As you can imagine, it’s hard for dental professionals such as ourselves to hear of procedures used as euphemisms for terrible, terrifying things. The phrase “like pulling teeth” comes to mind. Dr. Brad Greenfield, who treats root canals in Lake Orion, MI, explains that much has changed in the past decade. Dental procedures are now performed more safely, quickly, and comfortably than ever thanks to intensive training and advancements in dental technology.
Do I Really Need a Root Canal?
First, let’s clear up some confusion about the name of the treatment itself. The procedure isn’t actually called a root canal; it’s a root canal treatment or root canal therapy. Actually, everyone has several root canals in each of their teeth. These miniscule tubules begin deep within your tooth in a bundle of nerves and tissue. When an infection strikes your tooth, these nerves are exposed and you experience pain. Without treatment, an abscess or infection originating near the root of your tooth may cause the tooth to become non-vital, that is, dead.
But Won’t a Root Canal Treatment Hurt?
Some discomfort is to be expected following your procedure, but take a moment to put this into perspective. Suppose you’ve just broken your leg while playing football. When you arrive at the emergency room, you don’t question that the bone must be stabilized and set to ensure proper healing. To do so, the surgeon must actually touch and manipulate your leg before encasing it within a cast. The cast isn’t the painful part; the fracture is. You certainly wouldn’t shy away from having the broken bone set, knowing that to do so would cause even greater pain and damage. Root canal treatment is the same way. No, it’s not fun or painless, but it is absolutely necessary. Dr. Greenfield also offers multiple sedation options for patients who have anxiety or fear about having dental work completed.
Will I Require Restorative Dentistry?
Most patients will require further dental work to reinforce the affected tooth or teeth. Otherwise, you will be unable to eat and speak as before. Dr. Greenfield generally restores the infection-free tooth using a CEREC dental crown, which can be placed in a single office visit. That brings us to another misconception–that treating infected root canals requires several lengthy office visits. And as for metal fillings, visible to all when you open your mouth to eat or speak? No thank you! Our patients appreciate that our crowns are tooth-colored so others will be unable to tell that you’ve undergone a dental procedure.
Delaying a root canal treatment is dangerous. To learn more about our services, or to schedule a consultation with Dr. Brad Greenfield, contact Lake Orion Family Dentistry at 248-693-6213. We welcome patients living in and around Lake Orion, Royal Oak.
