Why do root canals deserve appreciation?

If you’ve ever had a root canal you probably appreciated how it fixed your pain … eventually. But you probably didn’t appreciate the root canal itself.

Today’s a day to change that, because it’s Root Canal Appreciation Day.

Yes, really.

Dr. Chris Kammer, a dentist, created the day back in 2005. Now you’re probably not surprised that a dentist would commemorate such a horrendous procedure. But Dr. Kammer isn’t just any dentist (and a root canal isn’t really horrendous—more on that later!).

He’s the “Rock and Roll Dentist,” who has performed with Deep Purple, Kiss, Garbage and others. He also wrote and performed the tooth brushing song Get Out the Brush at the Madison Mallards baseball park in Madison, Wisconsin. Apparently the 5,991 fans in attendance then all brushed their teeth simultaneously, setting a new record.

To kick off his newly created day he performed a root canal at the same park. Well, actually just the end of the procedure. But we give tons of credit to his patient for agreeing to that!

His goal with the day was to “hit a home run for the image of the root canal!” He wants people to understand that the old ideas of root canals no longer apply. They help save teeth, which is preferable to pulling them.

The day is unofficial, but in 2005 was recognized by then Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle and Dave Cieslewicz, then the mayor of Madison.

A Few Bites of Root Canal Facts

How much do you really know about root canals? Are you sure? There’s a lot of myths floating around about root canals.

Let’s start with the idea they’re painful. Since they’re done with anesthesia, they’re no more painful than any other procedure, including getting a filling. Unpleasant maybe, but not painful. Ok, we admit you’ll probably have some pain after the anesthesia wears off, but it’s manageable (yes, really).

Root canals take much less time than you might think, too. A “normal” one can take as little as an hour & you’re done. Sometimes the dentist may have to put an antibiotic in your tooth to kill off a particularly bad infection. In that case it’ll be a two-part procedure, with each part a couple days apart.

If you think pulling the tooth is a better option than a root canal, think again. Most of the time saving your natural tooth is better than implants or a dental bridge. If the root canal is done right, and a good crown is put over the tooth, you don’t have to worry about what you eat.

Want to know more about root canal myths and facts? Check out this blog post.