Tampal gigi rosak itu; kalau tidak, rawatan salur akar gigi diperlukan.

Yes. Tampal here is an imperative form, so it means Fill/Patch it or more naturally in dental English, Get that tooth filled.

In Malay, commands often use the bare verb without a subject:

• Tampal gigi rosak itu. = Fill that damaged tooth.
• The subject you is understood.

Because the sentence sounds like advice or instruction, English may translate it more naturally as:

• Fill that damaged tooth
• Get that damaged tooth treated with a filling

Literally, tampal means to stick on, to patch, or to paste. In medical or dental context, it can mean to fill a tooth.

So in this sentence:

• tampal gigi = fill a tooth

It is not about sticking something onto a tooth in a general sense; it specifically refers to a dental filling.

Related forms:

• menampal = to patch/fill
• tampalan = a filling, a patch

Malay noun phrases usually follow this order:

noun + description + demonstrative

So:

• gigi = tooth
• rosak = damaged
• itu = that

Together:

• gigi rosak itu = that damaged tooth

This is a very common Malay pattern:

• rumah besar itu = that big house
• kereta merah itu = that red car
• budak kecil itu = that small child

So itu normally comes at the end of the noun phrase, not before the noun as in English.

It can mean either tooth or teeth, because Malay nouns usually do not change form for singular and plural.

In this sentence, gigi is understood as tooth because:

• itu points to a specific one
• the context suggests a single damaged tooth

So:

• gigi = tooth/teeth
• gigi rosak itu = that damaged tooth

If the meaning were plural, context would usually make that clear.

Because adjectives in Malay usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• gigi rosak = damaged tooth
• literally: tooth damaged

Other examples:

• buku baru = new book
• rumah cantik = beautiful house
• air panas = hot water

This is one of the basic word-order differences between Malay and English.

Yes, gigi yang rosak itu is also possible.

Compare:

• gigi rosak itu = that damaged tooth
• gigi yang rosak itu = that tooth which is damaged / that damaged tooth

In many simple noun + adjective phrases, yang is not needed:

• rumah besar itu
• kereta lama itu
• gigi rosak itu

Using yang can sound a bit more explicit or descriptive, but leaving it out is very normal and natural here.

Kalau tidak means if not or otherwise.

In this sentence:

• Tampal gigi rosak itu; kalau tidak... = Fill that damaged tooth; otherwise...

It introduces the consequence of not doing the first action.

Similar expressions:

• jika tidak = if not, otherwise
• kalau tak = spoken/informal version of kalau tidak

So kalau tidak is a very common way to say otherwise in Malay.

This means root canal treatment.

Breakdown:

• rawatan = treatment
• salur = canal/tube/channel
• akar gigi = tooth root

So:

• salur akar gigi = the root canal of a tooth
• rawatan salur akar gigi = root canal treatment

Malay often builds long noun phrases by putting nouns together:

• rawatan
  • salur akar gigi

Even if the phrase feels long in English terms, it is normal in Malay.

In Malay, the thing being described usually comes first, and the describing noun comes after it.

So:

• akar gigi = root of the tooth / tooth root
• literally: root tooth

This is the normal Malay pattern for noun relationships:

• pintu rumah = house door
• bilik tidur = sleeping room / bedroom
• akar gigi = tooth root

So salur akar gigi is built step by step:

• akar gigi = tooth root
• salur akar gigi = root canal

Diperlukan means is needed or is required.

It comes from:

• perlu = need, necessary
• diperlukan = to be needed / to be required

The prefix di- often marks the passive in Malay.
So here:

• rawatan salur akar gigi diperlukan = root canal treatment is required

This is a formal, standard way to say it.

You can think of it like this:

• active idea: someone requires something
• passive form: something is required

In medical or official language, diperlukan is very common.

Malay often uses the passive when the important thing is the treatment itself, not the person deciding it.

So:

• rawatan salur akar gigi diperlukan focuses on root canal treatment being necessary

An active version would need an agent or a different structure, for example:

• doktor akan memerlukan rawatan salur akar gigi
  But that changes the meaning and sounds less natural here.

The passive is better because the sentence is talking about the likely medical outcome:

• otherwise, root canal treatment will be needed

It is fairly standard and a bit formal/medical, especially because of:

• rawatan
• diperlukan

In everyday speech, someone might say something simpler, such as:

• Tampal gigi tu, kalau tak nanti kena buat rawatan akar. This sounds more conversational.

The original sentence is natural, but it has the tone of:

• advice from a dentist
• a written notice
• health information

The semicolon is not grammatically essential; it simply links two closely related ideas:

1. Tampal gigi rosak itu
2. kalau tidak, rawatan salur akar gigi diperlukan

You could also write:

• Tampal gigi rosak itu. Kalau tidak, rawatan salur akar gigi diperlukan.

The meaning stays the same. The semicolon just makes the connection slightly tighter, like:

• Do this; otherwise, that will happen.

A very natural English rendering would be:

• Fill that damaged tooth; otherwise, a root canal will be needed.
• Get that damaged tooth filled, or else root canal treatment will be required.

Even though the exact Malay words are important for learning, the natural English equivalent is usually smoother than a word-for-word translation.