Is root canal therapy painful?
Rarely. If the tooth can be made numb with a local anesthetic—the procedure will be painless. Rarely, a tooth is too infected or inflamed to be able to be made numb, so antibiotics and pain relievers are administered for a few days until the tooth improves and can be anesthetized. Once the tooth is numb, you feel pressure during treatment, but no pain. Some patients are difficult to anesthetize and may require more anesthetic than others to obtain complete anesthesia. When the numbness wears off, there may be some discomfort for a few days due to inflammation in the periodontal ligament and bone at the tip end of the root, created by removing the nerve.
