A root canal is the space within the root of a tooth. This space is filled with a highly vascularized, loose connective tissue, the dental pulp. Root canal therapy is a term for a dental operation, endodontic therapy, wherein the pulp is cleaned out, the space disinfected, and then filled. Root canal treatment is necessary when a cavity is allowed to reach all the way to the pulp. Sometimes deep restorations or trauma to a tooth may cause the pulp to be damaged to the point it needs root canal therapy, also. Once this occurs the pulp becomes infected, and can even extend through the root tip and begin to eat away at the surrounding bone (this is an abscess). By the time the pulp is infected it must be treated, and cannot heal on its own. Symptoms that the pulp has become infected may include sensitivity to hot/cold or sweets, pain, swelling, pain to biting or pressure, and a bad taste in the mouth. Sometimes, however, no symptoms are apparent and the person is unaware of any problem until a checkup.
