Does Root Canal Treatment Hurt?
Root canal therapy can relieve the pain, swelling and other symptoms of a tooth infection, but some people associate the treatment itself with pain. This may be due to misconceptions or bad experiences they’ve had in the past, before painless dentistry became the standard.
Delaying a root canal treatment or avoiding the dentist altogether because you’re worried about the pain can mean living with dental pain for longer and increasing your health risks, so it’s beneficial to see a dentist sooner rather than later.
Find out how our dentists help to relieve pain during and after the root canal procedure and other services we offer to help nervous patients feel calm. If you need to see a dentist about your symptoms, book an appointment at our Mosman clinic today.
What happens during root canal treatment?
Root canal therapy involves removing infected or damaged soft tissues (the pulp) from inside a tooth. The tooth cavity will then be prepared and filled with a synthetic material, and sealed with a crown or large filling to restore its shape, strength and appearance. This may involve two or more visits to the dental clinic, depending on the size of the tooth being treated.
This procedure is usually no more painful than other dental treatments and is the best way to save an infected tooth, relieve associated pain, and restore the tooth to good working order. If a tooth is too badly damaged to repair with root canal therapy, it will usually need to be extracted, which can lead to complications.
Pain relief during the root canal procedure
Our dentists use local anaesthesia as a matter of routine during root canal therapy and other procedures. Anaesthetic is injected into the gum around the tooth being treated to numb responses sent from the nerves to the brain. This allows your treatment to be completed without causing pain.
We can discuss alternative pain relief if you have a fear of needles. If you suffer from dental anxiety, we can also provide other sedation options to help you feel relaxed, depending on your needs and medical suitability. The type of sedation you choose may affect your recovery time.
After your treatment
The numbing effect of anaesthesia or other sedation is only temporary and will last until the procedure has been completed. It’s normal to feel some pain during the recovery period, which can usually be
managed with over-the-counter pain relief medication or other remedies. We also recommend a soft diet to avoid putting too much pressure on the treated tooth for a few days while your mouth heals.
If pain doesn’t subside, or you have any other unexpected symptoms, contact our dentists in case we need to make an emergency appointment.
Find out more about anaesthesia and dental sedation in Mosman
If you want to know more about our sedation options and other ways we can help you manage dental anxiety during root canal procedures, contact our friendly team at Mosman 3D Dental. Call (02) 9969 8610 or get in touch today.