23/08/2026
“It’ll have to come out.”
That’s what most people expect to hear about a tooth this broken down. It isn’t usually true.
Two things had gone wrong here: too little tooth left to work on, and bacteria that had reached the nerve. Treating only one of those doesn’t work.
So the tooth was rebuilt *before* the root canal, not after — which is the part that matters. Rebuilding the walls first creates a sealed space to work in: the rubber dam seats properly, the disinfecting solutions stay inside the tooth, and saliva and bacteria stay out. Skipping this step is one of the commonest reasons a root canal fails years later.
Swipe for the radiographs 👉
One thing worth knowing: a root-treated back tooth is more brittle and needs a crown or onlay to protect it. Without one it can split below the gum — and then it really is lost, despite a successful root canal.
Treatment by Rajeevan Mahendran, Dentist with Special Interest in Endodontics.
Apsley KingsLangley Hertfordshire Dentist ToothPain DentalRadiograph NervousPatients
