Planned Service · Opening Early 2027

Root Canal Therapy in Merrick, NY

Root canal therapy is the treatment that relieves tooth pain and saves an infected or damaged tooth. It is the core planned service at Merrick Endodontics, the endodontic specialty practice in development in Merrick, NY, opening early 2027.

What is root canal therapy?

Inside every tooth is a soft tissue called the pulp, containing nerves and blood vessels. When the pulp becomes inflamed or infected — most often from deep decay, a crack, repeated dental work, or an injury — it cannot heal on its own. Root canal therapy (also called endodontic therapy) treats the problem from inside the tooth: the damaged pulp is removed, the root canal system is carefully cleaned, shaped, and disinfected, and the space is sealed. The natural tooth remains in place, and the pain resolves.

Signs a tooth may need a root canal

• Pain that lingers after hot or cold, or sensitivity that wakes you at night
• Pain when biting or chewing, or tenderness when the tooth is touched
• A pimple-like bump or swelling on the gum near a tooth
• A tooth that has darkened after an injury
• Deep decay or a crack that reaches toward the pulp

Some infected teeth cause no pain at all and are found on an X-ray. Our education guide covers these in more depth: signs you may need a root canal.

What treatment is like

Modern root canal therapy at a specialty practice is planned around comfort and precision. The tooth is fully numbed first. Working under a dental operating microscope, the specialist opens the tooth, removes the infected tissue, and disinfects the canals — including the fine branches and curves that are invisible to the naked eye. The canals are then sealed, and in most cases a temporary or permanent filling protects the tooth until the general dentist places the final restoration, usually a crown. Many single-rooted teeth are completed in one visit; molars and complex cases may take one or two.

Why a specialist for a root canal?

Endodontists complete two to three additional years of specialty training devoted entirely to root canal treatment and the diagnosis of tooth pain, and they treat complex anatomy, calcified canals, and curved roots every day. Combined with microscope magnification and 3D CBCT imaging, that focus is designed to make treatment more precise and more comfortable — and to give each tooth its best chance of long-term survival. Read more about what an endodontist does.

Root canal or extraction?

Patients sometimes wonder whether it is simpler to remove the tooth. In most cases, saving the natural tooth is the better long-term choice when it can be predictably done. Our article on root canal or extraction explains how that decision is made, and our guide to root canal cost on Long Island explains what affects fees.

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Frequently asked questions