Root canal treatment aka endodontic therapy, although a relatively painless procedure, has come to have a rather unpleasant connotation. You hear people say “I’d rather have a root canal” when talking about less than enjoyable situations; however, root canal treatment when properly done is not painful. If you are in need of root canal treatment and are concerned about the procedure, take a glance at some of these common misconceptions of root canals. Hopefully, it will ease your mind and you can get the treatment you need.

A Look at Some Common Misconceptions about Root Canal Treatment

1. Root canal treatment is painful – With today’s technology and medicines, root canals are not painful as they once were in the past. In fact, besides some pressure during the procedure and some soreness after, root canals are essentially pain free.
2. You need to make several visits to your dentist’s office – A root canal can be performed in as little as an hour so there is no reason to fear having to make several trips into your dentist’s office to fix your tooth.
3. You will eventually lose the tooth – Some people feel as if a root canal is pointless because they believe that you will eventually lose the tooth. This is not true. The point of a root canal is to save the tooth. Although, it is true that after the pulp is removed it is more likely that the tooth will fall out later on, it is not common. With proper oral hygiene along with a well-fit crown there is no reason the tooth should not last a lifetime.
4. Root canal treatment is only needed when there is pain – Many people have the misconception that if there is no pain, there is no need for a root canal. If someone is suffering from deep pain then they will likely need a root canal; however, this does not mean the opposite is true. There are cases where a patient has no pain, but there is still advanced decay.
5. After the root canal treatment the tooth is completely restored – The majority of root canals are highly successful; however, your tooth can become dry and brittle, which leaves it vulnerable to chipping and breaking. Decay can still get into the tooth even though the pulp has been removed. So it is important to keep up good oral hygiene.
   Root canal treatment has a lot of negative stigmata attached to it; however, there is no need to fear this stereotypically fearsome dental operation.

If you are experiencing dental pain and need to make a dentist appointment or are looking for more information on root canal treatment, call our offices in NYC today!