Root Canal Treatment: Myths vs. Facts
Quick Summary:
Are you tired of myths and want to know what are the root canal facts? Or do you want to know the benefits of root canals? No need to worry. We have your back. We have prepared a detailed blog about root canal myths and facts which also contains benefits and treatment procedures. It will answer all your questions. Let’s explore.
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Root canal treatment has been a great solution for dealing with infected teeth for a long time. Even though being such a great treatment method there are certain myths like it being painful, causing illness, etc surrounding it which must be debunked to make sure people benefit from it.
What is Root Canal Treatment?
Root canal treatment also known as endodontic therapy is a dental procedure to disinfect the teeth. Here in this procedure, the infections in tooth pulp are removed. The tooth pulp is the innermost part of the teeth. Once the infected tooth pulp is removed the inside of the teeth is then cleaned and filled with gutta-percha which is made up of biocompatible components and once it’s filled they seal it with dental filling. The purpose of the root canal is to eliminate the bacteria and keep the natural tooth intact. There are some signs that you might need root canal treatment. Let’s take a look at them.
Symptoms:
Tooth Pain: If you are suffering from constant tooth pain that is spreading around your jaw, face, or other teeth then you might have a tooth infection.
Pressure Hurts: Whenever you eat your foot and it hurts when the pressure then is applied you might have an infected tooth pulp.
Swollen Gums: When you have an infected tooth, your gums get swollen. Sometimes it causes pain, sometimes not.
Discolored Tooth: Infected tooth pulp stops blood circulation in the tooth which makes the tooth dark or discolored.
Loose Tooth: Infected tooth pulp has pus. It makes the bones supporting the teeth soft which leads to the loosening of teeth.
As we can see, tooth pain is not the only symptom of an infected tooth. If you have any of the above symptoms you should go to your dentist as soon as possible. Even if you don’t have any symptoms but have a deep cavity, cracked or damaged tooth then also you should consult your dentist and get it fixed. Because prevention is better than cure. It can prevent the bacteria from entering your tooth and cause inflammation (pulpitis).
Root Canal Procedure
The root canal treatment is quite long. It takes about 60 to 90 minutes to complete. To make sure patients remain relaxed and the procedure is done uninterrupted dentists go for sedation dentistry. It starts with diagnosing the problem and ends when you are free from pain and discomfort and your smile is restored. Let’s understand what happens in the root canal procedure.
Initial Consultation: Before beginning the treatment, the dentists run some medical check-ups along with dental x-rays of the infected tooth. It helps them determine whether the tooth pulp is infected inflamed or dead. In the initial consultation they also gently tap your tooth to check for sensitivity, check for swollen gums, and do an EPT (electric pulp test) to see if the tooth pulp is reacting to the electrical signals or not.
Treatment Planning: Once it's all done. They start planning your treatment. It can be done on the same or the following day. Sometimes to complexity of the case causes the inclusion of other treatments before the root canal. If your case is simple then the treatment will be done in one day, however if it's not then the treatment can delay up to 4 to 5 days.
Root Canal: Now comes the day when you will have your root canal done. Dentists first inject local anesthesia to numb the infected tooth. Then they build a dental dam with the help of thin and flexible rubber around your infected tooth and nearby gums to keep the infected too dry. Once it's done, then they drill the tooth, remove the infected pulp, clean the tooth from the inside, fill it with gutta-percha, and seal it with a dental filling. At last, they place dental crowns on it to restore the bite. As the dental crowns are made-to-order, they are placed 2 to 3 weeks after the treatment.
After Care: Once your dental crowns are placed and your treatment is over, the dentist will call you for regular check-ups to make sure you don’t have any pain due to the root canal treatment. Usually, it takes a week or less to recover from the treatment, however, if you're still having pain after a week you should consult your dentist.
Benefits of Endodontic Therapy
Endodontic therapy or root canal treatment has proven to be really beneficial to individuals who want the infection to be removed while keeping their natural teeth intact. It also offers long-term benefits by improving the oral health of patients. It saves the natural tooth so you don’t have to get your tooth extracted which saves a lot of money. Let’s understand some of the best benefits of endodontic therapy.
Saves Natural Tooth
No matter how good and natural-looking artificial teeth are they can’t replace the natural teeth. When the tooth is affected many patients decide to get it removed not understanding that it will leave a gap that can damage the whole jaw. Getting the root canal treatment preserves the natural tooth as well as restores the bite.
Avoids Costly Implant Costs
As we already read, extracting natural teeth can damage the jaw. Suppose you got your natural tooth removed and placed a dental implant to fill the gap. All this lengthy and costly procedure just because a little part inside your tooth got infected. Dental implants are a good choice if your whole tooth is damaged but for an infected part it's not worth it. Root canal treatment can help you avoid costly implant costs by disinfecting the natural tooth and keeping it as it is.
Pain-Free Procedure
One of the best benefits of root canal treatment is that it's pain-free. And it causes less discomfort compared to natural tooth extraction. Now with the help of better anesthesia and modern technology, the procedure has become more effective and less uncomfortable. According to a survey, patients who undergo root canals are likely to have a pain-free experience six times more than the patients who get their teeth extracted.
Prevents Infection
We know that we get a root canal because the bacteria enter the inside of our tooth infecting the tooth pulp. However, the root canal does not only save the infected teeth but also prevents the infection from spreading to the neighboring teeth. When the infected tooth pulp is removed then the root canal is cleaned and disinfected which stops the bacteria from growing again and prevents the risk of getting reinfected.
Visually Appealing Results
As we already discussed above, artificial teeth are natural-looking but not natural, so saving natural teeth is a better option than getting them replaced with artificial ones. Root canal treatment can help you with it. It can restore the natural tooth with dental filling and crown maintaining the aesthetics and giving you your precious smile back.
Root Canal Treatment: Myths vs. Facts
Every good thing has myths surrounding it which need to be debunked so that people get aware of it and experience its benefits. The same goes for root canal treatment. It also has various myths surrounding it that become a hurdle for patients who need it. Here we will debunk those myths.
Myth 1 - The root canal is painful
One of the biggest myths related to root canal treatment is that it is painful. According to the American Association of Endodontists, 67% of Americans have concerns about the fear of pain from the treatment. This myth alone stops a lot of people from getting root canal treatment for their infected teeth.
FACT: The myth about pain related to root canal treatment is completely wrong. There is no pain in getting it done. The dentists numb your infected tooth and gums surrounding it before starting the treatment with the help of local anesthesia like Novocaine. Along with making the treatment painless, dentists also swiftly reduce the discomfort to a minimum.
Myth 2 - Having a tooth extracted when it is infected is a better option than a root canal
No, this is completely wrong. This is the worst of all root canal myths. Many people believe this myth which is concerning. Believing this myth they make the mistake of having their tooth extracted which is more painful and costly.
FACT: In case of pulp infection, getting the natural tooth extracted is not and will never be a better option than root canal treatment. This treatment just removes the infected pulp whereas the other method removes the whole tooth. It's like destroying the whole house because one of the rooms had spiders in it.
Myth 3 - Root canal can cause illness
Why would someone even believe this myth? How can a root canal cause illness? This myth about root canals causing illness comes from research conducted almost a century ago. According to it, root canals can cause arthritis, heart and kidney disease.
FACT: The myth and the research both are completely baseless as there’s no other research that backs them. Modern root canal procedures itself debunk this myth. They are more effective and safe with thorough sterilization which removes the harmful bacteria.
Myth 4 - The root canal is not necessary because there’s no ache
Believe this myth and you will successfully lose not only the infected tooth but also the neighbouring teeth and in the worst case you might also lose your whole arch. Every year thousands of people lose their teeth just because they believe this myth.
FACT: In many cases, there’s no ache in the infected tooth because the body has created ways to deal with it. Your dentist can examine your teeth and determine whether you need a root canal or not. Apart from aches, there are other symptoms like swollen gums, discolored teeth, etc that say you need a root canal.
Myth 5 - Root canal requires multiple long appointments
Never believe anyone saying that root canal treatment takes multiple appointments that are 5 to 6 hours long. Kidney transplants don’t even take that much time. Root canal treatment is quite long but not too long.
FACT: The fact is that most of the root canal treatment is done within 60 to 90 minutes of the first visit. In some cases, it takes two or three appointments. In the worst cases, it can take 5 to 7 appointments, with multiple other dental treatments being done before a root canal.
Conclusion
In the end, one thing we can say is that root canal treatment is the best solution for the infected tooth pulp. There are some myths related to it that have already been debunked. You should never trust such myths, instead, you should consult your dentist. He/She will help you with it. It also offers a lot of benefits. To maximize all the benefits you should consult experienced dentists, but where to find them? You will find them at Paramus Dental Specialists. Our experts are considered root canal specialists in Paramus NJ. Along with root canals, we also offer Gum Grafting, Laser Dentistry, Porcelain Veneers, Bone Grafting, and Crown Lengthening. Visit our clinic and get your root canal done by the best Endodontist near Paramus.
