I knew as soon as I posted that I had messed up some specifics...

(1) your tooth isn't pulled in a normal root canal - the dentist/endodontist drills a hole through the crown and works that way.

(2) It's the pulp that is infected and causes problems, not usually the roots although they can subsequently get diseased, too.

Best to take a look at the American Dental Association's website:

http://www.ada.org/public/faq/root.html

Sorry for my bad gouge.