These days there are misconceptions surrounding root canal treatment to the extent that most of people are ready to withstand excruciating pain so they do not visit the doctor. In fact, with modern technologies and anesthetics, the root canal procedures have considerably changed.

You brush your teeth every day, but you most likely don’t know their inner workings. Every tooth has roots that anchor it to jawbone. Inside the body of the tooth and its roots is a hollow central cavity, or canal. Inside that hollow cavity is an inner pulp containing a network of nerves, blood vessels and tissues. The pulp helps nourish your tooth.

This topic is of huge importance and has various aspects to it. Let us just focus on one aspect at a time. When it comes to dental pain, the root canal pain is usually so severe and throbbing that it interferes with the daily activities of patients and even deprive them from having adequate sleep. The cause of this unbearable pain is usually a cavity that continued to progress until it involved the tooth pulp and caused its inflammation. Other causes include faulty crowns, tooth chipping, cracks or repeated dental procedures

Many patients think that multiple visits to the dentist are needed in order to obtain an excellent root canal treatment so they get surprised when the whole treatment finishes only in one session. In fact, efficient doctors prefer single visit treatments as they reduces inter-appointment microbial contamination and are generally more convenient to the patient

Sadly, tooth extraction has long been the go-to procedure for most of the people who experience pain! For which endodontists always reply that saving natural teeth is the best option as nothing can completely replace the natural tooth. In fact, root canal treatment along with an appropriate restoration is usually less expensive than extraction and placement of a bridge or an implant.

Benefits of the root canal procedure over pulling a tooth include the ability to bite normally, chew comfortably, and retain the natural look of your smile. Nothing looks, feels or functions quite like your natural teeth so be wise when it comes to dental choices. A tooth that has had a proper root canal treatment often lasts a lifetime so you can keep smiling with confidence!

Ibaa A. Affana, DDS

Specialist, Endodontics

International Medical Center, Jeddah