You can be assured that the dentist will take every measure we can to ensure a painless procedure. But to understand why Root Canal Treatments have the misconception of being painful, let’s examine why you need one in the first place.

The main indication of Root Canal Treatment is that the nerve of a tooth is compromised, dead or infected. By the time the nerve exhibits any of these conditions, you are already in a lot of pain. When you are in pain already, it is even harder to get your numb. All dental procedures are not painful once you get numb. Local anesthetics gets you numb by blocking the pain signal being delivered to your brain. When your tooth is already in pain, the signal of pain is a lot bigger and therefore harder to block. Additionally, if your tooth is infected; the acidic nature of the infection will counteract and block the anesthetic more, making it even harder to numb you up.

The dentist will do all they can to make sure you don’t experience any pain during Root Canal Treatment, but the very procedure at it’s core can be tedious and painful. Therefore, it is best to either avoid a Root Canal Treatment if you can or do one before symptoms escalate. The best way to avoid a Root Canal Treatment is preventative treatment; regular 6 month checkups, cleans and X rays to examine the tooth and treat the tooth before it needs a Root Canal.