Shedding Light on the Truth about Root Canals – Grove Dental Clinic Falls Church
Are you afraid of getting the root canal treatment your doctor advised? Root canals are one of the most common and popular procedures in dental history to cure a damaged tooth or toothache. In its severe form, dental pain may accompany other symptoms, such as fever or earache, which may also disrupt your daily life.
However, this standard procedure has earned a bad name over time, most of which consists of multiple myths and misconceptions. These myths have not only instilled fear into the patient’s hearts but also caused them to steer clear of these procedures.Nevertheless, it’s time to debunk these myths!
What are Root Canals?
Root canal treatment alleviates the pain by removing the inflamed pulp and disinfecting the pulp chambers. The procedure is then completed with a dental filling and a crown.
As invasive and scary as this procedure sounds, it is essential to get your treatment done once a dentist prescribes it. Leaving a damaged tooth without the proper treatment may lead to additional issues, such as infections, which is why a doctor must treat your damaged tooth before its condition deteriorates.
Your doctor might prescribe a root canal if you have the following symptoms:
- Increased sensitivity
- Swelling in gums
- Swelling in jaws
- Toothache that does not subside
- Toothache accompanied by earache, fever, or pain in the jawbone
These symptoms may vary depending on the severity of your tooth infection. However, these problems must be addressed to your doctor in their early stages to preserve your natural tooth.
Misconceptions about Root Canal
As mentioned earlier, people need to be more open to this procedure due to their multiple misconceptions. It’s time to shed light upon these famous misconceptions:
MYTH 1: The Most Painful Dental Treatment
This has to be one of the most common misconceptions about this tooth-saving procedure. It is a popular opinion. Therefore, people often believe that there is no pain worse than going through a root canal.
It is noticeable to provide the patients with anesthesia so the respected area can numb before the actual procedure takes place to save them from unnecessary pain. For this purpose, an anesthetic spray and numbing injection may be used. This also assures that patients will feel little to no pain during the entire procedure because their mouths will be numb.
This step is crucial for a painless procedure as the treatment involves the removal of the nerve-containing pulp from deep within your tooth.
MYTH 2: Tooth Extraction is Better and Safer
Another misconception leads people to believe that it is just better to get their teeth extracted. Extraction is cheaper. However, along with being cheaper, it is also a faster way to alleviate the pain. Your doctor might advise you to get your tooth extracted if it is damaged beyond repair. Although tooth extraction might be mandatory in a few specific cases, a root canal is a better option.
Despite being a pretty invasive procedure, a root canal helps restore your damaged and infected tooth without losing your natural tooth. Moreover, the success rate of this treatment is exceptionally high, which means that your damaged tooth will be preserved for good.
MYTH 3: The Tooth or its Roots are Removed
The concept that a root canal requires the removal of the damaged tooth or its roots is an absolute myth. As mentioned earlier, root canals and tooth extractions are two different procedures. The former lets your tooth function properly after restoring it. At the same time, extractions require the complete removal of the tooth that has been damaged.
Moreover, the procedure does not pull out the roots of your decaying tooth. Instead, the damaged tissue and inflamed pulp inside the roots will be removed, leaving them intact. This, as a result, eases toothache, swelling, and other painful symptoms.
MYTH 4: The Results are Temporary
Some people might even refrain from getting root canals, thinking that the results are temporary. Root canals are incredibly successful—the chance of their procedure’s success is due to their tooth-restoring properties and longevity.
At the end of this restorative procedure, a crown is placed on the treated tooth, allowing it to function regularly for an extended period of time.
What to Expect?
Are you planning on getting a root canal treatment? Being informed about the process prior to the treatment is essential for a practical and fearless experience. Here’s what you can expect:
The treatment might take more than two visits to the dentist.
Before the pulp removal process starts, your dentist will perform an X-ray to find the location or extent of the decay/damage within the tooth.
You will be given the expert treatment with a local anesthetic, which will do is to numb the area. This is important to ensure a painless and smooth process.
This will lead us to the most crucial step: removing the decaying pulp. Your dentist will use small files for this purpose.
After disinfecting the canals, they will be sealed with a filling substance called gutta-percha.
Finally, a permanent crown will be placed on top.
Grove Dental Clinic: Get Yours Done Now!
Root canals can be the ultimate savior of your decaying tooth. However, choosing the right place or professionals for the treatment is as vital as the procedure itself.
At Grove Dental Clinic, our team of professional dentists and experts provide our patients in the Falls Church area with the perfect solutions for their dental problems.
Reach us now for an appointment as we have the best services that you can avail:
- Root Canal Treatment
- Dental Implants
- Denture Services
- Braces
- Cosmetic Services
- Teeth Whitening
- Ultimate Solution
Toothache or sensitivity can really suck the joy out of everything. You no longer enjoy eating your favorite ice cream or drinking your morning coffee. This is why suitable preventative measures must be taken to cure your dental problems before they get out of hand.
If your doctor has advised you to get a root canal for your aching tooth, don’t be afraid! Root canals can be surprisingly helpful in mitigating your pain and restoring the tooth. Educating yourself about the treatment will help you make the right choice and diminish your fear and doubts. So, forget about the misconceptions, choose the right dental institute, and save your tooth.
