Every year dentists across the country perform more than 15 million root canals on their patients. While it’s a common procedure, root canals have a bad reputation and cause a lot of worry and stress to patients.
There are so many misconceptions floating around about this kind of dental work. It’s important to ask all the questions about root canals you have to your dentist prior to getting any work done. This will help ease your mind and allow you to feel as prepared as possible beforehand.
If you’re worried you’ll miss some important information, check out this guide for the top seven questions to ask your dentist!
Table of Contents
1. Will This Solve My Problems?
The whole point of getting a root canal would be improving your dental health. If it’s not going to do that, there’s no point in getting the procedure done.
Chances are if your dentist has brought up this procedure as an option you’ve been having some pain in a particular tooth. This pain generally manifests itself through extreme sensitivity to hot or cold, which can be very disruptive to daily life. A patient may also feel a kind of shooting pain sensation on occasion.
Discuss with your dentist whether getting a root canal and cleaning out the damaged nerves from the tooth with solve the specific problems you’re experiencing.
2. Is it Going to Hurt?
A root canal has a bad reputation mainly because many people have heard how painful the procedure is for the patient. Pain is often the first thing mentioned when people discuss this with each other.
In reality, the root canal procedure itself isn’t painful but the pain causing the need for the procedure is. Many people can’t separate the two after time and associate the pain with the procedure instead, you can read more now to get a clear understanding yourself.
Like most dental procedures, there will be numbing agents used to prevent any pain to you. You can discuss pain management techniques with your dentist prior to the procedure to make sure you can avoid that bad side effect altogether and figure out a plan you’re comfortable with.
3. How Long is Recovery?
Taking care of any health issue can be time-consuming and difficult to fit into a busy schedule. There’s really no good time to pause your regular schedule to get a procedure done.
That’s why it’s helpful to understand what after the root canal will look like so you can plan your schedule accordingly.
In general, most people have no recovery time other than the period where the anesthesia hasn’t worn off yet. While you may experience some tenderness for a day or two, you should be able to return to regular activities immediately.
4. What Can I Do to Prepare?
If you’re going to get any dental work done, you want it to be as effective as possible to avoid any future problems. One way you can ensure this is the case is to talk to your dentist about how to prepare before coming to the office.
For most cases, there won’t be any extra work that needs to be done beforehand. But it’s a good idea to make sure you have pain relievers on hand and a soft toothbrush just in case you experience tenderness following.
Your dentist knows your teeth and mouth best, so consult them for the best results.
5. How Does the Process Work?
Dental work is so stressful for so many because of how mysterious it all seems. All you can see are a bunch of hands and instruments in your mouth. And there’s a lot of noise but you can’t really feel anything to know what’s going on. It’s an overwhelming experience, to say the least.
Understanding exactly what’s going on and how a root canal works can ease a lot of this anxiety.
When your dentist explains what will happen, you can follow along during the actual procedure to gauge how much longer and keep yourself as calm as possible.
6. Will My Tooth Look Different?
Another reason many people are so worried about root canals is that they think their tooth will appear damaged in the future. This actually makes sense since the dentist will be removing the nerve from inside the tooth.
Talking with your dentist about concerns over the appearance of your tooth in the future should ease some concerns.
Most teeth have no difference in appearance after they’ve undergone a root canal. They stay the same color, shape, and sturdiness. The only difference is that the tooth will function better and you’ll be in much less pain on a regular basis.
7. Can it Be Avoided?
Even after discussing all of these questions with your dentist, you still may feel uncomfortable and nervous about the procedure. This may lead you to ask if there’s any way to avoid getting it done.
Most likely, if you’re already experiencing the pain and sensitivity a root canal is your best option to change that. The procedure is quick, with no downtime, and shows great results. It’s not something that should be scary or avoided since it can help so much with daily life.
Once you’ve had the procedure to fix your injured tooth, you can avoid having to get it again in the future by practicing good oral hygiene and trying to protect the teeth from any cracks as much as possible.
Questions About Root Canals to Ask Your Dentist
Many people feel a lot of distress and anxiety when they have to get any dental work done. It’s hard to know what’s really going on when you’re in the chair and can’t see anything, which can be disconcerting.
But if you take the time to ask questions about root canals before your appointment, you can feel confident that you made the right choice of procedure. You’ll know exactly what’s going on throughout the session, what to expect afterward, and how to better take care of your teeth in the future. Knowledge is truly power in this kind of situation.
If you’re interested in learning more about health and wellness, check out our other articles today!