Understanding the Root Canal Procedure

Our Bromley dentist debunks the myths surrounding this procedure.

If you had to nominate a single dental procedure as the one most to be feared, it is probably likely that you would say a root canal procedure. Over the years, this procedure has built up a mystique and has become legendary for the pain it supposedly causes.

The truth though, has unfortunately become lost in the fog of this urban myth and the procedure is often misunderstood. We aim to correct that in this latest blog post.

Why would you need a root canal

The root canal procedure is used when the inner part of the tooth, often referred to as the pulp, becomes infected. This may occur after a tooth has been damaged or suffered a blow to it.

The ‘pulp’ area that becomes infected contains both tiny blood vessels and also the nerves. When this becomes infected, it can be very painful.

Rather than extract the tooth, a root canal procedure can be performed which enables the natural tooth to be retained.

The root canal procedure

The root canal procedure is much less painful than many people believe, and nearly all of our patients of the Smile Dental Practice who have had this procedure have expressed surprise at how stress free it was.

Before the procedure takes place, x rays are taken of the tooth, and the area will then be numbed using a local anaesthetic.

Following this, the top of the tooth is removed, allowing access to the infected inner pulp.

The infected pulp will then be removed and the hollow interior cleaned. Usually, the tiny root canals are also widened enabling them to be filled more easily and effectively.

Once any traces of the infection have been removed, the now hollow tooth is then filled and, in most cases, the dentist at our Bromley dental practice is likely to attach a crown on top to complete and strengthen the tooth.

The ‘pain’ factor

This all sounds very simple doesn’t it? So, where does the ‘pain’ factor come in?

The reality is that a root canal procedure should cause no more discomfort than any invasive dental procedure, especially given the use of a local anaesthetic.

The likelihood is that the myth originated prior to the use of x-rays, which also detect the presence of any abscesses.

Prior to this, it is likely that an abscess would not be noticed until it was drilled into which, as we can imagine, would be very painful indeed. With modern x-rays though, this risk is eliminated.

Sometimes though, the anxiety that has built up due to this procedure’s undeserved reputation can be hard to shake off.

If you are due to have root canal surgery or any other invasive procedure which causes you great anxiety; at the Smile Dental Practice of Bromley, we are able to offer conscious sedation to help you through it.

If you have any questions about your root canal procedure or want to know more about our conscious sedation service, please call our Bromley practice on 020 8462 2473.