Usually, root canal procedures take two appointments with your dentist.

1. Basic Overview of Root
Canal Procedures

2. Preparation
Usually, root canal procedures take two
appointments with your dentist. Prior to the
actual treatment, a series of X-rays may be
taken to determine the degree of damage. A
local anesthetic is administered to numb the
area of the tooth that will be treated, except
where the damage is extensive to the point
where there is no more tooth sensitivity.

3. Pulp removal
The dentist places a dam, or rubber sheet,
around the tooth to keep away saliva and also
prevent inhalation or swallowing of chemicals
applied to the tooth during the procedure. The
tooth is 'opened' via the crown (the top flat
part) from where they can gain access to the
tooth pulp underneath.
Any infected pulp is then removed, and where
there's a dental abscess (swelling filled with
pus), it will be simultaneously drained.

4. Cleaning and filling
Once infected pulp is removed, the dentist cleans
the area then enlarges the root canal to make
filling easy - usually it tends to be narrow,
which interferes with the filling process. A
number of small files are used for the
enlargement in a process that can take several
hours spread over multiple visits. Teeth with
more roots such as molars and premolars take
longer.

5. Where multiple visits to the dental clinic are
necessary, an anti-bacterial treatment is
applied to ensure that no bacteria thrive in the
canal. Also, a temporary filling is used to seal
up the area. Where symptoms of infection
and/or inflammation such as fever or swelling
are noticed, antibiotics will be administered to
manage the situation.

6. Sealing and fixation
Once the enlargement process is complete, the
temporary filling will be removed and the
permanent filling inserted to seal the tooth
completely and eliminate chances of re-
infection. However, teeth that have been filled
at the roots have higher chances of breaking
than normal healthy teeth, and hence your
dentist may recommend placing a crown for
protection.
Sometimes, the root-filled tooth may begin to
turn darker, such as where injury causes death
of the tooth. In such cases, cosmetic
treatments like tooth whitening can be used to
reverse the discoloration.

7. Crown placement
Crowns are caps which are placed on a real tooth
to cover it and hence offer protection to the
tooth. As mentioned, these are necessary after
root canal treatment to prevent fracturing or
further damage. Crowns are usually made of
ceramic material, metal and/or porcelain or
powdered glass.
To place the crown, the dentist will reduce the
size of the tooth and fill up the space created
with the crown. Usually, a mold of the tooth is
taken to ascertain that the crown fitted
matches the shape and size of the tooth. The
crown is glued to the trimmed tooth using
cement.

8. Where the treatment procedure resulted in
removal of much of the tooth pulp, the dentist
can additionally cement a post to the tooth to
hold the crown firmly in place.

9. Post-treatment
With good dental hygiene, the tooth can survive
for a long time after the procedure has been
done, especially where a crown is fitted
afterwards. If re-infection occurs, the
procedure can be repeated.

10. Resources:
http://www.xpressdentalclinic.com/services/root-canal-with-cerec.aspx
http://ezinearticles.com/?Basic-Overview-of-Root-Canal-
Procedures&id=8973095

11. Thanks for reading!