Do Not Put Off Your Root Canal
March 12, 2018
Going to the dentist is often up there along with doing your taxes or waiting in line for hours at the DMV, being one of those tasks you don’t look forward to doing. Some people will even accept living with severe tooth and gum pain rather than willingly putting themselves in a dental chair. Why? It typically comes down to not having to hear those two dreaded words: root canal.
It Is Not as Bad as You Think
Misconceptions (often fueled by satirical stories in popular media) have most believing that having a root canal done is akin to torture, complete with clamps and drills straight out of the Black and Decker catalog. In reality, the procedure itself in minimally invasive. While Dr. Moriarty will use a specialized drill to access the inner pulp of your infected tooth, you do receive a local anesthetic prior to the procedure to ensure that you remain comfortable. In fact, the small pinch you feel from the administration is likely to be only pain you experience throughout the entire process. Any post-procedure discomfort can typically be easily managed with a standard over-the-counter pain reliever.
Consider the Alternative
Of course, you may count yourselves among those who will do anything to avoid the prick of a needle. Consider, then, some of the consequences that could arise from avoiding a root canal when one is needed:
- Your pain will continue (and likely worsen): As the infection spreads, it could eventually effect your gums and jaw, resulting in a painful, pus-filled abscess which cannot be ignored.
- You could lose the tooth: If the pain does stop on its own, it does not mean that the infection has healed. Rather, all of nerves in the tooth are likely dead, which would then require that it be extracted.
- Your overall dental health could deteriorate: Once you have lost a tooth due to infection, you open the door for a host of other problems, such as gum disease, tooth decay and bone loss.
Save your teeth while you still can. Root canals offers you the chance to effectively combat infection and avoid tooth loss. Just ask the patients who have received this service from Dr. Moriarty, and while most will admit to sharing your concerns, they will all go on to say that those fears were unfounded. We want to help restore your oral health; contact us in Lawrence, KS today to get that process started.