Root Canals Don't Hurt... Ignoring the Problem Does

You've been avoiding that toothache for three months. You know something's wrong. You're hoping it goes away. It won't.

The tooth that needs a root canal right now costs R9,350 at Smilez. Leave it another six months, and that tooth is likely coming out — extraction at R2,660, then an implant at R25,000 to replace it. Three steps instead of one. Three times the money. And months of unnecessary pain in between.

The root canal fear is 30 years out of date.

Modern root canals are performed under local anaesthetic. You feel pressure, not pain. Most patients say it's no worse than having a filling. The horror stories come from patients who had root canals done decades ago — before modern techniques, before modern anaesthetics, before modern equipment. That's not what you're walking into at Smilez in 2025.

Here's what's actually happening inside that tooth.

The nerve inside is infected. That infection doesn't stay put — it spreads to the surrounding bone. Left long enough, it becomes an abscess. Abscesses cause swelling, severe pain, and can spread to your jaw, neck, or even your brain in extreme cases. This is not an exaggeration. Untreated dental infections kill people. Rarely, but it happens.

The warning signs you're rationalising away.

Lingering pain after eating or drinking something hot or cold. Spontaneous throbbing pain that wakes you at night. A pimple on the gum near the tooth. Darkening of the tooth. Swelling in the gum. Any one of these means the nerve is involved. All of them together means you needed a root canal weeks ago.

What a root canal actually involves.

We numb the tooth completely. We remove the infected nerve tissue. We clean and seal the canals. We crown the tooth to protect it. You leave with a restored, functional tooth that can last the rest of your life. The procedure takes 60-90 minutes. Recovery is mild soreness for a day or two, managed with over-the-counter pain medication.

Delay costs you the tooth — and much more.

A root canal saves the tooth. A saved tooth holds your jawbone intact, keeps neighbouring teeth in position, and maintains your bite. An extracted tooth — if not replaced — starts a cascade of shifting teeth, bone loss, and future dental work that compounds over years.

Stop avoiding it. The discomfort of the procedure is nothing compared to the cost of losing the tooth.

Book your appointment at Smilez Dental Surgery. Call us at 013 692 8249 or visit us at Tasbetpark Center, 8 Boekenout Street, Shop no. 3, Witbank.