If your tooth’s pulp becomes infected or the interior of your teeth becomes otherwise damaged or diseased, your general dentist will probably refer you to a dental specialist called an endodontist. Like unassuming superheroes, endodontists specialize in saving your teeth.

Inside our teeth are tiny cavern-like passages called canals that contain sensitive pulp, blood vessels, and nerves. An endodontist is a type of dentist who diagnoses and treats problems within this sensitive interior. Endodontists diagnose tooth pain and, in many cases, perform root canals on diseased teeth.