Root canal
Root canal can refer to the hollow area at the center of a tooth. It can also refer to a treatment (also known as endodontic treatment) in dentistry used to cure an infection of the root canal.
At the center of a tooth is a hollow area that houses soft tissue, known as pulp. It is here that the root of the tooth is located - hence, the term "root canal". Occasionally, a cavity on the outside of the tooth may allow this soft tissue to become infected. If left untreated, the infection can kill the root and cause the tooth to fall out. The infection and inflammation is very painful in most cases, so treatment usually takes place before this happens.
To cure the infection and save the tooth, it is necessary for the dentist to cut into the root canal, and remove the infected pulp by scraping it out. Once that is done, the dentist fills the cavity with inert material and seals up the opening. This procedure is known as a root canal. If enough of the tooth is removed as a result of the treatment, a crown may be required.
Contrary to popular belief, root canal treatment is often painless due to the fact that the pain sensing nerve in the tooth is removed.
As a derivative of the medical term, root canal is also used in computer engineering to refer to the process of rebuilding a computer system from scratch in an attempt to solve a serious problem which cannot be addressed at a higher level.
