Writer Explores “The Myth Of Root Canals”

In an article in The Atlantic  (11/1) titled “The Myth Of Root Canals,” staff writer Amanda Mull explores how the reputation of root canal treatment doesn’t fit the experience most patients have with the procedure. She described her own experience with root canal treatment earlier this year after cracking a tooth as “fast” and “painless enough.” Mull said, “When the endodontist told me we were all finished, I thought he might be joking – pop culture had spent years steeling me for an experience that apparently no longer existed.” While some patients can experience discomfort with the procedure, Dr. Asgeir Sigurdsson, chair of the NYU Department of Endodontics, told Mull that “the majority of his patients are ‘pleasantly surprised.’” Dr. Sigurdsson said dental students also are being taught “to have more empathy” for their patients, “wait until the anesthesia has truly kicked in, and then give additional anesthetics if needed.”