Many patients have a misconception that root canal therapy is painful or extremely uncomfortable, causing them to put off receiving the critical restorative care they need. A root canal procedure is not as uncomfortable as these patients may think. In fact, many find that it eliminates the pain caused by internal tooth decay, and allows them to bite and smile normally.
Ensuring Your Comfort during Root Canal Therapy
The primary concern for patients undergoing a root canal procedure is that the treatment itself will be painful. They believe care is going to be uncomfortable because the dentist has to access the inner systems of an infected tooth to from which decaying pulp must be removed. The tools and techniques used to access inner portions of the tooth are seen as a cause for concern.
The reality is that root canal therapy is conducted with the patient’s comfort in mind. Dr. Hart applies a topical gel to the area near the tooth being treated, numbing the nearby surfaces. Then, our dentist performs the procedure carefully and gently to help you be as comfortable as possible. For many of our patients, this means that they do not feel a thing during treatment.
Post-Operative Comfort
The other concern patients may have is the length of recovery and whether or not they will be comfortable. They believe that the extensiveness of care will cause the tooth to be sore once the numbing gels wear off, affecting the quality of their life immediately following care.
While some soreness after care is natural, it is nowhere near the degree of discomfort that people often expect. Dr. Hart’s carefulness during the root canal procedure leaves as little of the remaining healthy tooth structure unchanged as possible. Additionally, the removal of the decaying pulp also means that many of the nerves which would sense pain are also lost. These factors help minimize the sensations felt during your recovery period. As a result, some patients will not feel any discomfort after their root canal and others only feel a mild soreness that goes away by the end of that day. The level of pain experienced, if any, is rarely enough to affect your daily life.
However, in the rare circumstance that you are feeling significant pain for more than a day after undergoing root canal therapy, call our practice immediately for emergency dental care.
Call Us for Root Canal Therapy
Roy Hart, DDS offers root canal therapy in North Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter, and all surrounding communities. We use this procedure to help restore your tooth after it has experienced internal decay, preventing its loss. For more information about our restorative dental procedures, call our practice and schedule your next appointment today!