Nobody thinks there are fun facts about root canals. In fact, the words “fun” and “root canal” don’t ever really exist in the same sentence. These words are not friends, they are normally estranged from each other, but we’re going to change that today. Does that mean this article is historical? Ask your teeth.
A fellow by the name of Philip Pfaff published the very first textbook on dentistry in 1756, which traces us back to the very first documentation of what would be called root canal surgery. Good old Philip Pfaff and his propensity to explore people’s mouths with great interest and zeal means he eventually became “The Founder of German Dentistry” and was the official court dentist of King Frederick the Great. You can even visit Berlin and walk into the doors of The Philipp Pfaff Institute, a place for students to train for state dental associations in Berlin and Brandenburg.
The root canal gets a bad rap, and that’s probably because back in the day before anesthesia (you know, the dark ages) pretty much getting anything done to your teeth was painful and stressful. But today, we are in the twenty-first century and truthfully the procedure is no more painful than having a routine filling. We even have the amazing benefit of antibiotics to prevent infection in this modern age, so really, root canals are not the monolithic nightmare your Grandpa thinks is still happening in dental offices today. Listen to us, not to him!
This doesn’t mean that after you get a root canal, you can just chew on ice and think you won’t feel pain. While replacing infected pulp in the cavity of your tooth is pretty routine, you can expect your tooth to be sensitive after treatment, so don’t reach for the jawbreakers just yet. If you are experiencing constant pain after the procedure, however, call your dentist, because that’s not supposed to happen. You should have proper and sufficient pain medication during and after the root canal procedure and pain that doesn’t go away is a sign that something may be wrong.
There is an 85% success rate for a well-performed root canal, and if you can avoid complications like tooth fracture, advanced root decay or extreme bone loss around the tooth, the treatment can last a lifetime. That means you just get that root canal once and you’ll never have to worry about it again. That’s probably a better option than suffering through a painful, infected tooth.
Anyone wanting quality, state of the art dental services coupled with an atmosphere of care and consideration needs to visit the practice of Dr. Cris Durghinescu California. For a root canal or any other procedure, get in touch today.
