Many people seem to have a phobia of dental care and the variety of procedures in which they believe that professional dental care will be painful. In reality, most dental visits are not nearly as painful as people fear. The truth is that the patient will feel more pain if he or she avoids seeking professional treatment. Regardless, there is one procedure that people seem to fear above the rest: the root canal.
The root canal is a crucial procedure for removing infected dental pulp from within a tooth. Beneath the outer shell of the tooth, known as the enamel, is the dentin and then the dental pulp. The dental pulp contains the blood vessels and nerves within each tooth. If the dental pulp becomes infected, then the patient will begin to experience incredible amounts of pain.
Thus, a root canal procedure is necessary to remove the dental pulp and ensure the infection has not spread to other areas of the mouth. In fact, a regular dentist may not be enough to treat the root canal and the patient may need to see an endodontist. An endodontist is a dentist who specializes in maintaining teeth by treating the soft inner tissue of the teeth.
People may even avoid seeking proper treatment due to believing these myths about root canals. There are several myths about root canals that people still believe. Below are the myths and the truths behind each of them.
The truth is that root canals are not painful like people believe. Most professional endodontists will use anesthesia to numb the area of the procedure and help the patient relax. Thanks to the anesthesia, the patient will not feel any pain during the procedure and the endodontist can proceed without issue.
Following the procedure, the patient may feel some level of soreness, but will be able to treat the soreness with pain killers or stronger medication the endodontist recommends.
Actually, a root canal will not prevent you from ever consuming your favorite foods again. With the root canal procedure, you will no longer feel pain since the procedure removes the nerve of the tooth. Once the endodontist covers the tooth back up, you will actually have less feeling within that tooth than before.
Immediately following the procedure, there may be a few days in which you need to eat carefully and avoid biting directly on hard foods with the tooth. However, after this period, you will be able to eat what you want when you want. While a dental crown that covers the tooth may require maintenance from time to time, you will be able to continue eating and living on your regular schedule.
This is false. In reality, we want to keep the natural teeth in the best shape possible and only recommend a complete extraction when it is completely necessary. Thus, an endodontist will use a root canal to remove the infected portion of the tooth and cover the tooth back up to ensure that the infection does not spread.
There is no reason to remove the entire tooth unless the infection consumes the tooth beyond repair and is spreading to other teeth. This is why we recommend that people seek treatment from an endodontist as soon as possible.
While some people may believe that root canals make you more susceptible to illnesses and disease, it is not true. There is no evidence that states this fact that professionals did not debunk. The truth is that you are more likely to get sick from leaving the infection in the tooth and not seeking a root canal procedure. If the infection is in an upper tooth and it spreads through the sinuses, a patient can die if he or she does not seek treatment.
With proper dental hygiene and regular checkups, we can help to keep your teeth healthy. In the case of a serious dental infection, an endodontist can help effectively remove the infection without having to remove the entire tooth.
While an endodontist may need two appointments, one to identify that a root canal is necessary and one to perform the root canal, a root canal will not require multiple visits. If the patient schedules an emergency appointment due to unbearable pain, then the endodontist will do everything possible to treat the tooth immediately.
If the patient needs more intensive endodontic surgery, then the endodontist will schedule a second appointment specifically for the surgery. It is understandable that people have busy schedules, but it will be extremely difficult to function each day with a dental infection.
Discover the passion and commitment that drives our dental team
Dr. Adam Kwiatkowski, a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry, has received multiple awards for his outstanding achievements in cosmetic and implant dentistry. He is a recipient of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists’ Pre-doctoral Student Achievement Award and a member of the Omicron Kappa Upsilon National Dental Honor Society.
Dr. Hearne, originally from Las Vegas, was inspired to become a dentist at the age of 12 by a close family friend who was a renowned dentist. With a foundation in customer service and excellence from his early career in the hotel industry, Dr. Hearne was further inspired to become a compassionate caregiver for his patients after the passing of his younger brother to cystic fibrosis at the age of 7.
I was born in Ogden, Utah and always knew I wanted to pursue a career in healthcare. After serving an LDS mission in South Africa and getting married, I studied biology at Weber State University and attended the prestigious Creighton University School of Dentistry in Omaha, Nebraska. There, I received multiple awards for clinical excellence before settling down in St. George with my family.
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