Setting the Record Straight About Root Canals

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There are many myths floating around about root canal therapy. Many of these myths are negative, so our dentists and team are more than happy to set the record straight.

Myth: The root canal procedure is painful.
Many people associate root canal therapy with pain. This pain actually comes because of an infection of the tooth. The root canal treatment is done to relieve this pain and discomfort. The procedure is painless, as a local anesthetic is used to numb the tooth and the surrounding area.

Myth: The tooth will eventually be extracted, so root canal treatment is not needed.
Assuming that a tooth treated with a root canal will eventually be extracted is simply not true. In fact, root canal therapy successfully saves the tooth in most cases.

Myth: I don’t have a toothache, so I don’t need root canal treatment.
In many cases, a tooth with an infected root canal will not cause discomfort. Do not mistakenly think that this means that everything is fine. Drs. Park and Gordon have ways of examining the tooth and discovering if the root canal is infected or damaged in some way. If the root canal is damaged, you will likely need root canal treatment, even if the tooth does not hurt.

Myth: The roots of the tooth, or the whole tooth, are removed during a root canal.
Root canal therapy is not performed to remove a tooth, but to save it. Our dentists do not remove the tooth or the roots during root canal therapy. Instead, the infection is removed from the inside of the root canals. Nerve tissue and pulp are removed as well to ensure that all of the infection has been removed.

We welcome you to call Adept Dental Shafter at 661-746-6989 today to learn more about root canal treatment in Shafter, California, and to book a reservation.