Question: What is endodontics and when would I see an endodontist?
Explanation: Endodontics is the dental specialty focused on the inside of the tooth — the pulp (nerve and blood vessels) and the tissues around the root. Its signature procedure is root canal treatment, but the field covers diagnosing tooth pain, treating traumatized teeth, retreating failed root canals, and performing root-end surgery (apicoectomy). An endodontist is a dentist with two-plus additional years of specialty training who handles complex cases: curved or blocked canals, hard-to-diagnose pain, retreatments, and cracked teeth. Your general dentist may perform routine root canals and refer challenging ones — endodontists use operating microscopes and 3D imaging to save teeth that once would have been extracted.
Related Questions:
Do endodontists only do root canals? Mostly, but they also diagnose complex pain, treat dental trauma, perform root-end surgeries, and do internal bleaching of darkened teeth.
Why was I referred to an endodontist instead of my dentist doing it? Usually complexity — curved canals, calcified anatomy, retreatment of a previous root canal, or an uncertain diagnosis.
Is a root canal by a specialist more successful? For complex cases, specialist treatment with a microscope measurably improves outcomes; routine cases do well in general practice too.