August 1, 2019 The Procedure, the Myth, the Legend: The Truth About Root Canals Poor root canals. At the butt of so many jokes and all it ever did was try and save your tooth! It deserves a badge of honor and yet somehow it finds itself repeatedly on the top ten most-hated things to do list. Most people associate a root canal to long hours in a chair and sitting while in severe pain. You probably have a running list of things you’d rather do before having to do a root canal – cleaning the shower drain being one of them. Even procedures such as dental implants, veneers, or getting fitted for Invisalign are typically much more preferred for patients compared to the dreaded root canal. Here at Caffaratti Dental Group, it’s important that our patients know that their health is our main concern. While a root canal would only be done when medically necessary, there’s some comforting new studies that have been conducted to help alleviate any fears should you find yourself penciling in a root canal at the next appointment. Could It Be in Your Mind? A recent study published in Science Daily found, through questionnaires given to 1,096 randomly selected patients, that they considered a root canal no worse of a procedure than any other dental work. This newfound revelation stiffles the popular belief that root canal work is the most unpleasant dental treatment there is. The study goes on to say that patients who had root canal work reported similar oral health-related quality of life as people who had other types of dental work such as a tooth extraction, restoration of teeth, repairs to the teeth or gum treatment, preventative treatment and cleaning. Could it be that root canals have culturally been given a bad rap? Perhaps it’s all in our mind! What is a Root Canal? A root canal is needed when the nerve, or pulp, in the middle of the tooth is damaged or infected. Root canals remove the damaged tissue and replaces it with an inert filling material. Without proper removal of the damaged area, the pain can become quite severe, eventually requiring the tooth to be pulled. Fortunately, with a root canal, caught early enough, you can keep your natural tooth and restore it to use, instead of extracting it. Dr. Caffaratti ensures that your root canal is as quick and painless as possible. With today’s analgesics and technology, root canals can be performed with little or no post-operative discomfort. If you at all suspect you may need a root canal, it is important to seek dental help right away. Delaying the procedure could mean a loss of tooth, in which case a tooth extraction and a prosthetic replacement would be necessary. What Causes Damage to the Tooth? According to WebMD, a tooth’s nerve and pulp can become irritated, inflamed, and infected due to deep decay, repeated dental procedures on a tooth, and/or large fillings, a crack or chip in the tooth or trauma to the face. If you leave the bacteria in the root canal an infection is likely to cause an abscess tooth. This can also cause swelling that can spread to face, neck, or head, bone loss around the tip of the root, or drainage problems extending outward from the root. A tooth left too long will most likely need to be extracted and replaced with a prosthetic. A dental implant might be necessary. A dental tooth implant is an artificial titanium tooth root that are anchored in the area your tooth once was. They are the ideal replacement for a single tooth, a bridge, or to secure a denture. Let’s Get it Done Together The cat’s out of the bag. Root canals have been hated for far too long and it shouldn’t be! The only thing you will regret is not doing it sooner. Let Caffaratti Dental Group get this quick, painless procedure (with ) out of the way for you. Should you find yourself needing a root canal or any other service, remember Dr. Caffaratti offers a full range of cosmetic and specialty dentistry such as: Teeth whitening Dental implants Porcelain veneers Bone grafts Plus, so much more! Don’t avoid dental care because of gossip and hearsay, come see for yourself how easy it is to have a beautiful smile. Contact us to schedule your consultation today to see what we can do to keep your teeth healthy.