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.

BEFORE & AFTERS
OUR DENTISTS
COSTS

Treatment
60 - 120 minutes

Price
From £1,100

Team Experience
40+ years

Recovery Time
1 day

Google Rating
★★★★★ (4.9)

Written by: Dr Negin Mosahebi

Clinically reviewed by: Dr Raul Costa

Last Updated: 

Table of Contents
    Home » Root Canal

    As dental patients, we all understand what it means to experience a severe toothache and do not always understand the reason why. Root canal pain can be caused by 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 the 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 the 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 a root canal.

    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 gum,s 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.

    Advanced/Related Root Canal Treatments

    Apicectomy
    If a previous root canal hasn’t fully resolved the problem, an apicectomy may be recommended. This is a minor surgical procedure that removes the tip of the tooth root and any surrounding infected tissue to help save the tooth. It’s typically used when retreatment isn’t possible or hasn’t been successful. Learn more about apicectomy.

    Root canal retreatment
    Sometimes, a tooth that’s had root canal treatment can become painful or infected again. Root canal retreatment gives the tooth a second chance by carefully removing the old filling material, disinfecting the canals, and resealing the tooth. This treatment is ideal for patients whose previous root canal has failed or developed new issues. Learn more about root canal retreatment.

    Vital pulp therapy
    Vital pulp therapy is a gentle alternative to full root canal treatment, aimed at preserving the healthy part of the tooth’s pulp. It’s especially suitable for younger patients or cases where the damage hasn’t spread throughout the tooth. By keeping the living tissue intact, this approach helps the tooth continue to develop and stay strong. Learn more about vital pulp therapy.

    A brief summary of Root Canal Treatment

    STEP 1: Root canal treatments remove damaged or dead nerves and bloodvessels that have been affected by tooth decay, tooth cracks, or trauma.
    STEP 2: In order to access the inflamed nerve, an access is first drilled and theupper part of the nerve is removed. This reduces pressure on thetooth and makes it pain-free.
    STEP 3: Then, in the following treatment session, the cavity in which thenerve is located is cleaned with special files and rinsed thoroughlywith various disinfectant liquids in order to maximally reduce thenumber of bacteria.
    STEP 4: The cavity created by the treatment is then definitely filled with arubber-like and biologically well-tolerated material (gutta-percha).
    STEP 5: In most cases, an adhesive filling is placed to restore the shape ofthe tooth and to protect the root filling from re-invading bacteria.Sometimes, however, there is too little of the original tooth structure,so the filling has to be supported with a post.
    STEP 6: In most cases, the tooth is then definitively treated with a stabilisingcrown or partial crown.

    Meet your award-winning Root Canal Treatment dentist and team…

    • We have over 75+ years of combined dentistry experience across our specialist team.
    • 10,000+ treatments performed and counting.
    • We are leaders in the dental industry – we regularly teach, lecture and publish our research work internationally.

    Root Canal Treatment costs

    New patient consultation

    £240

    Emergency root canal treatment

    £250

    Front tooth

    £1,100

    Premolar

    £1,200

    Front tooth retreatment

    £1,200

    Premolar retreatment

    £1,400

    Molar

    £1,500

    Molar retreatment

    £1,700

    Review X-ray

    £150

    Medication change and review

    £250
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    CALL: 020 3745 7455

    Our Expertise

    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.

    Root Canal Treatment reviews

    Find out more about our patients, their treatment and why they chose Wimpole Street Dental Clinic.

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    Rosa c

    I’ve been wanting for years to do this, and just needed a dentist I could trust 100%. I have found them at Wimpole Street Dental Clinic.

    ★★★★★

    Root canal for nervous patients

    Patients who are particularly worried about root canal treatment can undergo this dental treatment under light or deep sedation if they would prefer not to experience the entire dental procedure under just local anaesthesia.

    Root canal treatment is often a long procedure, and as such, many patients dread having to spend too much time sitting in a chair. To help avert boredom and help distract you during the root canal procedure, we provide video glasses so you can relax and watch a film or television show of your choice.

    Take your first step with Wimpole Street Dental Clinic

    Discover the path to a brighter smile with Wimpole Street Dental Clinic! Our team of skilled professionals utilises advanced technology to provide personalised dental care in a comfortable setting.

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    How long does an endodontic treatment take?

    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.

    Read more

    What is the difference between an endodontist and a dentist?

    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.

    Read more

    How do you know if you need a root canal?

    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.

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    Do root canals hurt?

    When the centre of the tooth has an infection it can cause severe toothaches 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.

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    How does a root canal problem and pain develop?

    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, or 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.

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    dental bridges specialist prosthodontics Christian Mehl

    What is a root canal filling?

    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.

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    How is a root canal done?

    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.

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    Zygomatic Implants

    Can you eat after a root canal?

    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.

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    What causes a root canal infection?

    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.

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    Can I drive after root canal treatment?

    We would always advise caution when driving after a lengthy dental procedure. Due to our central location in the heart of London, there is a multitude of alternative 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.

    Read more

    Speak to the best dentists in London for Root Canal Treatment today

    Whether you need minor dental care or are considering major dental surgery, our professional and award-winning team are always happy to help. Make an appointment for a consultation today.

    CALL US: 020 3745 7455

    Wimpole St Dental Clinic has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

    • Lumley PJ, Adams N, Tomson P. Root canal retreatment. Dent Update. 2006 Nov;33(9):518-20, 522-4, 526-8, 530. doi: 10.12968/denu.2006.33.9.518. PMID: 17176738.
    • Ford TR, Rhodes JS. Root canal retreatment: 2. Practical solutions. Dent Update. 2004 Mar;31(2):97-102. doi: 10.12968/denu.2004.31.2.97. PMID: 15065373.
    • Tang L, Sun TQ, Gao XJ, Zhou XD, Huang DM. Tooth anatomy risk factors influencing root canal working length accessibility. Int J Oral Sci. 2011 Jul;3(3):135-40. doi: 10.4248/IJOS11050. PMID: 21789962; PMCID: PMC3470095.
    • Rabinovich IM, Abakarova DS, Snegirev MV. [Root canal irrigation – component of endodontic treatment success]. Stomatologiia (Mosk). 2011;90(3):80-3. Russian. PMID: 21845784.
    • Tidmarsh BG. Preparation of the root canal. Int Endod J. 1982 Apr;15(2):53-61. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2591.1982.tb01341.x. PMID: 6951816.

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