The words “root canal” often evoke feelings of fear and anxiety in many people. Historically, root canals have this bad reputation of being scary and painful. Today, the pain leading up to receiving your root canal is more painful than the actual root canal procedure itself. With improved technology made in the recent decades, root canals are no longer painful procedures. In fact, root canals stop the pain that has caused you to get a root canal done in the first place. Common Causes of a Root Canals Inside every tooth there is a strand of “dental pulp.” Dental pulp supplies the tooth with nerves, nutrition, tissue, and blood vessels. Sometimes that pulp can get infected or damaged. At that point, it’s likely that you will need to receive a root canal. Common causes of irritated tooth pulp or nerves are deep decay, repeated dental procedures on a tooth, large fillings, crack or chip in the tooth, or injuries to the face. Root Canal Therapy Depending on your situation, a root canal can take one to three dentist office visits. The first step in the procedure is to take an x-ray to see the shape of the root canals and if there is any type of serious infection in the surrounding area. After that, your dentist will use anesthesia to numb the area near the tooth so you won’t feel any pain during the procedure. If you’re still feeling anxious about undergoing a root canal, Sunrise Dental also offers sedation dentistry. After you’re all numbed up, your dentist will then drill an “access hole” into your tooth. The dental pulp along with the bacteria or debris is removed from your tooth through this hole. The cleaning out process is accomplished by using root canal files of varying sizes. Once the tooth is thoroughly cleaned and flushed out with water, the tooth is then sealed. Some dentists wait to seal the tooth at a later date if medication is needed to treat the infected canal. If that’s the case your dentist will place a temporary filling to keep out contaminants until your next appointment. After sealing the tooth, a crown is placed over the tooth to protect it from breaking and to restore it to its full function. Schedule your Root Canal with Sunrise Dental Do you think you need a root canal? Schedule your appointment with us online at any of our three North Carolina locations: Raleigh, Durham, or Chapel Hill. We’ll be happy to examine your problem tooth and provide you with the next best steps, whether that be a root canal or another one of our restorative services.