After administering an X-ray to learn more about the shape of your root canals, your dentist will numb the damaged area of your mouth with local anesthesia. He will use a dental dam to separate your damaged tooth from the others. He will then drill a small access hole into the tooth so that he can clean it out. He will use root canal files to gently clean out the pulp and bacteria from your root canals. After the inside of the tooth is clean, your dentist will seal the tooth with a rubber compound. He will also fill the tooth with a regular tooth-colored filling.