What Can I Expect During A Root Canal

When faced with a decayed and infected tooth, your best solution may be a root-canal procedure that cleans, disinfects, and stabilizes your tooth. A root canal saves your natural tooth, so you don’t have to face extraction and tooth replacement.

However, you may wonder what happens during a root canal procedure. Your main question is probably, “Will it hurt?” The answer is a resounding “No.”

At Miracle Smile Dental in Aubrey, Texas, expert dentist Nisha Modi, DMD, and our team ensure that your root canal is pain-free, thanks to our advanced sedation dentistry options. Here's what to expect if you’re about to get your first root canal procedure.

A root canal saves your tooth

Even though half of the adults over age 64 in the United States have lost at least one tooth, the oral health of women and men has improved significantly over the past two decades. In fact, the number of people who’ve lost all their teeth is at an all-time low, thanks to improvements in oral health care and declines in cigarette smoking (which destroys teeth and gums).

Another reason that adults have more teeth is that dentists regularly perform root canal procedures to save and restore natural teeth. A root canal allows a tooth to stay in your mouth that may have fallen out or been extracted, and it helps your other teeth maintain their positions and health.

A root canal disinfects your tooth

Root canals are tubes that run from the pulp in the center of your tooth all the way down into your roots. The pulp and root canals contain nerves that become irritated and painful if you develop an infection in your tooth. 

When Dr. Modi performs a root canal, she opens the top of your tooth and removes all the infected material from the pulp and root canals. She then cleans out and disinfects the entire tooth and roots.

She fills the empty tooth and roots with a substance called gutta-percha, a type of latex full of resin. The gutta-percha creates stability and strength in your tooth.

A root canal is not painful

When you read the phrase, “she opens the top of your tooth,” you may wonder how that could happen without any pain. Thanks to advances in sedation dentistry, we perform an entire root canal without you feeling anything other than a small amount of pressure.

You don’t even have to be asleep for your root canal. We anesthetize your tooth and gums with quick injections. You feel a slight pinch when the needle goes in, but that’s it for pain.

In addition to the anesthetic, we also administer medications that help you feel relaxed, calm, and pain-free. We discuss your options before your procedure so you know what to expect. If you opt for an oral sedative, you should take it about a half hour before your procedure.

You get crowned

After Dr. Modi cleans and stabilizes your root canal and tooth, she takes final impression molds of your tooth and analyzes your tooth color so she can order a customized crown.

In the meantime, she applies a temporary crown to keep your restored tooth safe while you await your customized crown. When your crown arrives from the lab, you come to the office again where she removes the temporary crown and replaces it with the permanent crown.

You keep your tooth

The best part of a root canal is that you get to keep your natural tooth for the rest of your life, as long as you maintain good oral health habits. Brush and floss your restored tooth just as if it were your actual tooth — because it is!

Be sure to brush at least twice daily or ideally after each meal. Floss at least once a day. Insert the floss under the gumline to avoid plaque buildup that could harden into tartar.

A root canal is an easy, pain-free way to keep your tooth and natural smile. If you need a root canal procedure, contact our Miracle Smile Dental team at 469-765-3567 or use our convenient online booking tool.