Root Canal Nerve Changing Your View Of Root Canals

The root canal nerve is one of the most feared nerves in the entire human nervous system. There may be no more ominous words than, “you need a root canal.”

In spite of all the advancements of modern dentistry there is still great fear and anxiety associated with endodontic treatment (root canal therapy).

That's why I wrote the short book, The Relaxed Root Canal. I wanted to clear up the confusion and answer the common questions asked about root canals. On this page I would like to shed some light on the root canal nerve.

One of the common misconceptions about root canals is that the dentist is going to “cut the nerve out of my tooth.” That really isn’t what happens at all. Let me explain more about the root canal nerve.

Your tooth is composed of both hard and soft tissues. You’re familiar with the white, hard outer tissue visible structure above your gum line. That is the enamel.

Beneath the enamel is another hard tissue called the dentin. The dentin is the final layer of protection for the underlying soft tissue known as the dental pulp.

The dental pulp is very important to the health of a young and developing tooth. The pulp is actually the tissue that builds your tooth when you are a child.

Once your tooth has completely formed the pulp has no real function in maintaining an adult tooth.

Many people refer to the dental pulp as the root canal nerve. But that isn’t totally accurate. The pulp does contain some nerve fibers but it also contains the all-important blood supply for the developing tooth.

The problem with the pulp comes when you have a deep cavity or filling or even a crack in the tooth. When the dental pulp becomes inflamed or infected it must be removed. The procedure that accomplishes this is called endodontic treatment or a root canal.

So it isn’t like you are having a root canal nerve cut out of your tooth. Instead, small instruments and irrigating solutions are used to clean the diseased pulp tissue from inside the tooth. Once this is accomplished the space inside your root is filled with a root canal filling material.

Essentially a root canal is more like having a deep filling placed than it is having a root canal nerve cut out of the tooth. I hope this simple explanation helps you overcome some of your fear and anxiety about endodontic treatment.

I’ve performed thousands of root canals over the past 20+ years. Most patients have at least a little fear and anxiety about endodontic treatment. In The Relaxed Root Canal  I answer more than 80 of the most commonly asked questions about root canals.

For more information CLICK HERE.

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