Root canals are not as scary as they seem. If your tooth is infected, the infection inside of the tooth needs to be removed — that’s what a root canal treatment is for! Teeth can become infected and die for a few different reasons. Most commonly, a large cavity is or was present in the tooth and the bacteria that caused that cavity infected the nerve of your tooth. Other times, a fracture or trauma to the tooth causes it to die and become infected. And sometimes, the nerve dies for no good reason at all. Either way, once the nerve inside of your tooth is infected or dead, you have two options: have a root canal done to save the tooth and get rid of the infection, or have the tooth pulled. Root canal treatments can be performed by our dentists or an endodontist (root canal specialist). Depending on the degree of difficulty and the reasons for the root canal being done, Dr. Moreau and Dr. Bal will decide whether they can perform the root canal for you or if you would be better off seeing one of the wonderful specialists here in Kelowna. Once the root canal is finished, either by Dr. Moreau, Dr. Bal or the specialist, they may recommend you have a crown placed to protect your tooth from breaking and your root canal from being reinfected. Talk to one of our dentists to answer any of your root canal questions!