Root Canal Myths and Realities

Root canals have, unfortunately, gotten a bad reputation over the years. Root canals are one of the oldest dental procedure, and research related to root canals dates back over two hundred years. The dental pulp was actually identified fifty years before the American Revolution! Luckily, as time has progressed, root canal procedures, techniques, technology, and advancements have made root canals a much less stressful process than before. Nowadays, root canal specialists (Endodontists) can perform the procedure in a virtually painless way. In fact, root canals are now one of the most common dental procedures, with over 15 million root canals being performed every year by general dentists and Endodontists alike. Even with all of these advancements, there are still some misconceptions regarding root canals. Avoiding root canal treatment in favor of tooth extraction or a wait and see approach should be avoiding at all costs in favor of saving your natural tooth.

Here are some common myths and misconceptions about root canals:

The first myth about root canals is that they have to be painful. This is definitely not the case! Sometimes, when a patient first discovered they need a root canal, they are having pain with the tooth. But it is also true that 40% of root canal cases present to our office without any pain or symptoms to start out with. The procedure for a root canal is actually quite painless. Especially with our modern anesthetics, and the developments in supplemental anesthesia, an Endodontist can do a root canal in about an hour without the patient experiencing any pain. Even the angriest of teeth can be effectively numbed using a special injection called an intra-osseous injection. This allows for patients to be comfortable for their entire procedure. Endodontists are experts in pain management, and because they see so many root canals a year, they are fast and efficient at treating these teeth and relieving pain for their patients. While root canal specialists may not be able to prevent you needing a root canal in the first place, they are definitely able to prevent you from having pain during the procedure. Another long-standing and false myth is that root canal treatment causes illness in other parts of the body. Nothing could be further from the truth! Untreated root canal infections can cause severe pain, swelling, and tissue damage, and much like any problem in the body, it should be treated before it gets worse! Dental issues are especially easy to fix nowadays, and a root canal can prevent future infection and illness by removing the damaged nerve and stopping the infection process. Root canal treated teeth are not linked to any disease elsewhere in the body. Any claims that root canals cause illness is based on poorly designed research that was done over a century ago, before science had a full understanding of how medicine, dentistry, and the human body worked. Back then, it was also believed that toothaches came from a little worm inside the tooth that got upset! We have come a long way in understanding dental disease and we now know for certain that root canals are a wonderful treatment option for a toothache and can restore a smile for a long time. A final myth about root canals is that it is better to have a tooth pulled or extracted than to have a root canal completed. Some patients, speaking out of fear, think erroneously that a root canal is too difficult a procedure and too hard of a process, and it would be easier to pull the tooth. This is definitely not true. Root canals, done by a professional, take only about an hour to complete, much like any other dental procedure. Saving your natural teeth is always preferable, because while many replacement options are available, there is nothing artificial that can perfectly replace the look or function of a natural tooth. Not only that, but a root canal is a truly immediate fix for a tooth – for most patients, recovery is complete within hours after the procedure. Root canal treatment has a very high success rate and many root canal treated teeth will last a lifetime. Replacing a tooth with a bridge or an implant, while excellent options for already missing teeth, should be a treatment of last resort. Nothing is better than natural teeth, and root canals can easily facilitate that. Hopefully debunking these myths has shed some light on the reliability and ease of a root canal and how teeth can easily be saved in a relatively painless and minimally invasive way. As a patient, if you ever have questions about root canals, or are in need of a root canal, seek out an Endodontist to help answer your questions and offer you the best possible care. You will never regret saving your own tooth for many years to come.