Why does root canal take so long?

[Dafne]

Hi

I have a tooth that needs a root canal and I have been doing a bit of research on the internet on root canal treatment. It seems that the procedure sometimes takes 2 hours to complete.

I had a tooth capped last years and that took about one hour and I was so bored sitting in the dental chair and not being able to do anything or go anywhere.

Could you explain why does root canal take so long and if there are ways of speeding up the root canal procedure or if that's not possible, at least making the procedure a bit less boring.

[Dr Mohsen J. Esfahani]

There is a lot involved in root canal treatment. The tooth will have to be isolated well, canals have to be all found, cleaned well and filled accurately sometimes to within 0.5 mm of the end of the root. So it needs to be done with patience and accurately for good results.

You can bring your Ipod or watch a movie during the procedure, that should make it a bit less boring for you.