Career Profile: Endodontists

What do endodontists do? Endodontics is a speciality within dentistry involving the dental pulp- the area underneath the enamel and dentin and which houses the root (nerve.) Less than 3% of dentists are endodontists.

An endodontist's main role is root canal treatment, usually required because of inflamed or infected pupal tissue. Root canal treatment involves removing damaged and infected pulp, shaping and cleaning the canal and finally filling and sealing it.

Endodontists complete an average of 25 root canal treatments per week while general dentists normally do 2.

Skills of endodontists

Being an endodontist requires great manual dexterity since they often work with a singular tooth and its root canal- which is even smaller than a tooth. Endodontists alsovery often use magnification devices and precision instruments.

Training

To become an endodontist usually an additional 2 or 3 years of training beyond dental school is required.