Endodontist or General Dentist: Who Should Do Your Root Canal?

Every dentist in the UK is trained to carry out root canal treatment, and many do it well. An endodontist is a dentist who has gone on to complete several years of additional postgraduate training in endodontics and is registered on the General Dental Council's specialist list. Understanding the difference helps you — and your dentist — decide where a particular tooth is best treated.

What makes an endodontist different

Training and case volume. A specialist has spent years focusing on the diagnosis and treatment of pulp and root problems and treats these cases every day. Experience with complex anatomy, retreatment and surgery builds up quickly when it is all you do.

Equipment. Specialist practices are set up around the dental operating microscope, which magnifies the inside of the tooth many times over and illuminates it directly. Combined with ultrasonic instruments, electronic length measurement and, where needed, 3D imaging (CBCT), this allows canals to be found and treated that would otherwise be missed.

Time. Appointments in a specialist practice are scheduled for the needs of the case rather than fitted between check-ups, so treatment is rarely rushed.

Cases that benefit most from a specialist

Your dentist may suggest seeing an endodontist, or you may choose to come directly, when a tooth involves:

• a molar with several canals, or canals that are curved, narrow or calcified
• a previous root filling that has failed and needs retreatment
• a post or broken instrument inside the root
• persistent infection after treatment that may need microsurgery
• pain that is difficult to diagnose or locate
• a cracked tooth or a tooth injured in an accident
• a medical history that makes a quick, predictable procedure important

Cases a general dentist may treat

A single-rooted front tooth with straightforward anatomy and no previous treatment is well within the scope of most general dentists, and it may be more convenient to have it treated at your own practice. There is no single right answer; what matters is that the person treating the tooth has the skills and equipment the case demands.

Seeing an endodontist

You can contact the practice directly, or your dentist may suggest it after seeing the tooth. Either way, we carry out the assessment and treatment and send your dentist a report so that they can place the final crown or filling. You remain a patient of your own practice throughout. See our contact page for details.

The bottom line

A well-executed root canal, whoever performs it, is the goal. For complex, previously treated or hard-to-diagnose teeth, the additional training, magnification and time that a specialist brings make a predictable outcome considerably more likely.