Possibly the most misunderstood of all dental procedures, root canal therapy is an extremely safe, relatively painless form of treatment. Each of your teeth contains a long, thin strand of pulp that extends down into the root of the tooth. When this pulp becomes infected or inflamed, the result is often excruciating tooth pain and, over time, the death of the tooth. Root canal therapy involves the removal of this affected pulp through a gap in the tooth’s natural crown. Once this pulp is removed, the root canal is filled and the tooth is sealed with a porcelain crown. One of the primary advantages of root canal therapy is that it allows you to preserve most of your natural tooth, which is preferable to its extraction.