How Long Does a Root Canal Actually Take?

“How long will I be in the chair?” is the question we answer most often before a root canal. Short version: one appointment of 60–90 minutes for most teeth, rarely two if the infection is severe.

What the appointment actually involves

Visit 1 — 45 to 90 minutes

1. Local anaesthetic (5 min). We numb the tooth thoroughly. No part of the procedure should hurt.
2. Rubber dam placement (3 min). A small sheet isolates the tooth — protects your throat and keeps everything sterile.
3. Access opening (5 min). A tiny hole through the top of the tooth to reach the pulp chamber.
4. Cleaning & shaping (20–40 min). Fine rotary files remove the infected pulp and shape the canals.
5. Disinfection (10 min). Sodium hypochlorite flushes out bacteria.
6. Filling the canals (15 min). Biocompatible gutta-percha seals the cleaned canals.
7. Temporary filling (5 min) if the tooth needs more healing, or permanent build-up and crown prep in a single visit.

Single-visit vs two-visit — which suits you?

At Dantam Dental Solutions we do single-visit root canals for about 70% of cases. Two appointments are sometimes better when:

• The tooth has a large abscess and needs antibiotic dressing between visits
• You’re unwell or fatigued
• The case is a retreatment (redoing a previous RCT)

Single-visit doesn’t mean rushed. It just means we have the technology — rotary endodontic instruments, apex locators, advanced irrigation — to complete the job safely in one sitting for most teeth.

After the appointment

• Numbness wears off in 2–3 hours — be careful not to bite your cheek.
• Mild tenderness for 2–4 days is normal.
• Avoid chewing on that side until the crown is fitted (usually 1–2 weeks later).
• The tooth should feel completely normal within a week.

Total time investment

Including the crown, plan for about 2 short visits in Roorkee across 2–3 weeks, roughly 3 hours of chair time total. Compared to losing the tooth, it’s an excellent trade.