Health

Dispelling Common Misconceptions About Root Canal Treatment

If the thought of having a root canal makes you anxious, you are not alone. Although root canal treatment New York is intended to be beneficial and not harmful, the misconceptions about root canal treatments persist today. Below are the most common misconceptions about a root canal treatment that you should not believe.

A root canal treatment is excruciatingly painful

What first springs to the mind when you think of a root canal treatment is painful, but this is not the case today. The pain stems from your infected tooth and not the root canal therapy itself. The procedure is meant to remove, treat, prevent further infection, and relieve the pain caused by the infected tooth. Leaving an infected tooth untreated is much more painful than undergoing a root canal treatment. The discomfort you may experience during a root canal treatment is no more than getting a cavity filled.

Additionally, before the procedure, your dentist will administer local anesthesia to numb your tooth and nearby area so that you don’t experience pain. Modern technology and techniques also make the treatment less painful than it was decades ago. You might experience discomfort after a root canal treatment, but your provider will recommend anti-inflammatory medications to manage the pain.

Extraction is a preferred alternative to root canal treatment

Nothing artificial can replace the look and function of your natural teeth, so it is always best to preserve your teeth. Most of the time, dentists recommend other treatments to save your natural tooth, and extraction is often the last resort, especially when treating a damaged or infected tooth. Although extraction is less expensive and can be done in one visit, it has several downsides. First, an extraction leaves you with a space, which may cause nearby teeth to shift into the gap, causing problems with bite alignment. If the extraction involves a lower tooth, the opposite tooth will eventually migrate downward due to gravity, causing dental misalignment, which can result in jaw pain.

Whether your tooth needs to be extracted or can be saved with a root canal treatment depends on your unique circumstances. Your dentist will examine your tooth and determine the best treatment option.

Root canal treatment alleviates pain immediately

Immediate relief from pain is another common misconception of a root canal treatment, which is rarely the case. Although you will experience a significant decrease in discomfort, you will still have some pain for a few days or weeks. As such, chewing may be difficult during this time, but over-the-counter pain medications may help with this. Before the discomfort subsides, your dentist will advise that you use the untreated side of your mouth or chew lightly on the treated tooth. The lingering pain after treatment stems from the inflammation of the periodontal ligament; this takes time to heal.

Now that you know the scoop on root canal treatment, you do not have to feel uneasy if you need one. To learn more about root canal treatments, consult your dentist at Charles M. Marks, DDS & Dental Associates.

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