Root Canal..what's the big deal?

I'm getting a root canal in a few days. Of course I'm not looking forward to it! I have had cavities filled, wisdom teeth pulled, and 2 crowns, so I am no stranger to denistry! But why do people complain so much about a root canal?

Root Canal..what's the big deal?
You will be absolutely fine.The dentist will remove all the decay in the tooth. He will then remove the nerve tissue from the tooth and clean and shape the canals.It's kind of like removing the wick from a candle.After the tooth is cleaned out he will fill the tooth with a rubber type material called gutta percha.He will place a temporary filling in the tooth untill you can get a permament filling or crown on the tooth.





It's really not any different from getting a filling.Once you get past the novacaine you really will be fine.I work for a endodontist and all we do is root canals.Most patients are pleasantly surprised how easy they are.Take two advil before the novacaine wears off and you really shouldn't need anything more.





All the horror stories you hear about root canals are really not true at all. The people who tell the horror stories are the ones that waited untill they were in major pain and the tooth really blew up on them.





Good luck,I'm sure you will be fine.
Reply:Probably because most people get a root canal because there is already an existing infection, which has to be treated before they will work on the tooth. The dentist removes the nerve root of the tooth which requires a lot of drilling and probing around. I haven't had a bad experience but I think people hate it because of all of the drilling and it also takes awhile.