root canal

noun

: the part of the pulp cavity lying in the root of a tooth

also : a dental operation to save a tooth by removing the contents of its root canal and filling the cavity with a protective substance

Examples of root canal in a Sentence

I need to have a root canal.

Recent Examples on the Web

While there’s nothing like feeling settled in your new home, the physical act of packing all your stuff (sorting, tossing, and organizing it in boxes) and then unpacking it in another residence ranks somewhere between a root canal and filing taxes. —Perri Ormont Blumberg, Architectural Digest, 3 Jan. 2025

One person is in charge of a root canal, someone else is setting the broken foot, another person is working on a displaced shoulder, and still another is getting rid of a gallstone. —Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024

The Pennsylvania mom needed root canals and crowns for two molars to get rid of the pain-triggering infection. —Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 22 Sep. 2024

While general dentists typically perform preventive care and routine dental procedures, endodontists focus on tooth-saving diagnoses and treatments, including root canals and other surgeries. —Cristina Mutchler, Health, 5 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

root canal

noun

: the space in the root of a tooth that contains soft sensitive tissue

also : a dental procedure to save a tooth by removing this tissue when diseased or injured and filling the space with a protective material

Medical Definition

root canal

noun

1

: the part of the pulp cavity lying in the root of a tooth

called also pulp canal

2

: a dental operation to save a tooth by removing the contents of its root canal and filling the cavity with a protective substance (as gutta-percha)