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Care / Precision / Confidence / Glenrothes / Fife /
Treatment
Root canal treatment
Treating infection inside a tooth so the tooth can be kept instead of taken out.
What it costs hereFrom £225 what that covers
GDHTreatment
01
In short
Root canal treatment in short
Cleaning the infection out of the inside of a tooth so it can be kept.
From £225 for a front tooth, £375 a premolar, £475 a molar.
Rebuilding the tooth afterwards costs extra and usually means a crown.
It can fail. If it does, the tooth comes out.
Visits
One or two
How long it takes
Sixty to ninety minutes each
Anaesthetic
Local, always
How long it lasts
Most last many years. Some fail.
Can it be undone
No. The nerve is taken out.
On the NHS
Available on the NHS
02
Treatment
What it is
Inside every tooth there is a soft centre. It holds the nerve and the blood supply. Dentists call it the pulp. If decay, a crack or a knock lets bacteria reach the pulp, it becomes infected and starts to die.
Root canal treatment clears that infection out. We open the top of the tooth and clean the narrow channels that run down each root. Then we fill them with a rubber-like material to seal them. The outside of the tooth stays where it is.
The point of the treatment is simple. It lets you keep a tooth that would otherwise have to come out. A tooth you keep is almost always better than a gap or a replacement. Nothing we can make works quite as well as the tooth you grew.
03
Treatment
Is this right for me?
This is usually the right treatment if the pulp inside a tooth is infected or dying, and there is enough solid tooth left to rebuild afterwards.
Signs that often point this way:
Pain that lingers after something hot or cold, rather than stopping straight away
A tooth that aches on its own, sometimes worse at night
Pain when you bite on one particular tooth
A tooth that has gone darker than the ones beside it
A small bump on the gum near the tooth, which may leak and taste unpleasant
Swelling around the tooth or in the face
You can also need root canal treatment with no pain at all. Some teeth die quietly and only show up on an X-ray.
It may not be the right choice if the tooth is cracked below the gum, if too little of it is left to rebuild, or if the roots are badly damaged. In those cases taking the tooth out may be the more honest option, and we will say so.
Some people would simply rather have the tooth out. That is a reasonable choice and we will talk you through what each one means for the rest of your mouth. We will not push you towards the more expensive option.
04
Treatment
What happens, step by step
Most root canal treatments here take one or two appointments.
Before we start, we take an X-ray to see the shape and number of the roots. Front teeth usually have one root. Back teeth can have three or four, and the channels inside them can curve.
At the appointment:
We numb the tooth and the gum around it with a local anaesthetic. You should feel pressure and movement, but not sharpness. Tell us if you do and we will add more.
We put a small sheet of rubber around the tooth. It keeps the tooth dry and stops anything going to the back of your mouth. Most people find it makes the appointment easier, not harder.
We make an opening in the top of the tooth and clean out the infected pulp.
We measure the length of each channel, shape it with fine instruments, and rinse it.
We fill the channels and seal the opening.
A front tooth usually takes about an hour. A back tooth with several curved roots can take ninety minutes or more, and we may book a second visit rather than rush it.
Afterwards the tooth needs rebuilding. A back tooth that has had root canal treatment is more brittle than it was, so it often needs a crown to stop it splitting. We will tell you at the assessment whether that is likely, and what it adds.
You can eat once the numbness has gone. Chew on the other side until the tooth is permanently restored.
05
Treatment
What it costs
The price depends on which tooth it is, because the number of roots and how much they curve decides how long the work takes.
Front tooth: from £225
Premolar: from £375
Molar: from £475
Each of those covers numbing the tooth, cleaning and filling the root canals, and a temporary filling to seal it.
Rebuilding the tooth afterwards is separate, and we will price it before you agree to anything. A filling starts at £150. A crown starts at £595. We tell you the whole figure at the assessment, not once the treatment has started.
Root canal treatment is also available on the NHS. NHS charges are set by the Scottish Government and are the same at every NHS practice in Scotland.
06
Treatment
What could go wrong
Root canal treatment has a good track record, but no dental treatment works every time, and you should know what can go wrong before you agree to it.
It can fail. Sometimes infection stays in a channel we could not reach, or comes back later. If that happens the options are to redo the treatment, to refer you for surgery on the root tip, or to take the tooth out.
The tooth can split. A tooth that has been root filled is more brittle. Back teeth are at real risk of cracking if they are not crowned, and a tooth that splits below the gum usually cannot be saved.
An instrument can separate. The files used to clean the channels are very fine and can occasionally break inside a root. Sometimes it can be retrieved; sometimes it is left in place and sealed over.
Soreness afterwards. The tooth is often tender to bite on for a few days, and sometimes for a week or two. Ordinary painkillers usually handle it.
Flare-up. A small number of people get swelling or a throb in the first few days. Call us if that happens rather than waiting.
Discolouration. A root filled tooth, particularly a front one, can darken over time.
Missed anatomy. Roots can hide an extra channel. We take X-rays to reduce that risk, but no image shows everything.
We will tell you honestly how likely we think your particular tooth is to last, and for how long. If we think the odds are poor, we will say that rather than take your money.
07
Treatment
Who does this here
Principal dentist
Registered name
Tien-Yu Chang
GDC number
296929
Qualification
Grado en Odontología, University CEU San Pablo, 2021
Qualified in
Spain
Associate dentist
Registered name
Li Yang Yeh
GDC number
306420
Qualification
Grado en Odontología, University CEU San Pablo, 2021
Qualified in
Spain
Associate dentist
GDC number
329275
Qualification
Grado en Odontología, University CEU San Pablo, 2025
Qualified in
Spain
Associate dentist
Registered name
Chen Liu
GDC number
331071
Qualification
Dr Med Dent, Semmelweis University, 2025
Qualified in
Hungary
Associate dentist
Registered name
Cheng-Tsung Hsu
GDC number
320342
Qualification
Grado en Odontología, CEU Cardenal Herrera University, 2024
Qualified in
Spain
08
Useful answers
Questions people ask
01Does root canal treatment hurt?
The treatment itself is done under local anaesthetic, so you should not feel sharpness while we work. Most people say it feels much like having a filling, just longer. The reputation comes from the toothache that brings people in, which is often severe. Treating the tooth is what stops that.
The tooth is usually tender to bite on for a few days afterwards. Tell us if you are worried about pain and we will go more slowly and check in as we go.
02How long will the tooth last?
Many root filled teeth last for decades. Back teeth that are crowned afterwards do better than ones left with only a filling. What we cannot do is give you a number for your tooth, because it depends on how much solid tooth is left, how hard you bite, and how well the area is kept clean.
03Would it be cheaper to just have it out?
Taking a tooth out costs less on the day. A simple extraction starts at £145.
The cost usually arrives later. A gap at the back can make chewing harder, and the teeth around it can drift. Replacing a missing tooth with a bridge or an implant costs considerably more than root canal treatment would have. That is worth knowing before you decide, but it is your decision and we will support either one.
04Can I drive home afterwards?
Yes. Local anaesthetic does not affect your ability to drive. Your lip, tongue or cheek will be numb for two to four hours, so take care with hot drinks until the feeling comes back.
05Will I need antibiotics?
Usually not. Cleaning the infection out of the tooth is what treats it, and antibiotics on their own do not fix an infected pulp. We prescribe them only where there is spreading swelling or you are generally unwell.
06What if I leave it?
An infected pulp does not settle by itself. The pain may come and go, which can be misleading, but the infection continues. It can spread into the bone around the root and cause an abscess and facial swelling.
If you have swelling that is closing your eye or affecting your breathing or swallowing, that is an emergency. Go to A&E or call 999.
07Can I have it done on the NHS?
Yes, where it is clinically appropriate. NHS charges in Scotland are set by the Scottish Government rather than by us, and examinations are free for everyone. We will tell you what is available to you on the NHS and what the private option offers, so you can compare them properly.
08How many appointments will it take?
Usually one or two. A front tooth is often done in a single visit. A molar with curved roots may be split across two so that neither appointment is rushed. We will tell you which we expect before we start.
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Treatment
Next step
If a tooth is hurting, the first step is an examination and an X-ray so we can tell you what is actually wrong. That may turn out to be a filling rather than root canal treatment, and it is better to know.
If you are in pain today, call us. We keep appointments free each day for people who need seeing quickly.
Or call us on 01592 348674 if you would rather talk it through first.
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Glenrothes Dental House2 Huntsmans Court
Glenrothes, Fife
KY7 6SX
Glenrothes, Fife
KY7 6SX