If you are experiencing pain in your tooth, you may need to have a root canal procedure performed and may be apprehensive because you don’t know what to expect. Many people cringe when they think about having to have this dental procedure performed, but the fact is that the reality of the procedure is a lot better than anticipation of what people expect.
Root Canal Dental Procedure
The word “root canal” has often been associated with excessive pain, but it is not the procedure itself that causes the pain. Rather, the tooth often is painful because excessive decay has resulted in infection or an abscess in the root of the tooth, which is why the procedure is needed in the first place. So, it is not the procedure that causes the pain – the steps your dentist takes during this dental treatment are designed to alleviate the pain you are already likely feeling.
Once it has been determined by your dentist that you need root canal therapy (usually by means of an x-ray and a dental exam), your mouth will be numbed through use of a local anesthetic. Although some people fear the needle that is used to administer the anesthetic, it is a quick pinch and then the pain is over. Some dentists will rub on a topical anesthetic so that you will not even feel any discomfort from this step.
After the anesthetic has had some time to take effect, a rubber dam will be placed in the mouth to keep the area dry during treatment. This is basically just a sheet of rubber that is secured in the mouth around the area to be worked on and causes no discomfort.
The dentist is then ready to get to work to remedy the problem tooth. To do so, he or she will need to drill into the tooth to remove the areas of decay, just as would occur if you had a regular cavity. Once all decayed material within the tooth and around the root has been removed, the dentist will then clean out the root canals using a series of small files that will scrape out any debris, bacteria and infected material. While this sounds like it would be painful, remember that the area being worked on will still be numb so you won’t feel anything. Water or another solution may be used to flush out any debris or bacteria that is in there.
If the area is badly infected, your dentist may fill the tooth with medication to treat the infection before filling and sealing the tooth. Otherwise, this next step will be performed in the same visit and you will not have to come back for a second visit. Either way, once the tooth has been sealed, it will likely require some type of tooth restoration, since the tooth has likely experienced extensive decay which resulted in the need for a root canal in the first place. Your dentist will discuss your options with you.
Recovering from this procedure is not much different than recovering from a typical cavity. You may feel some slight soreness or tenderness and shouldn’t require more than just an over-the-counter pain reliever to handle any discomfort. You should be able to resume normal activities immediately and should no longer feel the pain you were likely experiencing before you had the treatment performed.
For more information about root canal therapy, contact Park Dental Care in Queens at 718-274-1515.
