Do Root Canals Hurt? Here’s the Unfiltered Truth

When you visit your dentist with severe pain in a specific tooth, the dentist will likely x-ray the tooth, check for infections, and inquire about your symptoms. When you express your symptoms, stating that you experience lingering sensitivity in the tooth to temperatures even after removing the sensation and the pain returns with more ferocity after subsiding for some time, the dentist advises that you have an infection inside the tooth better eradicated by performing a root canal.

A suggestion to receive a root canal near you seems frightening, but it is the only therapy available to save your tooth from extraction and relieve the excruciating toothache you feel. As you are frightened about root canals, this article provides the unfiltered truth about this tooth-preserving treatment to encourage you to receive it as soon as possible if you intend to save your natural tooth.

The Truth about Root Canals

In the past, root canals were undoubtedly painful because of inadequate technology and modern anesthesia. However, present-day root canals are, at best similar to receiving dental fillings and don’t cause any discomfort when undergoing the treatment.

On the day of your appointment for the root canal procedure, the dentist x-rays the tooth again to verify the severity of the infection inside your tooth. After ascertaining the extent of the disease, the dentist administers local anesthesia near the affected tooth to ensure you don’t experience any discomfort from the treatment.

Root canal therapy requires the dentist to drill your tooth from the top of the Crown or the rear, depending on which tooth needs the treatment. If your molar is affected, the drilling happens on the top. If a front tooth is damaged, the drilling occurs from the rear. The drilling is to expose the infected or inflamed dental pulp for removal and the canals for cleaning.

You will not experience any discomfort after receiving anesthesia in the mouth and when the dentist works on it. You will undoubtedly feel some pressure but no pain as the dentist removes the dental pulp, cleans and disinfects the canals, and proceeds to fill and seal them with a rubber-like biocompatible material gutta-percha with adhesives to complete the treatment. Finally, the access hole drilled in your tooth is closed with a temporary filling.

After completing the fearsome root canal therapy, the dentist in Phoenix suggests you care for your mouth appropriately by having soft foods for a few days and cleaning your mouth using saltwater rinses for their antiseptic properties. They also recommend that you restore the tooth with a dental crown soon after you recover from the treatment.

Home Care after a Root Canal

While you don’t experience any pain when undergoing the treatment, you will undoubtedly experience discomfort as the anesthesia wears off and wonder how you can manage the pain. Fortunately, the Phoenix dentist prescribes or suggests over-the-counter painkillers to alleviate the ache in your mouth. Taking the painkillers suggested or prescribed ensures the discomfort subsides in approximately 72 hours. Meanwhile, it would help if you existed on a diet of soft foods ensuring you don’t chew foods from the side of the mouth near the treated tooth. While you can brush and floss your teeth, you must remain cautious near the affected tooth to ensure you don’t dislodge the temporary filling placed by the dentist.

Any pain you experience from the root canal emanates from the surgical procedure, not from the infection in your tooth. Therefore you can rest assured your tooth is no longer infected and will remain in your mouth for many years allowing you to use it as your remaining teeth after you get it restored with a dental crown as suggested by the Phoenix dentist.

You can see your regular dentist to restore the tooth with a dental crown because the treatment would have rendered your tooth fragile by removing the dental pulp from within. However, getting a restoration over the tooth will require another two appointments with your dentist because the Crown needs customization from a dental lab before bonding it over your tooth. After restoring your tooth, it regains its strength, functionality, and aesthetics to function like your remaining teeth.

Root canals help alleviate the pain you experience in an infected tooth without causing pain when receiving the treatment. Therefore, you will experience some discomfort after the therapy from the surgical procedure on your tooth and not the infection within. Most importantly, the therapy helps preserve your natural tooth from extraction, eliminating the need to search for tooth replacement solutions.

All Smiles Dental Care performs many root canals on patients with excruciating pain from dental pulp infections in a specific tooth. The treatment helps alleviate the pain experienced by patients without causing undue stress when undergoing therapy. Therefore if the Phoenix dentist suggests a root canal, kindly receive the treatment from them for relief from the toothache you experience.