3 Root Canal Myths – Busted!

By: admin | Monday, June 15th, 2015 | Root Canal

Monday, June 15th, 2015

Patients are often afraid of root canals. But if you don’t want to lose your tooth, a root canal is a great option for you. Here are the most common root canal myths debunked to help you make a more informed decision.

1. Root canals cause more pain than the original tooth pain.

While root canals aren’t entirely without discomfort, it’s a one-time procedure. You might have to go back for a checkup, but most of the time, the pain is over with very quickly. Compare that to a decayed tooth that can ache for days, weeks, or even months!

Need reassurance about the pain? Here are three great points to ease your mind:

– With current medicine and technology, root canals are relatively painless
– Sedation is available for root canal procedures
– Root canals are designed to relieve the pain of a decayed tooth

The myth of root canals being painful stems from an era of dentistry when anesthetics were not available and dental tools were unrefined. Root canal methods have improved greatly.

2. No pain? I don’t need a root canal!

Your dentist may recommend a root canal even if you haven’t been experiencing any significant pain. Just because you don’t feel anything doesn’t mean that your tooth is healthy! You might need a root canal if:

– Your tooth’s nerve and pulp have become infected due to decay
– Your tooth has been worked on extensively
– Your tooth has large or deep fillings
– Your tooth is chipped or cracked

Leaving a damaged tooth untreated can lead to even more severe damage, which may result in an extraction. Which leads to the next myth…

3. Extracting the tooth can spare you the hassle of having a root canal.

So your tooth’s gone bad. While you could save it with a root canal, you may as well just pull the tooth and get it over with. Right?

Not even close.

While current technology continues to move forward, there’s no artificial tooth that can perfectly replace a natural tooth. Extracting your tooth means:

– You’ll be paying more money
– You’ll have a longer recovery time
– You’ll have to be more cautious when eating
– You’ll have to adjust your neighboring teeth

Dental professionals , as a general rule, always try to save your natural tooth. It’s less expensive for you, both in terms of time and money. Plus, you get to keep what you were born with – natural teeth are the very best at what they do.

Hopefully you have a better understanding of why root canals aren’t so bad. If you need a root canal, call us to schedule an appointment!