26 Aug Common Myths of a Root Canal
A root canal is a common dental procedure. You may not understand or have questions about root canals. Here are some common myths you need to know about having a root canal done.
Myth #1 – The Treatment Is Painful
In the past, a root canal was considered to be a painful procedure. Modern dentistry uses anesthetics and technology to reduce pain when having dental procedures performed. When the dentist prepares the mouth for a root canal, they remove the damaged tissue. This tissue would have caused the patient a lot of pain prior to having the root canal done.
Once the dentist prepares to tooth for the root canal, the pain will go away because the dentist removes the pulp. If there is any pain associated with the tooth, the dentist can offer medications for pain management. Any root canal pain is usually quite minimal and will go away within a couple of days.
For most patients, they won’t experience any pain at all during a root canal procedure. It is only the preparation stage for the root canal where pain may be present as the dentist has to remove the infected pulp.
Myth #2 – The Procedure Cause Illness
Some people indicate that when you have a root canal done, you might get a disease later on or some sort of illness. This is a myth and a false claim. You are not going to be more susceptible to various diseases simply because you had a root canal procedure done.
There is no evidence to support linking root canals to diseases in other places of your body. Once you have a root canal done, you can continue on as normal, and you don’t have to worry about an increased risk of various diseases.
Myth #3 – Pulling the Tooth is Better
A root canal is done so that the truth can be saved. A dentist will always try to save your natural tooth. The dentist wants to save the tooth because you need your tooth for chewing and because missing teeth are aesthetically unpleasant. Only in the most severe cases will the dentist pull the tooth. If no other option is available, then the tooth is going to be pulled.
The teeth that are usually pulled and not given a root canal are the wisdom teeth. They go far back in the mouth and are difficult to treat. Most other teeth will undergo some sort of root canal to save the tooth. A root canal has a very high success rate, and most will last a lifetime. If the problem is severe other treatments such as a bridge or an implant may be done instead of a root canal.
Myth #4 – You Need Many Dental Visits
Some people seem to think that a root canal procedure is a difficult one. Most root canal procedures are done in one or two appointments. The dentist first has to decide whether or not the root canal is going to be the right solution for the patient.
The infected or damaged pulp has to be removed from the tooth and then the root canal procedure and begin. If the tooth is seriously damaged, then the dentist might refer the patient to a specialist to have the root canal done with them. In most cases, it will only take a couple of visits to complete the root canal.
Summary – Myths of a Root Canal
These are some common myths about root canals. In reality, this is a common procedure that is done all the time, and there are not a lot of risks to having a root canal done. When the procedure is performed, it’s done to save the tooth so that the person can chew food. The dentist will always try to save the tooth, and one way to do this is with a root canal.
Dr. Kilislian at Willowdale Endodontics, can treat you for root canals or endodontic re-retreatments. If you would like to book a consultation please contact us and we will be more than happy to assist you.
