What to Expect During a Root Canal

[Marian]

Hello

I have been told by my dentist that my front tooth has infection and needs a root canal. I have never had a root canal before and would like to know what I should expect to happen during a root canal treatment procedure?

Some of my friends tell me that never again will they have a root canal and they have hated it, I am worried that it might be the same for me. Could you please let me know what is going to be done to me during a root canal procedure.

[Dr Mohsen J. Esfahani]

Thank you for your post.

Root canal treatment begins with really good anaesthesia to ensure the patient does not feel any pain during the treatment. The tooth is then isolated with a rubber dam to prevent bacteria entering the tooth. The tooth is then prepared and the infected nerve tissue removed.

The canal lengths are measured with X-rays and apex locators. The canals are shaped with rotary and hand files. The roots are finally filled with plastic root filling material and a filling placed inside the tooth.

The whole procedure should be painless, so you should have no worries. Afterwards though there can be some pain and you may need to take some pain killers. The whole procedure from start to finish might take between 1-2hours and it might be done in one or two visits.