When you hear the words “root canal treatment”, it might stoke feelings of anxiety—even if you don’t need one! There are probably no other dental treatments with the same reputation as root canal treatments. But forget what you think you know—most of the ‘facts’ about this procedure are no more than myths or exaggerations.
Root canal treatments remove infection deep inside your tooth and help you preserve it. You’ll probably know you need a root canal treatment because the infection is often very uncomfortable.
So, how painful is a root canal treatment? What’s true, and what’s a myth? And why do people think root canals are so bad?
In this article, we’ll dismantle seven of the most common but unhelpful root canal treatment myths.
When you come to see us for root canal treatment, you’re likely to be in pain. When your tooth becomes infected, it causes intense throbbing pain.
This pain is caused by inflammation of the infected tissue inside your tooth. The inflamed tissue presses against the nerve endings inside your tooth, making the pain almost unbearable.
Pain from dental infections often stops you from eating, sleeping, working, and enjoying life.
It’s usually this pain that people associate with root canal treatments. You’ll get an anaesthetic before your procedure to manage discomfort. Once your anaesthetic wears off, the toothache will have subsided.
Some people get confused about the name of the treatment and assume we’ll remove the tooth’s root. We don’t.
A root canal is a channel inside a tooth’s root containing living tissue. This living tissue extends into the heart of the tooth in an area called the ‘pulp chamber’ Some teeth have up to four root canals.
We remove the infected matter from inside the pulp chamber and root canal, but the entire tooth remains intact. Once we’ve sanitised the inside of your tooth, we’ll fill and close it.
Dental extractions are only seen as a last resort. If we can save your tooth using a root canal treatment, we will do so, as this is the better option.
Removing teeth is often a shorter procedure, but it leaves you with a gap and the risk of further complications. Gaps affect the aesthetics of your smile, impact your ability to chew, and could lead to an increased risk of gum disease, cavities, and neighbouring teeth sliding out of position.
You may assume you’ll need to take an entire day out of your normal routine for the root canal procedure, but you won’t. Modern techniques mean the procedure isn’t very long, meaning you can go about your day as usual once you’re done.
Although we remove the infected tissue inside your tooth, it doesn’t kill it. Your tooth will function normally without this tissue.
Root canal treatments have a high success rate. People only share stories about things when they go wrong, but we’ve performed countless effective root canal treatments and continue adding to these numbers every week.
You may have heard people telling you they needed more treatments after their root canal treatment or the infection returned.
Antibiotics are occasionally used to fight any lingering infection, and we recommend returning to have a crown fitted to protect your tooth. But root canal treatments are permanent.
We can advise you on any lifestyle or hygiene routine changes you may need to make to prevent future oral health problems.
Many of the things people believe about root canal treatments are myths or exaggerations. In addition, we use the best, clinically proven methods and tools for effective outcomes and improved comfort.
If you’re experiencing toothache, don’t delay. Contact us to make your appointment today.
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