Myth: root canals are painful
The pain patients remember is the infected nerve before treatment. Once the tooth is numb and the inflamed pulp is removed, that pain stops. Most patients report the appointment itself was uneventful.
Myth: pulling the tooth is simpler
Extraction creates a new problem: the neighboring teeth drift, the opposing tooth over-erupts, and replacing the tooth with an implant or bridge costs more than saving it. Keeping your natural tooth is almost always the better value.
Myth: root canals cause illness
The focal infection claims circulating online trace back to discredited research from the 1920s. Contemporary evidence does not support them.
Key takeaways
- •Treatment ends nerve pain, it does not cause it.
- •Saving the natural tooth usually costs less over time.
- •Plan for a crown afterward on back teeth.
This article is general information, not a diagnosis. Your situation deserves an exam.