Deep throbbing pain, a tooth that reacts to hot and keeps aching afterwards, or a swelling on the gum. Root canal treatment removes the infected pulp and saves the tooth, and at F-10 Markaz it is usually completed in a single visit under local anaesthetic.
Root canal treatment explained by Dr Kiran Haseeb, BDS.
Inside every tooth is a soft core called the pulp, which carries the nerve and blood supply. When decay, a crack or an old deep filling lets bacteria reach it, the pulp becomes inflamed and then infected, and that is what the throbbing is. Root canal treatment, or endodontics, removes that pulp, cleans and shapes the canals, and seals them so bacteria cannot return.
The tooth stays in place and keeps working. That is the whole point: the alternative to treating an infected pulp is extraction, and once a tooth is gone the gap has to be restored with an implant or a bridge, both of which cost more than saving the tooth in the first place.
At Dr Kiran Haseeb Dental Clinic in F-10 Markaz, Islamabad, treatment is carried out with rotary instruments under local anaesthetic, with the canal length measured rather than estimated and an x-ray taken to confirm the seal. A back tooth is then protected with a crown, because a root treated molar left uncrowned is the one that splits.
Part 1
The narrow spaces that held the pulp. A front tooth usually has one, a premolar one or two, a molar three or four, and missing one of them is the most common reason a root canal fails.
Part 2
The canals are filled to the exact length and sealed so bacteria cannot re-enter. The x-ray at the end is what confirms that the fill reaches the end of the root without going past it.
Part 3
What goes on top afterwards. A front tooth may need only a bonded filling; a back tooth carries the chewing load and is protected with a crown or an onlay.
Which one applies depends on the tooth, the number of canals and whether it has been treated before. All three start with the same x-ray.
Simplest
One canal, straight access and usually the quickest case. Often completed in one visit and finished with a bonded restoration rather than a crown, so more of the tooth stays visible.
Most common
Back teeth carry the chewing load and have several curved canals. It takes longer, needs more care to find every canal, and the tooth is protected with a crown afterwards.
Second time
A tooth treated years ago that has started aching again, usually because a canal was missed or the seal has leaked. The old filling material is removed, the system is cleaned again and resealed.
The number of canals is what moves the price, not the pain. A quote is given after the x-ray and examination, in writing, and it makes clear whether the restoration on top is included, because that is where most surprises come from.
A front tooth with one canal is the simplest case. A molar with three or four curved canals takes longer and costs more, which is why a quote given over the phone before anyone has seen the tooth is a guess.
Retreating a tooth means removing old filling material before the canals can be cleaned again. It is slower, more technical and priced accordingly.
A tooth broken down to gum level needs a foundation built before anything can be fitted on top. That is quoted separately and openly.
A bonded filling on a front tooth is one thing, a crown on a molar is another. Ask whether the quote covers the finished tooth or stops at the seal.
It is one of the most studied procedures in dentistry and has been carried out for over a century. Reported success rates sit around ninety percent for a well sealed tooth with a proper restoration on top, which is considerably better than most alternatives to keeping your own tooth.
The claim that root canals cause disease elsewhere in the body traces back to discredited research from the 1920s and has no support in modern evidence. The American Association of Endodontists says the same thing plainly, and it is worth reading if anyone has told you otherwise.
The real risks are practical: a canal that is missed, a seal that leaks, or a tooth left without a crown that splits under chewing. All three are controlled by measuring the canals, confirming the seal on x-ray, and restoring the tooth properly rather than leaving a temporary filling in for months.
Not every toothache means the pulp is dead. Sensitivity that passes in seconds is usually a different problem. The x-ray and the way the tooth responds to testing decide it.
If your tooth does not need root canal treatment you will be told so. Treating the wrong tooth is the most expensive mistake in this part of dentistry, which is why testing and an x-ray come before the handpiece.
Most cases are completed in a single visit of about an hour, sometimes two visits for a molar with an active infection. You should be comfortable throughout, and you can drive yourself home afterwards.
Stage 1 · Visit 1
Testing and an x-ray establish whether the pulp is inflamed, infected or dead, and whether the tooth can be saved at all. This is also where the number of canals is identified.
Stage 2 · Visit 1
The tooth is fully anaesthetised and isolated to keep it clean and dry, then a small access opening is made so the canals can be reached.
Stage 3 · Visit 1
Every canal is measured to its exact length, cleaned with rotary instruments and irrigated. This is the stage that removes the infection and the pain with it.
Stage 4 · Visit 1
The canals are filled to the measured length and sealed, then an x-ray confirms the fill. A core filling closes the access opening.
Stage 5 · Within weeks
A back tooth is crowned to stop it splitting under chewing. A front tooth may need only a bonded restoration. This step is not optional on molars.
The reputation comes from the toothache, not the treatment. The pain people remember is the infection before they came in, and root canal treatment is what removes it.
A properly sealed and properly restored tooth can last for decades, and often for life. The published survival figures sit high, but they are figures for teeth that were crowned afterwards, not for teeth left under a temporary filling.
What ends these teeth is almost never the root filling. It is a molar that was never crowned and finally split, decay starting at a leaking margin years later, or gum disease around the tooth. None of those are the endodontics failing.
Keep the tooth cleaned like any other, keep a scaling and polishing appointment every six months so the margin and the gum are checked, and have the permanent restoration fitted within weeks rather than months.
What separates a root canal that holds from one that aches again is measurement and cleaning, not the brand on the instrument.
Flexible files that follow curved canals instead of straightening them, which cleans the canal system more completely and takes considerably less chair time than hand filing alone.
The working length is measured rather than estimated, and an x-ray at the end confirms the canals are filled to the end of the root and no further.
Ask any clinic how many canals your tooth has and whether a final x-ray will be taken. Those two answers tell you more about the quality of the treatment than any equipment list.
A root treated back tooth is finished with a crown, and where too little tooth remains, an extraction or an implant replaces it. Children’s milk teeth are treated with pulpotomy instead, early decay is handled as a filling, and gum pain that mimics toothache is assessed by a periodontist. If the tooth is throbbing today, start with the emergency dentist in Islamabad. Everything is carried out at the dental clinic in F-10 Markaz.
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It depends on which tooth and how many canals it has, whether it is a first treatment or a retreatment, and whether the quote includes the crown afterwards. A front tooth with one canal sits at the lower end, a molar with four canals at the higher. You will be quoted in writing after the x-ray, with the restoration on top priced openly rather than added later.
The treatment is done under local anaesthetic and should not hurt. The pain people associate with root canals is the infection that brings them in. Expect tenderness on biting for two or three days afterwards, which ordinary painkillers handle.
Usually yes. Most teeth are cleaned, sealed and closed in a single appointment of around an hour. A molar with an active abscess is sometimes treated across two visits so the infection can settle first.
On a back tooth, yes. A root treated molar has lost structure and its internal moisture, and the evidence is clear that crowning substantially lowers the chance of a split that would cost you the tooth. A front tooth with a small access cavity can often be restored without one.
That is always an option and sometimes the right one. But once a tooth is out the neighbouring teeth drift, the bone in that space shrinks, and replacing it with an implant or bridge costs more than saving it would have. Extraction is the answer when the tooth is split or badly broken down, not simply because it hurts.
Mild tenderness for a few days is normal healing. Pain that increases, or returns weeks later, usually means a missed canal, a leaking temporary filling or a crack. It is checked with an x-ray rather than treated with more antibiotics.
Yes. Retreatment removes the old filling material, cleans the canal system again and reseals it, and it is often successful where the first attempt missed a canal. Where retreatment is not realistic, the options are surgery at the root tip or extraction, and you will be told which honestly.
The clinic is inside F-10 Markaz, a short walk from the main commercial strip and reachable from Blue Area in under fifteen minutes outside peak hours.
House 7, Main Sumbal Road, F-10/3 Markaz, Islamabad
The assessment includes testing, an x-ray and an honest answer about whether the tooth can be saved, with a written quote that includes the restoration on top.
Same day slots are kept for pain and swelling.
Dr. Kiran Haseeb Clinic in Islamabad features a modern facility equipped with the latest dental technology, ensuring all treatments meet international standards.
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