When we tell a patient they need a root canal, we can almost see the panic flash across their face. We get it. Root canals have a reputation. Jokes about them are everywhere. People who have never even had one will tell you how terrible they are.
Here’s the truth we want every patient to know before they walk through our doors. A modern root canal feels about the same as getting a deep filling. You read that correctly. The procedure itself isn’t painful. It’s the toothache that brought you to us in the first place that’s the real problem.
What’s Actually Happening Inside Your Tooth
Every tooth has soft tissue inside it called pulp. That pulp contains nerves and blood vessels. When a cavity goes deep enough, or when a tooth fractures in a certain way, bacteria can get inside that pulp. The result is infection and inflammation. And that inflammation has nowhere to go.
That pressure is what causes the intense, throbbing pain you’ve probably been up all night dealing with. You can’t sleep. You can’t chew on that side. Cold drinks feel like a lightning bolt. A root canal removes that infected tissue. Once it’s gone, the pain often goes with it.
What the Procedure Actually Feels Like
Let us walk you through exactly what happens in our office.
- First, we numb the area completely. You’ll feel the small pinch of the needle for a few seconds, just like you would for a filling. Then the numbness sets in. We test to make sure you can’t feel anything before we start working. If you need more numbing, we give it. No heroics required.
- Once you’re fully numb, we place a small rubber dam around the tooth. That keeps the area clean and dry. Then we make a tiny opening in the top of the tooth and use small, specialized instruments to remove the infected pulp from inside the root canals.
- You might feel some pressure or vibration during this part. That’s normal. But you shouldn’t feel sharp pain. If you do, we stop and add more numbing.
- After cleaning and shaping the canals, we fill them with a biocompatible material and seal the tooth. Most patients are surprised at how straightforward the whole thing feels.
After the Procedure
When the numbness wears off, your tooth might feel a little tender or bruised for a few days. That’s just the ligament around the tooth settling down after we worked so close to it. Over-the-counter pain relievers usually handle this just fine.
The much worse pain you had before the root canal? That’s gone. Patients tell us all the time they wish they hadn’t waited so long.
The Next Step: Protecting the Tooth
A tooth that has had a root canal becomes more brittle over time. That’s why we almost always recommend placing a crown on top afterward. The crown acts like a helmet, protecting the tooth from fracturing down the road. That’s a separate appointment, and we’ll talk you through it when the time comes.
Don’t Believe the Old Stories
The reputation root canals have comes from a time before modern numbing and techniques. Those days are long gone. We do everything in our power to make you comfortable, and we don’t start until we’re confident you won’t feel pain.
If you’ve been losing sleep over a toothache, or losing sleep just thinking about what the fix might involve, give us a call. Our team at AH Smiles serves patients from Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Long Grove, Deerfield, and Northbrook.
We can’t wait to help you feel better. And we promise, it’s not nearly as bad as you’ve heard.