Joel Hirschhorn

My First Root Canal



Posted: Wednesday, April 21, 2010

by Joel Hirschhorn
http://www.delusionaldemocracy.com

At 70 years old I thought I had escaped what endless numbers of people have long talked about in the most negative ways. Everyone seemed to use a root canal procedure by dentists as the hallmark of an awful, painful and despised experience. Want to describe something as terrible, just liken it to a root canal.

And so with great trepidation I entered the offices of the endodontic specialists after my usual dentist had given up on figuring out the source of my continuing tooth pain.

After taking several x-rays and doing other tests the specialist concluded that I needed a root canal. I expressed my fears after hearing nothing but negative things about the procedure. He truly comforted me by emphasizing that the bad reputation of root canal had everything to do with it being done by far too many dentists that lack the expertise and experience. He emphasized that when specialists like him who perform root canals many times a day, everyday, there really is nothing to fear. He promised it would probably be less painful than a routine filling of a cavity.

He took considerable time in giving me sufficient pain killer injections to prevent any discomfort. What does the root canal procedure do exactly? The pulp inside the internal cavity is cleaned out, the space disinfected and then filled. Usually the tooth is subsequently capped.

Indeed, I now can say without any reservations that my first root canal was done without any pain whatsoever. True, it took quite awhile and it was tiring to keep my mouth open for that time, but the total experience was a breeze. For the life of me I cannot relate at all to the seemingly infinite number of horror stories about root canal experiences. All you need to do apparently is make sure you go to a first rate specialist.

Sure, the whole procedure reminded me of how a plumber clears out clogging pipes and there was a lot of noise from various kinds of high speed drilling into the tooth. But compared to a number of medical procedures I have had to endure the root canal one was remarkably free of pain and discomfort.

So lose your fears about having a root canal procedure. Just make sure you go to a real endodontic specialist. It will not be cheap, but it will be easily handled.

Joel S. Hirschhorn has succeeded as: a full professor, University of Wisconsin, Madison; a senior staffer, U.S. Congress (Office of Technology Assessment); head of an environmental consulting company; Director of Environment, Energy and Natural Resources, National Governors Association; now an author and consultant. Recent books are: Sprawl Kills - How Blandburbs Steal Your Time, Health and Money, and Delusional Democracy - Fixing the Republic Without Overthrowing the Government. He has published hundreds of articles in newspapers, magazines, journals and on many web magazine sites. He has given hundreds of talks at a wide range of conferences worldwide. He focuses on American culture, politics and government, and health issues.
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)
» left by Brianna Popsickle
 2 years 34 days ago.
121 fans.
Good to know Joel. Thank you. We've all got it coming!
» left by Dianne Lehmann
 2 years 34 days ago.
137 fans.
Hi Joel.
 
I had a tooth extracted recently and from what I've read about root canals, extraction is way worse. I might have to get a root canal done today. They won't know until they get the crown off. But it is nice to know that your experience matches up with what I've read.
 
Thanks,
Dianne
» left by Linda Foxworth
 2 years 33 days ago.
7 fans.
Thanks for sharing this experience. I agree; root canals aren't so bad. I especially enjoyed reading this today as I had periodontal surgery and the novacaine is just now wearing off...ow, ow, ow. I'd rather have a root canal.
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