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
Example Sentences
I need to have a root canal.
Recent Examples on the Web Even with the additions, heading into any media negotiation is a less appealing proposition than a root canal. 
Kevin Reynolds, The Salt Lake Tribune, 15 July 2022 Larry’s checklist, obtained by Rolling Stone, would set in motion the daily protocol to grind down problem teeth to the point where a root canal was the go-to option, doctors and employees allege. Matt Sullivan, Rolling Stone, 2 July 2022 Just like regular cleanings are better than a root canal, a slow-and-steady approach is better than an all-at-once password apocalypse. Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2022 There are two kinds of people on this Earth: those who view the bathhouse as a place to charge their human battery and those who would rather have a root canal than bathe among strangers. Brennan Kilbane, Allure, 22 Mar. 2022 Remote learning won’t do for his courses, such as root canal treatment, which students learn on mannequin heads. Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2022 Understandably, for a dedicated runner, taking an unforced day off (or worse, a full week off), is about as enjoyable as a trip to the dentist for a root canal. Jeff Gaudette, Outside Online, 22 Nov. 2019 But late that July, Mr. Williams was shattered when his older sister, Tiffani Simone Williams, 25, to whom he was devoted, died suddenly in Atlanta from an infection after a root canal. New York Times, 7 Oct. 2021 For example, Smith, who played for the Houston Rockets, submitted claims for IV sedation, a root canal and crowns that he is alleged to have received during a Dec. 20, 2018, dental procedure in Beverly Hills, California, prosecutors said. NBC News, 7 Oct. 2021 See More
Kevin Reynolds, The Salt Lake Tribune, 15 July 2022 Larry’s checklist, obtained by Rolling Stone, would set in motion the daily protocol to grind down problem teeth to the point where a root canal was the go-to option, doctors and employees allege. Matt Sullivan, Rolling Stone, 2 July 2022 Just like regular cleanings are better than a root canal, a slow-and-steady approach is better than an all-at-once password apocalypse. Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2022 There are two kinds of people on this Earth: those who view the bathhouse as a place to charge their human battery and those who would rather have a root canal than bathe among strangers. Brennan Kilbane, Allure, 22 Mar. 2022 Remote learning won’t do for his courses, such as root canal treatment, which students learn on mannequin heads. Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2022 Understandably, for a dedicated runner, taking an unforced day off (or worse, a full week off), is about as enjoyable as a trip to the dentist for a root canal. Jeff Gaudette, Outside Online, 22 Nov. 2019 But late that July, Mr. Williams was shattered when his older sister, Tiffani Simone Williams, 25, to whom he was devoted, died suddenly in Atlanta from an infection after a root canal. New York Times, 7 Oct. 2021 For example, Smith, who played for the Houston Rockets, submitted claims for IV sedation, a root canal and crowns that he is alleged to have received during a Dec. 20, 2018, dental procedure in Beverly Hills, California, prosecutors said. NBC News, 7 Oct. 2021 See More Word History
First Known Use
1864, in the meaning defined above
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)