Few things in life make someone’s hair stand up like the words “root canal”. This common dental procedure has earned a reputation for its pain and discomfort. Movies and TV shows have painted a picture in the mind of most people that this procedure will be incredibly hard to get through. In addition to popular media imagery, most people know someone who has described the procedure in terms of pain and discomfort. Although this perception of the procedure may have been true in the past, the advancements in technology may have significantly changed the root canal lansdowne, va experience.

What is the procedure?

This procedure is meant to save a tooth from extraction. When you develop a cavity, you run the risk of having the tooth becoming infected. If this happens, the pulp in the tooth, which is the living tissue at the tooth’s center, may become infected and begin to die. If caught early enough, this can be reversed. If it is left to long it will require this extensive procedure. Essentially what will happen is your dentist will remove the pulp from the interior of your tooth, clean the cavity, fill it, and then cap it. Once this is done, the tooth will be saved and you will eventually become pain free. The important thing to remember is, the sooner you address the issue, the less invasive it is.

Where does the pain come from?

Popular stories about the procedure would have you believe that the procedure itself is the cause of the pain. The reality is that the procedure is meant to relieve you of the pain. The pain, which can be excruciating sometimes, is caused by the infection in the cavity. The worse the infection, the more pain you will experience. The procedure itself is meant to clean out the infection and ultimately relieve the pain associated with it.

This is not to say that this procedure will not cause some discomfort. Any time you have extensive dental work done, you can expect soreness over the course of the next few days. Dentists are able to proscribe medicines to help with the pain though. Advancements in anesthesia and dental techniques have made it so that during the procedure, you should feel little if any pain. There will always be some discomfort, but patients today generally are able to deal with it.

Is it better to just remove the tooth?

A popular misconception related to the procedure is that it would just be easier and less painful to remove the tooth. This is actually false. Removing a tooth is a much greater shock on your body than filling the cavity. In almost all cases, the recovery time and discomfort are greater from extractions.

It is entirely understandable to be worried about the pain you will experience during a root canal. The most important thing to remember is that the whole idea of the procedure is to relieve pain and that the longer you wait to address the issue, the more painful it is. If you are truly worried, talk to your dentist.

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