Dr Herman will recommend a root-canal treatment, when there is infection in the nerve canals of your tooth or if there is nothing left of the tooth to build on and we need to rebuild the central part of the tooth with a post so as there is something for a crown to hold on to.

A root-canal treatment is used to save the tooth when the dental pulp or nerve centre has become infected or has died. The cause of the infection is usually decay or a fractured tooth. Without treatment this infection will cause a dental abscess, swelling and infection of the jaw bone.

The only alternative to root-canal treatment is to remove the tooth. It is always better to keep your natural tooth if possible then try to replace it with alternatives such as a denture, bridgework, or implants.

Root-canal treatment is a relatively simple but time consuming procedure with little or no discomfort over the two to three treatments.