“Will I need anesthesia for a root canal?”
I am a 26 year old female who will have a root canal next week. Will I need anesthesia for a root canal?
6 Answers
Local anesthesia is preferred
Root canal is done under local anesthesia.
I had a root canal done on my tooth a few weeks ago and I did not have anesthesia. I have done many RCT's without anesthesia. Most people are too afraid to try it, but often the nerves are totally gone in the tooth, and drilling in the tooth does not cause pain. If I think that may be the case, I offer the patient to try and do it without anesthesia , but if it starts to hurt, I would immediately numb the area. Practically speaking, most of the time, the dentist will numb you, but if you really hate that numb feeling, it's worth a try!
Yes
Most likely your tooth will need to be anesthetized with a local anesthetic.
Some root canals can be performed without anesthesia and there was a time when I recommended no anesthesia for certain situations. But why risk pain unnecessarily? Local anesthesia is so simple and wears off in a few hours. Take the anesthetic is my advice.
