Endodontics is a branch of dentistry that specializes in the prevention and treatment of diseases of the root pulp and related structures–dental pulp, root canal, blood vessels, and nerves. Dental pulp supplies blood to a tooth and allows you to feel sensations such as temperature.

Endodontists are dentists who focus on disorders of the dental pulp and specialize in treatments such as root canals to save teeth. While a general dentist may perform simple root canals on single root teeth, an endodontist specializes in root canals on teeth with more than one canal, such as molars, or teeth with narrow or blocked canals or unusual anatomy. Because they limit their practices to endodontics, they treat these types of problems every day. An endodontist may use advanced technology including operating microscopes, ultrasonics, and digital imagining.

Endodontics is a recognized American Dental Association specialty of dentistry and requires at least two additional years of advanced specialty education in diagnosis and root canal treatment. A root canal is a dental procedure to remove dead or dying nerve tissue (root pulp) and bacteria from inside a tooth. Once an affected tooth's canals are sufficiently cleansed and shaped, they are filled with materials designed to prevent pain and infection from recurring. Once the tooth is filled, a permanent crown may be placed on top.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. The United States has 3,546 practicing endodontists. Broken out by state, endodontics doctor density in Alabama is 54, in Alaska is 8, in Arizona is 107, in Arkansas is 21, in California is 619, in Colorado is 84, in Connecticut is 70, in Delaware is 11, in District of Columbia is 18, in Florida is 300, in Georgia is 84, in Hawaii is 13, in Idaho is 20, in Illinois is 153, in Indiana is 72, in Iowa is 31, in Kansas is 28, in Kentucky is 35, in Louisiana is 42, in Maine is 12, in Maryland is 105, in Massachusetts is 192, in Michigan is 134, in Minnesota is 70, in Mississippi is 17, in Missouri is 53, in Montana is 6, in Nebraska is 21, in Nevada is 35, in New Hampshire is 30, in New Jersey is 173, in New Mexico is 22, in New York is 328, in North Carolina is 107, in North Dakota is 6, in Ohio is 134, in Oklahoma is 36, in Oregon is 75, in Pennsylvania is 167, in Rhode Island is 14, in South Carolina is 48, in South Dakota is 8, in Tennessee is 57, in Texas is 209, in Utah is 40, in Vermont is 6, in Virginia is 102, in Washington is 134, in West Virginia is 20, in Wisconsin is 57, and in Wyoming is 3.