Root Canals

Most of the time, teeth need root canals because decay has reached the nerve of the tooth. Decay that touches a nerve is painful! It is common (to the dismay of dentists everywhere) for people to neglect their teeth until they start hurting. Unfortunately, once the tooth starts to hurt, it is too late to simply do a filling. One of two things has to happen to get you out of pain at that point: pull the tooth or take the nerve out of the tooth and restore it. The second option is essentially what a root canal does.