuring the electrical resistance. This allows us to avoid additional x-rays. The aim of the endodontic treatment is to kill bacteria and remove tissue remnants.

Most root canal treatments can be completed in one treatment session (“one-visit” principle), depending on the degree of inflammation of the tooth and the complexity of the root canal system. After the canals are prepared and we have disinfected the root canal precisely and carefully, they are sealed with a dense root filling. This prevents re-inflammation from bacteria. For this we use sterile gutta-percha, a material that is characterised by its very reliable quality.

In order to restore the original tooth shape and to ensure adequate protection of the root filling against re-invasion of bacteria, an adhesive filling is necessary. However, if there is too little of the original hard tooth substance, the filling must be supported with a post. In order to maintain the aesthetic appearance of the tooth, we can carry out internal bleaching in our practice at regular intervals. This is because minimal bleeding into the tooth can cause it to turn darker in colour and thus affect the appearance of the entire row of teeth.

In most cases, the final restorative solution of the tooth after the root treatment is a stabilizing crown or partial crown.

Despite the now very high success rate of root canal treatments (around 90%), a revision (endodontic retreatment) may be necessary. If the revision does not show any improvement in the symptoms due to heavily branched root tips, a root tip resection is often the best way to ensure freedom from pain. If both options fail a dental implant or a dental bridge might be able to replace the now lost tooth. 

When the centre of the tooth has an infection it can cause severe toothache such as a ringing, piercing pain or a dull, pulsating sensation which will naturally lead the dental patient to seek treatment. Our root canal therapy is a virtually pain-free procedure though there may be some sensitivity and pain post-treatment. Thankfully, root canal treatment means it is highly unlikely (less than 10%) for the infection to occur again.

Root canal therapy can be a lengthy procedure. After your initial consultation with your dentist, we will be in a more informed position to offer you a realistic duration of treatment after assessing teeth and individual needs as presented on this occasion.

You might read about needing to visit an endodontist and be not sure what or who that is. Quite simply, an endodontist is a dentist who has likely undertaken an additional 2 or 3 years at dental school to become a specialist in diagnosing dental pain and undertaking root canal treatment. They are also called root canal specialists and are registered by the GDC.

After careful cleansing of the infected teeth (by removing the affected nerve and surrounding tooth pulp), the root canal is sealed with a thick root filling to prevent bacteria from entering. We use a reliable material called gutta-percha for this step in the root canal treatment process.

We have provided a video guide to assist you in understanding our Root Canal offer.

It is designed to cleanse and disinfect the infected tooth by removing the nerve and surrounding pulp. Once the infection is removed, the area is filled and sealed to strengthen and finished with crowns or partial crowns to restore your natural smile.

We would always advise caution when eating and drinking after lengthy endodontic therapy.

Many patients who undertake an endodontic treatment find the process virtually pain-free and may only experience minor sensitivity to the tooth in question for a few days afterwards.

If you experience significant pain or discomfort when eating after this endodontic treatment, you can contact your dentist for further pain relief advice.

According to the NHS, the treatment is only necessary when dental X-rays show that your dental pulp (the soft tissue present at the centre of the tooth), has been damaged by a bacterial infection. This infection may be evident by the sign of a dental abscess or simply via sharp or pulsating pain around the tooth. However, this definition is by far not precise enough as an X-ray might show the reason for pain only weeks and months later. Sometimes clinical symptoms are a better way to decide if you need endodontic therapy.

At our London clinic we provide you with state-of-the-art 3D X-ray technology to identify in precise detail the nature of your severe toothache, root canal pain or discomfort before creating your optimal dental care plan to get rid of the infection.

Post-treatment, our dental patients may experience minor sensitivity to the tooth in question for a few days afterwards. If you have any concerns which arise post-treatment regarding the healing process, please contact us at Wimpole Street Dental Clinic for advice.

Only once your experienced dental professional has identified root canal treatment as suitable for you upon results of your dental X-rays. Root canal is usually the course of action taken if the patient is experiencing pain, has a visible abscess or if the dentist is able to identify the infection visually.

If your tooth is badly infected or damaged by decay, then your dentist will need to remove the affected nerve and the surrounding pulp. This treatment is finished with the tooth (or teeth) being sealed by your dentist so that it cannot be infected again in the future.

This endodontic treatment can often be completed in just one visit by the root canal specialist. From your initial consultation, procedure and aftercare that you receive, we will be in a more informed position to guide you on the intervals between appointments if needed. 

A root canal infection can be caused by tooth decay, inflamed or damaged roots of the tooth, leaky dental fillings or damage (such as a minor fracture) caused as a result of a fall. Very seldom, but even natural teeth without any other restoration can sometimes start to hurt and may need an endodontic procedure.

The root canal procedure is an endodontic treatment undertaken by a dentist or endodontist to remove the infected nerve and surrounding pulp.

We would always advise caution when driving after a lengthy dental procedure. Due to our central location in the heart of London there are a multitude of alternate transport options available including taxi, bus and London Underground stops nearby. You must not drive after having a local anaesthetic which is still present when you aim to drive.

Please note that the root canal treatment process we offer is virtually pain-free and you may only experience minor sensitivity to the tooth in question for a few days afterwards. 

Rest assured, you’re in safe hands with our root canal specialists

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Treatment Reviews

treatment reviews dental clinic london

Barbara S

I would definitely recommend Dr Mehl for root canal treatment! I got an emergency treatment the same day and the doctor took care of my pain. I loved this place, very friendly staff & professional team.

patient testimonials wimpole street dental clinic

Anastasia T

I woke up last week with a severe toothache and went to see Dr Mehl. During the examination, it turned out that my pulp was inflamed and I could not avoid a root canal treatment. Until now, I did not always hear the best experiences from root canal treatments, but I hardly noticed anything with Dr Mehl. He was very careful and concentrated in his work, so he didn’t make any mistakes. I am amazed!