As with any medical or dental procedure, you are going to run into false information leading to myths being perpetrated. Instead of falling prey to information which could actually lead to further dental problems if you wait to have that root canal your dentist recommended, you are doing the right thing. You have come here to find the truth, once and for all. Here are some of the most common root canal myths debunked.

Root Canals Don’t Last

The truth of the matter is that root canals are long lasting because the tooth is preserved. The only thing removed is the pulp that contains the nerves and blood vessels which became damaged, inflamed or infected. Since the tooth is preserved, filled and cemented, the best way to ensure decades of use from that tooth is to add a crown which preserves the cemented filling. Crowned, your tooth looks and acts like the very same tooth that caused you all those problems, minus the pain, of course!

Root Canals Are Too Painful

That is just silly. Nothing is as painful as the toothache that brought you to the dentist in the first place. Yes, you will experience some pressure as the dentist works to remove the pulp, but with modern local anesthesia, you won’t feel pain. Afterwards, when you are sent home and the numbing agent begins to wear off, the area may still be swollen and inflamed due to any lingering vestiges of the infection, but that will pass within days and again, is not nearly as painful as that infected tooth! Take your antibiotics and pain medicine, if prescribed. If the pain doesn’t subside, contact us so that we can get you back in immediately to see what’s going on. Even so, these instances are extremely rare.

Extraction of the Tooth Is Better and Less Painful
No, extracting a tooth is never better. Not only will your teeth begin to shift, and your bite become altered, but you may experience problems down the road with your jaw. As for pain, root canals are found to be much, much less painful than an extraction simply because something isn’t being yanked out of your mouth, to put it bluntly.

Root Canal Procedures Cause Issues with Your Health

This is a myth that dates back just about 100 years. It originated with a dentist, Dr. Weston A. Price, who just so happened to be an extraction expert. Naturally he had a vested interest in talking people into extractions so, we all know why he propagated that myth. Since then, medical science has debunked the myth and in reality, drilling out the infected pulp and disinfecting actually offers better health because you are ridding your body of the cause of infection!

If you have any other concerns and are in a great deal of pain, don’t let old wives’ tales keep you from the root canal treatment you need. As the old saying goes, believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see. Contact us today because we are the best root canal specialist in NYC. Let’s see what we can do about that pain!