Are root canals uncomfortable to have?

Most of the time they are not. If the dentist achieves a good level of local anesthesia, patients undergoing an endodontic procedure experience little or no pain. Yesterday I had my first root canal treatment. My colleague, Stan Lenkowsky, started a root canal on a molar that I had cracked years ago and had become nonvital and was symptomatic. Although, I had suspected that it needed a root canal, I, like many of my own patients, procrastinated because I was worried about how uncomfortable the experience might be. This is especially ironic because I have personally performed hundreds of root canals and most patients have reported little or no discomfort during the procedure.

Stanley, an experienced endodontist in Manhattan who has a great bedside manner, made the experience a comfortable and pleasant one. He was both thorough and gentle and the slight discomfort I did experience was tolerable ( he elected not to give me a palatal injection since it can be uncomfortable and in my case he felt it would be unnecessary).

Although I had no discomfort afterwards, some patients do have some soreness after a root canal procedure and their tooth can be sensitive to biting pressure (this is the reason, often dentists relieve the occlusion of a tooth when performing a root canal). Usually Ibuprofen or Aspiring does a good job of relieving the transient discomfort that patients can have after a root canal procedure.