01
The dark halo
A radiolucency — a dark area — around a root tip is bone that has been dissolved by infection. It is the clearest sign that the pulp inside the tooth has died.
Our Smile Gallery
Teeth we were able to save.
Endodontic results are not photographed — they are radiographed. Drag the slider on each case to compare the film taken on the day the patient arrived with the film taken after treatment and healing.
Selected Cases
Before, and after healing
The dark shadow at a root tip is infected bone. Watching it fill back in is how we measure success — which is why we review every case at six months and again at a year.
Before
After
Lower molar, single visit
An abscess at the root tip, treated in one ninety-minute appointment. The film on the right was taken twelve months later — the bone has completely filled back in.
Before
After
Re-treatment, missed canal
The original treatment stopped well short and a third canal had never been found. Under the microscope it took minutes to locate. Symptoms resolved within a fortnight.
Before
After
Microsurgery under a post
A cemented post meant the canal could not be reopened without wrecking the crown. The root tip was treated surgically instead and the restoration was left untouched.
Cases shown are representative illustrations of the treatment types we perform, drawn
from typical presentations. Individual results depend on the tooth, the diagnosis and how
long the problem has been present.
Reading a Radiograph
What we are actually looking at
Once you know what the shapes mean, your own x-rays become a great deal less mysterious.
02
The bright lines
Filling material is dense, so it appears bright white. Following those lines tells us whether every canal was treated, and whether each one reached the end of the root.
03
The grey that returns
Healing looks like the dark halo gradually filling with normal bone texture. It is slow — six to twelve months is typical — and it is the only proof that treatment worked.
Bring your x-rays with you
Or have your dentist send them ahead — we will review them before your appointment.