It’s a moment that nobody ever wants to face: The dentist pulls back in their chair and utters the unspeakable words, “I think you’re going to need a root canal”. Your face feels
flushed, your hands begin to shake, and your eyes begin to well with tears. Then
it’s - “OMG, A ROOT CANAL!!!”
Root canals are one of
the most dreaded procedures the entire world. It makes me cringe when I
hear the expression, “I would rather have a root canal than _________” (fill in
the blank with the most unpleasant, demeaning, disgusting activity known to
humankind). Contrary to popular belief, root canals have come a long way and they are no
longer the painful, time consuming procedures that they used to be. In
fact, most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference between getting a root
canal and getting a simple filling.
My favorite thing to tell patients is that our Valencia dental practice loves performing root canals. That being said, our dentists understand
that our patients don’t share the same enthusiasm. We love doing them because,
professionally, they are one of the most challenging procedures to
do, and honestly, we are really good at doing them. But we will try to avoid performing root canals because we know that patients cannot stand going through them.
So how do we determine whether or not a
Root Canal is necessary? If the nerve of a tooth has died or has even been compromised, it must be removed. Generally, we will
access the nerve by creating an opening from the top of the tooth. The nerve and blood supply is then removed with small instruments
which are fractions of millimeters in diameter. Once the nerve of the
tooth is removed, we widen the tooth space where the nerve once was. This space is called the “root
canal”, and clearing it out enables us to fill the tooth with a special filling material. Even though the tooth’s nerve and associated blood supply is no
longer present, the tooth structure can last for many many years provided a
crown is placed on it.
So you can see why root
canals can be associated with pain; we are essentially working on an exposed
nerve. That is why anesthesia is so important. Without it, the patient would be in a great deal of discomfort. If you are really anxious, your body may lower the
effectiveness of the anesthetic so we have options like nitrous oxide and
twilight sleep available for you.
Our doctors have invested
a lot of resources to acquire the latest root canal therapy equipment and to become experts in the most advanced techniques. Root Canals used to take
3 appointments of 2 hours to complete but now we can complete most procedures
in just one appointment of 1 ½ each. The procedure not only is completed
faster but it is also far more accurate, resulting in greater success rates.
Many emergencies that we
see with our new patients are from root canals that have been done poorly in
the past. Like I mentioned before, root canal procedures are one of the most difficult procedures to perform in dentistry. Not every dentist has
the ability and resources to perform root canals with excellent long term results. When we see cases of failed root canals, we have a great
team of root canal specialists that we can consult.
From all of as at Go Dental, we
truly hope that you never need a root canal. But if you do, rest
assured, you are in great hands.
Sincerely,
Dr. Christopher Go
When gums are inflamed, bacteria
from the mouth have a way to get into the bloodstream. Once there, these
bacteria can attach to platelets (blood clotting cell fragments). Clumps
of bacteria and platelets together form aggregates that attach to blood vessel
walls, leading to the blockage of arteries and heart disease. 
