In films, books and general conversation, the root canal procedure is often used as the benchmark for severe pain. This has been happening for a long time now and, understandably, patients are concerned when they are told they need to have this procedure.
For the benefit of patients of Blake Dental in Witham, we are going to use today’s blog to look at three aspects of this often feared treatment. Why it is often feared, what can be done to prevent the need for it, and what actually happens if you need to have this done?
Nobody really knows how this treatment got its reputation for pain. Some say that, some time ago, it wasn’t possible to know if there was an abscess or not before the treatment started. Any local anaesthetic would have been more rudimentary too, so if the drill went into an abscess you can imagine how painful this would be.
History is just that though and many medical procedures back then would have been excruciatingly painful. Fortunately, you can leave any thoughts of a very painful procedure there too. Today, our gentle Witham dentists have the benefits of x-rays and these are used to check for abscesses before the treatment happens. If any are found, they will be treated before the procedure takes place. This is always done using a modern and highly effective local anaesthetic so no significant discomfort should be felt during your treatment.
Let’s be clear here. If your dentist has told you that you need to have this treatment, then you really do. If the pain is not too significant at that particular time, there might be a temptation to put your head in the sand and say ‘no thank you’. If you do this though, you are only setting yourself up for more pain and the need for an urgent dental appointment down the track. Once the root canals have become infected, the only solution is the root canal procedure or removal of the tooth. We don’t usually recommend the latter and the root canal procedure is often an effective way of saving the tooth.
Avoidance of this, and other procedures, starts long before any problems present themselves. A sensible tooth friendly diet, good quality brushing and flossing and regular checks and care by both the dentist and dental hygienist every six months are your best bets to avoid the need for this treatment. If you are not sure if you are doing enough yourself, our hygienist will be able to help you put an oral health care plan into place.
When you have got to the point of accepting the need to have a procedure, your anxiety levels might start to rise due to its reputation. Hopefully, this section will allay at least some of your fears and help you to understand what happens during the treatment.
Once you are as comfortable in the dental chair as you can be, the first thing that happens is that you will be given a local anaesthetic. This will take effect quickly and once the dentist is happy that the area is fully numb, the treatment can start.
Next, the tooth will be isolated using a ruber ‘dam’ to reduce any risk of cross infection. Holes will then be drilled into the top of the tooth to provide the dentist with access to the infected root canals. The infected pulp material, which includes nerves and small blood vessels, will then be removed. The hollow canals will then be thoroughly cleaned and filled with ‘gutta percha’, a special type of filling used for this procedure as it effectively seals the cavities. In essence, this completes the treatment, but in most cases, a crown will be attached on top. This both protects and strengthens the tooth as well as giving it a more natural appearance.
Your treated tooth should have sufficient strength for daily use although we advise caution when eating certain foods. One reason for this is that the treated tooth will have no nerves and it will be difficult to judge how hard you are biting something, potentially increasing the risk of damage to the tooth.
As you can see then, while this procedure, like many others, is an invasive one, it really doesn’t deserve the reputation that has built up around it. It is, in fact, a very successful method of preserving a natural tooth when the pulp in the root canals of the tooth has become infected.
If you would like any more information about this treatment after being advised that you need it, our friendly Witham dentists will be happy to answer any questions that you might have.
As part of your preventative care, please make sure that you have regular dentist and hygienist appointments in the diary. If you haven’t, you can book yours by calling Blake Dental today on 01376 501688.
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Katie Annabel Blake trading as Blake Dental is an Introducer Appointed Representative of Financing First Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Katie Annabel Blake is a credit broker, not a lender. The provider of a payment scheme which is not offered through or by Financing First Limited may not be so authorised and regulated.
