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While root canals aren’t in the least funny, some of the myths around them are pretty laughable. But they can still scare you away from getting treatment. And that’s the last thing you should do, delay a needed root canal treatment (RCT)! Putting off treatment and avoiding it altogether can leave your smile in worse shape and is the exact opposite of what you should do. Instead, read on to better understand the myths surrounding root canals so you can make an informed decision that can save you a lot of pain and misery.
Common Root Canal Myths That Are Safe To Ignore
When it comes to severely damaged teeth, avoiding treatment may cost you the tooth altogether. Waiting takes you to a point of no return, and in most cases, saving a tooth is the best option you can choose. That’s mainly because natural teeth are the better option, for the simple reason that no tooth replacement is as strong as your natural tooth.
Fun fact: Natural teeth are quite simply the strongest element in your body, which is why they can handle the incredible bite force and pressure whenever you are chewing. This makes teeth valuable when it comes to saving them.
- Root canals are painful: Sure, they were long ago, but not so today! Thanks to modern advances in technology and technique, a root canal is pretty much like getting a cavity filled today. A painful toothache is the worst you can experience, and the relief when it is treated with a root canal is palpable.
- Root canal treatment can make you sick down the road: False! With all of our advances today, there is no scientific evidence to back up this claim, which was espoused a century ago before we know what we do today.
- Pulling a tooth is better than getting an RCT: Dental restorations have come a long way, but nothing compares to the function of your natural teeth. Saving a tooth has a high success rate, and a well-done RCT can often last for your lifetime. If you replace a tooth using a dental bridge or implant, you might very well impact the surrounding teeth and tissue later, causing problems.
- Why have a root canal treatment if the tooth will eventually need to go? Truth is, today’s RCTs don’t just save an infected tooth but are highly successful, so you don’t end up needing the tooth to be extracted. The longer you postpone getting a root canal treatment, the more at risk you are to lose the tooth.
- If you’re not experiencing pain in the tooth, you don’t need an RCT: It’s not uncommon for a bad tooth not to cause you pain. Our endodontist can examine the affected tooth’s pulp to assess whether it is infected or otherwise impaired to determine if a root canal is needed.
- If you get a root canal treatment, your tooth roots or the entire tooth are taken out: Our endodontist saves the tooth by cleaning out the canals and shaping them on the inside. We only take out the infected nerve tissue and tooth pulp to get rid of the harmful bacterial infection. The result is a healthier, stabilized tooth.
Get the RCT You Need
Our endodontist’s goal is to save your natural teeth as they are the strongest part of your body, making them the better option over any replacement tooth. Your smile is worth investing in, as it can make you look and feel your best. And remember, if you have a painful toothache, a root canal treatment can have you feeling better in no time!