Patients are usually terrified by the term ‘root canal.’ Your dentist often recommends root canals when your teeth are severely damaged, infected, or have cavities.
Some people fear the cost and pain associated with a root canal. In reality, they are not as painful and scary as they are infamous for. Root canal treatment is used to save a tooth that is badly infected. The process involves removing the pulp, cleaning and sealing the inside of the tooth. The tooth is then restored with a filling or crown.
A Simple Procedure
If anxiety stirs your fears, then becoming familiar with the root canal procedure will make you comfortable during the procedure. Understanding what is going to happen with your teeth will calm all your hesitations.
All patients are provided a local anesthetic so they cannot feel anything in their mouth. In order to keep their teeth dry and clean, they are given a rubber dental dam in the procedure. The root canal specialist drills a hole through the tooth to treat the infected pulp at its core.
As a patient is under anesthesia, he does not feel anything that’s going on inside his mouth.
A suction tool is a powerful vacuum that captures diseased pulp and bacteria-laden fluids.
Once the specialist removes the infected pulp, he then places a material known as gutta-percha to support the tooth and prevent bacteria. A crown or a filling is commonly used in place of gutta percha.
It doesn’t hurt
Forget about all the myths surrounding dreadfully painful root canal procedures. Don’t delay your root canal appointment simply because you fear pain. People report that their experience was less painful as they thought it would be. Thanks to modern anesthetics, you are only going to feel some discomfort.
After, the procedure you are likely to experience minor aches and sensitivity. However, all such issues should settle in a couple of weeks. Common pain killers are recommended to ease the pain.
When the root canal is finished, it is typical to feel some tenderness in your jaw. These are only temporary symptoms and will subside with time and medication.
What to Know About Post Care Treatment
Here are a few tips about the things you should not do after a root canal treatment.
- Don’t eat until the numbness wears off as eating because can make you bite down on your cheek or tongue.
- Do not chew with your treated tooth until it is restored.
- Maintain a normal routine of flossing and brushing.
Contact your root canal specialist immediately, if you undergo an allergic reaction or abnormal swelling.
Final Thoughts
It is important to keep in mind that the root canal process does not cause pain. It is your infected tooth that hurts. Root canal is one of the best treatments to choose when your pulp (comprising of blood vessels and nerves) is severely damaged. You should not fear the process as it helps to save and restore your tooth.