You have probably ended up on this page to know about the process of a root canal and whether it hurts or not. You are probably going to get a root canal done yourself or maybe for your children. Here is an inside look into how it all starts and what happens during the process.

When the pulp of the tooth gets damaged due to the cavity in the tooth, cracking of the tooth or any injury to a tooth, it needs to be treated in order to avoid the filling of pus in the tooth. Once the damaged pulp is removed, the tooth is cleaned and the root canal is filled and sealed. The tooth no longer suffers any pain after this process as the life of the tooth is no more and a crown is used to cover the tooth which acts as a new artificial tooth afterwards.

Does a root canal hurt?

The fear of getting a root canal treatment keeps thousands of patients away from dentists for years, until their tooth leads to further decay and damage. This fear may ultimately be more painful if you avoid getting it done at the right stage. The need for getting a root canal arises when the pulp of the tooth gets infected due to some reasons or an injury. If it is not treated at the right time, the effects of it may worsen which might lead to filling of a yellowish substance called pus in the tooth. This might also lead to the decay of the neighboring teeth and the gums which may worsen over time.

The fear of a root canal treatment in most people is due to the procedure which was used in the past which was very painful and when there was a lack of modern technique and medicines. During a root canal, the person’s nerves are snubbed just like they are during a filling. Analgesics or local anesthesia are commonly used during this treatment which brings the pain levels to negligible and hence the patient may feel relaxed while the treatment is going on.

Getting a root canal treatment before the rotting tooth becomes a problem would be a wise decision in order to avoid a long term decay of the tooth leading to severe pains in future.

After all, avoiding a root canal is not a way to avoid pain at all. I hope that the basic questions on does a root canal hurt have been answered. Lets move on to what happens next.

What happens afterwards?

Once the root canal treatment is done, the tooth is covered by a crown which prevents the direct contact of the original tooth with the food we eat. The crown acts as a cap to the tooth and provides strength to the original tooth. It also acts as a protective covering and may last life long depending upon the quality of crown we chose. However, if we do not choose to get a crown over the treated tooth, the tooth may get brittle and become prone to a fracture over a period of time.

Does a root canal require a crown always?

Most people wonder if they require a crown after the treatment. Crowns should be more often used if a root canal treatment is done for molars as molars receive maximum stress while eating food. However, crowns can be less often used when there is enough enamel left on the tooth. Crowns protect the treated tooth from getting brittle and getting fractured.