May 6-12 is Root Canal Awareness Week! Woo…hoo?
At first glance, it might seem an odd (or even silly) thing to celebrate and raise awareness about. Root canals? Really?
But if you’ve ever had a root canal, you know firsthand the sweet, sweet, sweet feeling of having your pain relieved after it’s all over. Guess who alleviates that pain? An endodontist. And here’s a little story to illustrate this truth…
In 2015, I was snacking on a bag of pistachios. The kind that are still in their cute little slightly opened clam shells. Now, I know I should have been cracking them open with my fingers and not my teeth. I already know that, so just hush.
But I am here to tell you that when you clamp down on a pistachio shell and subsequently crack your lower right rear molar down to the root, the pain is so intense, it radiates to every nerve ending you possess. Then it shoots out your toenails. It makes you go weak in the knees (and not in a good way).
There were tears. Lots of tears.
An emergency trip to my dentist resulted in a referral to a dental specialist known as an endodontist. It mattered not to me that I didn’t even know what an endodontist was. I dialed his office even before leaving the parking lot of my dentist’s office.
Three days later, I was pain-free!
So, it is my great pleasure and privilege to promote Root Canal Awareness Week. The main purpose of the week is to spotlight the incredibly valuable role endodontists play on the dental team. This week does all of the following:
- Supports endodontists as root canal specialists
- Educates patients about the benefits of root canal treatment
- Dispels myths about root canal treatment
- Builds relationships with other dental professionals
What’s an endodontist, anyway?
Endodontists are superheroes demi-gods dental specialists because they’ve completed an additional two or even more years of focused training beyond dental school.
Their additional training centers on diagnosing tooth pain, performing root canal treatment and conducting other procedures relating to the interior of the tooth. In many cases, a diseased tooth can be saved with endodontic treatment.
