Root Canals: Q & A To Help You Undertand Them And Feel Less Anxious About Them
Posted on: 16 October 2015
If you have been suffering from a terrible toothache, dental sensitivity to heat and cold, or a dental abscess, your dentist may suggest a root canal to alleviate your problems. However, you may be apprehensive. After all, aren't root canals notorious for being some of the most painful dental procedures? Here are a few questions and answers about root canals to help you understand these procedures and feel less anxious about them:
Aren't root canals painful?
Nowadays, a root canal is only about as painful as a dental filling. The painful experiences depicted on television are typically for dramatic purposes. Your dentist will anesthetize the area around the tooth with local anesthesia before beginning the procedure, so the only discomfort that you feel should be from the tiny prick of the syringe. Your dentist may even apply a bit of topical anesthetizing gel to a swab and hold it in place at the injection site to minimize the feel of the needle's prick.
What happens during a root canal?
The discomfort that you experience before a root canal is due to the infection or inflammation of the pulp of your tooth. The pulp is the soft living tissue that lies inside your tooth. It contains the dental nerves, so once the pulp of your tooth becomes infected or inflamed, it can cause excruciating pain.
During a root canal, the pulp of the tooth is removed. The empty tooth interior is then cleaned and disinfected so that dental filling material can be used to fill the hollow space. After the tooth is filled, a dental cap is applied to protect the tooth and restore functionality.
How many visits can you expect to complete your root canal?
Your root canal can be performed in one visit. However, a second visit may be required if a porcelain crown is used to cover the tooth. The porcelain crown is fashioned from a mold of your tooth, and you may have to wait for a dental lab to create the cap. Your dentist may apply a temporary crown until the permanent crown is completed.
Although a porcelain crown may be preferred for front teeth for aesthetic reasons, other types of crowns, such as porcelain-over-stainless and stainless steel crowns are also appropriate.
If you are scheduled to have a root canal, you don't have to be anxious about the procedure. Contact your dentist with any questions or concerns that you may have.
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