You've heard the jokes
even when you were a kid. A painful event in life is compared to getting a
root canal. What are you supposed to think? Maybe the joke is old because
root canals today aren't what they used to be. But old jokes die hard.
In fact, the pain most
people have comes before they go for treatment. The tooth aching, swelling and sensitivity to hot or cold when the tooth root is
infected is what's remembered. Once root canal therapy is underway, the
worst is over. The tooth area is numbed so you don't feel any more pain.
Think of a root canal
as washing the invasive bacteria out of the root, filling it with a
biocompatible material that soothes the area, then sealing it back up
again. Top it off with a solid filling or a crown, and you're as good as
new.
And that means you get
to keep your tooth. And that's a good thing.
