Ask anyone and they most likely have an opinion about root canals—even if they’ve never had one! We recently conducted a survey to test the current climate around root canals and learned that, despite advances in root canal treatment, negative root canal misconceptions still persist.
Would you rather: The root canal edition
Medical procedures can cause concerns, so it’s no wonder that over 80% of survey respondents described feeling anxious or scared at the possibility of needing a root canal6. More surprising, however, is that over 67% of survey respondents reported being terrified of getting a root canal procedure6. In fact, there are a number of unpleasant experiences they’d prefer over having a root canal:
- Nearly 80% would rather give up social media for two weeks6
- 54% would rather have a colonoscopy6
- 77% would rather be forced to sleep at the airport after a cancelled flight6
Root canal pain was cited as the primary reason for survey respondents’ apprehension of treatment, which many equated to breaking a bone (39%) or burning a hand on the stove (31%)6. But is a root canal painful enough to warrant such dread? What if we told you that patients can often experience no pain at all4.