Root Canals and Pain: Is It as Bad as You’re Imagining?
For many people, the idea of a root canal immediately brings up fear. Most people don’t know the specifics of the procedure, but they often associate root canal therapy with pain. The truth is that a root canal can feel uncomfortable, it’s not as painful as you’ve heard. Learn more about the process of a root canal and then reach out to California Dental Group at (800) 407-0161 to make an appointment for gentle dental care.
Root canals actually get rid of pain
Though many people associate a root control with causing pain, the truth is that it actually gets rid of pain. In fact, that’s why many people think root canal and immediately think pain – because many people wait until their tooth is abscessed and they’re in extreme pain to get the root canal procedure. Those who get it before significant symptoms are present generally report little to no pain. They make an appointment for their root canal, get it done, and are back to their regular lives the next day.
A root canal gets rid of damaged tissue
Often when a person has a persistent and painful toothache, it’s due to damaged tissue inside the tooth. A root canal can remove that damaged tissue and get rid of pain. There are other reasons a person may need a root canal, from a cavity that’s gone untreated and become infected, to a direct injury to a tooth, to a chipped or cracked tooth, or needing a number of dental procedures on the same tooth.
When the damaged tissue is removed, most patients will immediately feel relief from the toothache they’d been experiencing.
The root canal process has improved in the last decade
Today’s root canal therapy is significantly different than it was just ten years ago. Today it causes little pain, is generally pretty quick, and is an easy thing to accomplish. Millions of people get root canals yearly. In some instances, the root canal will get rid of pain, in others it will prevent a person from having to have their tooth pulled.
What to expect after a root canal
It’s likely that there will be slight discomfort after a root canal. That said, it’s typically much less than what’s been experienced with the toothache. The gum could be sore, the tooth might be sore, and there could be some minor swelling. In most cases, over the counter pain medication is enough to handle the discomfort.
Generally, we’ll follow up with our clients with x-rays to ensure the infection is entirely gone. If there are still feelings of discomfort or pain, we can deal with them but this is a very rare situation. Root canals are not actually the root of pain most of the time, but are instead the solution to it.
If you’ve had tooth pain or discomfort and want to say goodbye to it for good, then you need to make an appointment with your local dentist. Reach out to California Dental Group at (800) 407-0161 to get started.
