Root canal therapy
Save the tooth. End the pain.
A root canal isn't the ordeal of its reputation — it's the treatment that stops one. Done gently and precisely, it clears the infection and keeps your natural tooth for decades more.
Clinical content reviewed by Dr. Mahvash Emami, DDS, implantology specialist — 40 years in practice.
The most conservative fix there is
Dr. Emami's whole philosophy is preserving what's healthy — and nothing is more worth preserving than a natural tooth. Root canal therapy removes the infected nerve tissue inside the tooth, disinfects the canals, and seals them, leaving the tooth itself in service.
Comfort, taken seriously
The visit is unhurried: thorough numbing before anything starts, clear explanation of each step, and a doctor who has done this for 40 years. Most patients tell us afterward it was far easier than they feared — and that the relief was immediate.
And when a root canal isn't the answer
Some teeth aren't worth saving — too little structure left, a crack below the gum. When that's the honest reading, Dr. Emami will say so and walk you through the alternatives, including the $2,000 complete implant performed in the same office.
Root canal questions
- Does a root canal hurt?
- The procedure itself is done under local anesthesia and, for most patients, feels similar to getting a filling. The pain people associate with root canals is usually the infection beforehand — the treatment is what ends it.
- Why save the tooth instead of pulling it?
- Your natural tooth, even one that needed a root canal, preserves the bone around it and keeps your bite working the way it evolved to. Extraction is sometimes right — but it commits you to a gap, a bridge, or an implant. Saving a savable tooth is almost always the conservative choice.
- What are the signs I might need a root canal?
- Lingering pain to hot or cold, pain when biting, spontaneous throbbing, a darkening tooth, or a pimple-like bump on the gum. Any of these deserve an exam promptly — infections don't heal themselves.
- What happens after the root canal?
- The tooth is sealed and usually restored with a crown to protect it long-term. With a good restoration and healthy gums, a root-canal-treated tooth can last a lifetime.
That tooth won't fix itself
Lingering pain means something. Call (818) 353-5520 and get an honest answer.