Endodontics is the dental specialty which allows infected teeth to be saved, through the process of either, root canal therapy (RCT) or apicoectomy.

When the decay process within an infected tooth gets to the pulp (the nerve and blood vessels of the tooth), the tooth requires RCT to clean out the infected nerve and blood vessels. The standard of care following RCT can include having a post placed in the tooth and having a crown placed over the tooth.

An apicoectomy is a procedure that is done to a tooth that has already had RCT,  if the tooth gets re-infected.

Last modified: 05/03/04