Root Canal

Root canal therapy refers to the process by which a dentist treats the inner aspects of a tooth, specifically that area inside a tooth that is occupied by its "pulp tissue". Most people would probably refer to a tooth's pulp tissue as its "nerve". While a tooth's pulp tissue does contain nerve fibers it is also composed of arteries, veins, lymph vessels, and connective tissue.

What exactly in a tooth is its nerve?

Teeth are hard calcified objects but their inner aspects are not completely solid. Inside every tooth lies a hollow space which, when a tooth is healthy, contains the tooth's nerve tissue. Dentists use the following terms to refer to various portions of this nerve area.

The pulp chamber is a hollow space that lies more or less in the center of the tooth. Generally speaking, each tooth's nerve enters the tooth at the very tip of its root. From this entry point the nerve then runs through the center of the root in small "root canals" which subsequently join up with the tooth's pulp chamber.

There is no doubt that a tooth's nerve tissue plays an important role in the formation, development and construction of the tooth. Once the tooth has completely formed, the function of this tissue becomes one of helping to preserve the tooth's health and vitality.

A tooth's nerve tissue does provide a sensory function but this role is probably different from what you expect. Under normal circumstances the nerves inside our teeth provide us with very little information. However, when activated by extremes in pressure, temperature, a cracked tooth or advancing tooth decay teeth do respond with a painful sensation. Under normal circumstances the nerves inside our teeth remain relatively dormant.