Root canal treatment (endodontics) is a dental procedure used to treat infection at the centre of a tooth. Root canal treatment is not painful and can save a tooth that might otherwise have to be removed completely.

Root canal treatment is usually carried out under local anaesthetic, a painkilling medicine that numbs your infected tooth and the gum around it. In some cases where the tooth has died and is no longer sensitive, it may not be necessary to use a local anaesthetic.