It’s 3 a.m. and you’re staring at the wall. The heating pad is on under your pillow case and you’ve bunched and scrunched it as carefully as possible to try to apply it to your jaw, but not your eyes and nose*. You’ve taken Tylenol and Naproxen and you’re contemplating taking some Ibuprofen, too, even though you know it’s dangerous to mix NSAID medications (like Advil, Aleve, and Asprin)**. Two hours ago, you used up your baby’s tube of Orajel just in case it would help; but it didn’t.
Your alarm will go off in two-and-a-half hours and you haven’t slept a wink. The only thing you can do is feel the horrible throbbing in your tooth and wish that it would stop.
In the morning, it’s all you can do to feed the kids and get them to their designated places. You didn’t eat anything or drink anything except coffee. And let’s face it, the caffeine was necessary, but the pain of hot liquid in your mouth was completely awful. You won’t get anything done today because all you can do is feel the horrible throbbing in your tooth and wish that it would stop.
Pain Free Root Canals in Katy, Tx.!
Isn’t it time to call the dentist? A toothache is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. As the pain gets more severe, it begins screaming for you to take care of it.
Now, some people are more afraid of the pain of getting a toothache treated and would rather live with the pain. But that poses a threat to your health and is ultimately based on the misconception that root canals hurt.
At Grand Parkway Smiles, we do everything possible to make sure your root canal treatment is NOT painful at all.
When your tooth is aching so bad that you can’t sleep, think, or function, the problem goes deeper than a cavity. Pain of this nature is typically caused by an abscess, which is a pocket of infection that surrounds the root of the tooth. You may feel it as a swollen lump or tender spot on your gums near the tooth. The abscess puts pressure on the nerve in the root, causing it to throb painfully.
Old Vs. New
Old dental techniques called for the tooth to be pulled or treated while the infection was still active. This is what used to cause pain during a root canal procedure, and why it got such a bad rap. Some modern dentists will even open the infection to drain it before the procedure; this can also cause unnecessary pain. Nine times out of ten, if you have an infection, what you need is an antibiotic before your scheduled root canal. This will kill the initial infection as well as the pain, so your root canal treatment will be easy and pain free.
Still Not Convinced About How Painless a Grand Parkway Smiles Root Canal Is?
With any filling or root canal, your GPS dentist in Katy will numb the area: first, we’ll will use a topical gel so you won’t feel the injection, then a dose of local anesthesia to numb the entire affected area. Once your mouth is numb, you can either proceed with the root canal or add nitrous oxide (laughing gas) to further relax your body and act as a light sedative.
At this point, your mouth is numb, and you may be very relaxed under the gas. You may notice some light vibrations, but won’t feel any of the remaining procedure. The final portion of a root canal is placing the permanent crown. It can take up to two weeks for the new crown to come back from the lab, but when it does, the placement and fitting will only take a half hour or so.
Not Everyone Wants Nitrous for a Root Canal
Although nitrous oxide is a dental industry standard, our Fort Bend County root canal dentists recognize that not everyone wants to use it. Some people need something even stronger.
If you don’t want laughing gas, but do need sedation to take care of your root canal, consult with our dentists about the other sedative options available.
Grand Parkway Smiles is proud to offer oral conscious sedation. About 20 minutes before your treatment, you can take a pill that will take all the edges off, leaving you very relaxed and feeling quite sleepy. You might not even remember having the root canal!
If you would rather “just be put under” for the procedure, general IV anesthetic can also be arranged.
In either situation, you will need a friend or family member to come with you to the appointment; you won’t be able to drive yourself home after oral sedation or general anesthesia!
No Fear Here
Grand Parkway Smiles knows that dental anxiety is a real thing You need gentle treatment, especially when you have severe tooth pain. You have nothing to fear from our talented and experienced root canal dentists, who will work hard to put you at ease and make you comfortable. We even keep blankets and televisions in our exam rooms to help distract you from your procedure!
When you have a bad toothache the only thing to fear is how much worse it will get if the infection spreads to your other teeth or your jaw. But a root canal? You can look forward to that as a relief from pain and the treatment for a tooth that would otherwise cause you problems.
Make your appointment with Grand Parkway Smiles today to consult with our dentists about your smile. We are located right on the Grand Parkway next to Gallery Furniture, you’re never far from the path to a healthy smile.
*Don’t do this. Primarily because sleeping with a heating pad is a fire hazard and health hazard. Secondly because heat will only make the toothache worse!
**Don’t do this either. Pay attention to the warnings on the back of your OTC medications; don’t mix medicines without specific orders from a doctor.