A lot of people have heard of root canal therapy, and it’s a treatment that has generated a reputation for being painful and uncomfortable.
That reputation, however, is not always the reality.
Today’s blog post is all about root canal therapy and pain management. We’ll explain what exactly root canal therapy is, and help you understand why this treatment’s reputation should be taken with a pinch of salt.
What Is Root Canal Therapy?
Root canal therapy is a common dental treatment that focuses on curing infections that can occasionally occur within a patient’s tooth.
That already sounds scary and perhaps a little confusing, so let’s take a small step backwards and look at how those infections can sometimes take hold.
Your teeth are not simply a solid, bone-type substance. Underneath the surface of the tooth, is a much softer ‘inner tooth’ made up of pulp and sensitive nerves.
The hard layers of Dentin and Enamel exist to protect this softer tissue, but occasionally, gaps or cavities can allow bacteria to pass through and reach the pulp where an infection can then set in.
A root canal therapy is a common dental procedure that removes the infected pulp from the root canal in the inner tooth. This stops the spread of the infection.
If left untreated, the infection can spread to other parts of the body where it can create other, more serious, health complications.
So… Is Root Canal Therapy Painful?
The answer to this question is surprising, given the treatment’s often misleading reputation.
The reality is root canal therapy is not necessarily that painful at all.
A skilled and experienced dentist, like our team here at Rocky Ridge Dental, can drastically reduce any pain and discomfort you may feel during and after the treatment with the right balance of local anesthetic and follow-up pain medication.
The truth is that the root canal therapy itself is not usually the painful part. Most patients’ pain and discomfort come from the infection itself.
Infections in the root canal can cause the root tissue to become inflamed and sometimes abscesses can form inside the root canal and into the gums.
It’s this infection and the resultant inflammation that causes patients the pain that has become synonymous with root canal therapy.
The root canal therapy treatment that treats that infection is comparatively pain-free.
How Can I Minimize Root Canal Therapy Pain?
If you’re in need of root canal therapy, talk to your dentist about how to manage the pain of your infection before, during and after treatment.
Here at Rocky Ridge Dental, we have years of experience with root canal treatments, and we always take the time to help patients understand the procedure and what they can do to reduce the pain and discomfort that the infection may be causing.