“I’d rather have a root canal than be married to you” – one of the many sayings associated with root canals, but is the bad rap fair?
What is a Root Canal Treatment?
A root canal treatment is a root filling. It may be necessary to have the filling if decay affects the nerve inside your tooth or if you’ve broken your tooth and this causes infection to spread to the root. Left untreated, this can lead to a dental abcess and tooth loss.
First, the dentist will clean out the canal, removing any infection. Then he will enlarge the canal so that it is easier to fill. Once prepared, he can add the filling material that will hold the tooth in place. As the tooth will then be more susceptible to damage, he might suggest having a crown fitted too.
Pain Management
Your comfort is a priority during root canal treatment. You will be given a local anesthetic to numb your teeth before dental surgery commences. Your surgeon can also give you sedation if you are very nervous. In Mesa, AZ dental experts specialize in calming the most phobic patients.
However, if your tooth has died due to decay you may not require any pain relief.
Root Canal Treatment Reduces Pain
You could have slight soreness in the area after the procedure and it may be uncomfortable to open your jaw for a few days while you are healing, but this can be remedied by using over-the-counter pain medications until you recover. This is minor, however, compared with root abcess pain and people have a reduction in pain after their treatment.
The purpose of the operation is to stop infection and relieve pain, so don’t suffer in silence. Speak to your dental health advisor.
