Endodontology and Root Canal Treatment

Endodontology Amsterdam

“Endo” is the Greek word for “inside” and “odont” is Greek for “tooth.” Endodontic treatment treats the inside of the tooth.

Endodontics is a specialized area of dentistry that focuses on treating disease or injury to the dental pulp, also known as root canal treatment.

Inside every tooth and molar under the white enamel is a hard layer called dentin. Inside this is a soft tissue called the pulp. The pulp is living tissue and is made up of blood vessels and nerves.

These can cause problems for a tooth, molar, and jawbone. The making of a diagnosis, the prevention, and treatment of these problems is known as endodontology. If the pulp becomes inflamed or infected, this can lead to considerable pain or even an abscess. The root canals and the root end openings are connected with the jawbone. Due to this, an infection of the dental pulp can spread further to this area. If the dental pulp is infected, you must undergo root canal treatment.

Root Canal Treatment at Lassus Tandartsen

Root canal treatment is an extremely complex procedure. At Lassus Tandartsen we have considerable experience in carrying out root canal treatments.  For the more specialist procedures, you’ll be referred internally to our Dental Endodontists. After studying and qualifying as Dentists, they completed an additional three years of study beyond dental school and are officially certified as Dentist-Endodontists.

Symptoms

The symptoms that your dental pulp is infected are often very clear:

  • Severe pain when drinking hot or cold drinks
  • Spontaneous pain which keeps you awake at night
  • Pain when chewing food


It’s good to be aware that not every dental pulp infection causes pain. Sometimes there are no symptoms, and infection is only discovered when an x-ray is made of your teeth or after clinical testing.

Root canal treatment

The process of root canal treatment is carried out as follows:

  1. 1. The dentist makes an x-ray of the root canals to determine the location of the infection.
  2. 2. Local anaesthetic is administered, and the dentist/endodontist makes an opening in the tooth’s crown.
  3. 3. The dentist removes the infected or dead tissue.
  4. 4. Very small instruments are used to clean the inside of the tooth or molar, along with a disinfecting liquid.
  5. 5. The space created in the tooth or molar in the root canals is filled with a biocompatible rubber-like material and is completed with a normal filling. If the tooth is seriously weakened, a crown can be used instead of a regular filling.


The treatment is virtually painless due to the use of a local anaesthetic. It’s possible that after the treatment, you’ll experience some pain. If that’s the case, we recommend the use of paracetamol or ibuprofen.

Further Treatment

In some exceptional cases, it can be possible that the infection is not completely cured after root canal treatment or that you experience a repeat of the complaints. In most cases, you can keep your tooth or molar with additional root canal treatment.  All root canals will be cleaned and filled in the new treatment. During the treatment, the dentist will take an x-ray to manage the treatment’s course.

Is root canal treatment pain-free?


Due to the use of local anesthetic the treatment is virtually painless. It’s possible that after the treatment that you’ll experience some pain. If that’s the case we recommend the use of paracetamol or ibuprofen. If the pain continues for a longer period, please contact your dentist.

How long does a root canal treatment take?


The duration of a root canal treatment depends on the number of root canals. Not every tooth has the same number of canals. A normal tooth often has 1 canal, molars often have multiple canals. The treatment can vary from half an hour to two hours.

How does the tooth look after root canal treatment?


In the past, teeth that had undergone root canal treatment would look a little darker than the rest. Due to modern day techniques, this rarely occurs nowadays.  If a small discoloring occurs, this can be easily resolved. There are a number of possibilities available to restore your teeth to a natural color.

If I don′t have root canal treatment what happens then?


If the dental pulp is infected and not treated then it will not be cured. The only alternative to root canal treatment is the removal of the tooth or molar that’s infected. In some cases that’s the best solution. It’s always better to keep your natural teeth, therefore we advise to always have root canal treatment if it’s required.

The cost of root canal

Would you like to know how much a root canal treatment costs? You will receive a personalised estimate during a consult. Herewith you will find some rates for endodontics.

CodeTreatmentRate
E02Extensive root canal consultation€49,28
E03Consultation after a dental accident€38,72
E60Entirely or partly removing pulpal tissue€56,32
E04Surcharge for expenses incurred by using rotating nickel-titanium instruments€58,12

Testimonial

” I called this practice on a Saturday as I had so much pain. I was able to see them immediately and they helped me with the pain. The rest of the treatment was completed the following week. I’m so happy that I ended up at this practice.”

Happy client