Does root canal treatment hurt is the question I am asked more than any other, usually with real apprehension behind it. The honest answer is no. Root canal treatment is carried out under thorough local anaesthetic, and most patients describe it afterwards as feeling much like having a long filling.
The reputation belongs to a different era of dentistry, and it deserves correcting, because fear of this treatment keeps people in genuine toothache for weeks unnecessarily.
On this page
- The honest answer
- Where the reputation came from
- What it actually feels like
- How you feel afterwards
- What if I am already in pain?
- The alternative is worse
- If you are genuinely frightened
- What to take away
The honest answer
Root canal treatment relieves pain rather than causing it. That is the fundamental thing people have backwards.
The pain associated with root canals is the toothache that leads people to need one: an infected or dying nerve inside the tooth, which is genuinely one of the more unpleasant pains there is. The treatment removes that nerve tissue, which is precisely what makes the pain stop.
During treatment, the tooth and surrounding area are completely numbed, and numbness is tested and confirmed before anything begins. You should feel pressure and movement, but not pain.
Where the reputation came from
Two things, both historical.
Decades ago, anaesthetic techniques, instruments and materials were considerably less advanced, and treatment was slower and less comfortable. That generation’s stories have been passed down, and they have outlived the reality by a long way.
The second reason is more subtle. People often arrive for root canal treatment already in severe pain, sometimes having endured it for days. The association between “root canal” and “agony” is real, but the agony came first and the treatment ended it.
What it actually feels like
Practically, here is the experience:
- Numbing. A local anaesthetic injection, no different from having a filling. This is usually the only part you feel.
- Waiting a few minutes, and I will check the tooth is properly numb before starting. Extra time and care is taken here if the tooth is inflamed, because inflamed tissue can be harder to numb.
- Access. A small opening is made in the tooth, which feels much like a filling being prepared.
- Cleaning the canals. Fine instruments clean the root canals. You feel movement and hear the instruments, but no pain.
- Sealing. The canals are filled and sealed.
The main challenge most patients report is keeping their mouth open for a while, rather than any discomfort. Appointments typically run around an hour, sometimes longer for back teeth with several canals, and treatment is completed in one or two visits depending on the infection.
How you feel afterwards
Some tenderness for a few days is normal as the surrounding tissues settle, particularly when biting on that tooth. Ordinary painkillers taken as the packet directs handle it comfortably for most people.
What patients most often report is relief: the deep, throbbing toothache that brought them in has gone.
Afterwards the tooth is restored, and back teeth usually need a crown to protect them, because root-treated teeth become more brittle over time. Our post on how long crowns last covers that stage.
What if I am already in pain?
Then getting treated sooner rather than later is very much in your interests, and pain is not a reason to delay.
Where a tooth is acutely inflamed, extra care is taken with the numbing, and additional techniques are available if a tooth proves stubborn to anaesthetise. Occasionally antibiotics are used first to settle an acute infection so treatment can be carried out comfortably, though as our post on whether antibiotics cure tooth infections explains, they settle rather than solve.
If you are in pain now, ring us early in the day on 01255 422506. Our post on what counts as a dental emergency covers when to call urgently.
The alternative is worse
Worth stating plainly: leaving an infected tooth untreated does not resolve it. The infection progresses, often to an abscess, which is considerably more painful than the treatment being avoided, and it can damage the bone around the tooth to the point where the tooth becomes unsaveable.
The realistic choice is not between root canal treatment and nothing. It is between root canal treatment and losing the tooth, and our page on tooth extractions explains what the second road involves.
If you are genuinely frightened
Say so when you book, and it changes how the appointment is run. Everything is explained before it happens, you can agree a signal to pause at any point, and nothing starts until you are completely numb and ready.
Gentle care for anxious patients is something this practice is known for, and a good many of our calmest patients arrived as our most apprehensive. The NHS page on root canal treatment is worth reading too, as accurate information helps more than reassurance alone.
What to take away
Root canal treatment does not hurt. It is carried out under thorough anaesthetic, feels much like a long filling, and removes the toothache that made it necessary. A few days of mild tenderness afterwards is normal and settles quickly.
If you have been told you need root canal treatment and the thought is worrying you, ring us on 01255 422506 and let us talk it through before you commit to anything. Our page on root canal treatment explains the whole process.
This article is general information rather than personal dental advice. Every mouth is different, so please speak to your dentist about your own teeth.
