More Americans fear losing natural teeth than the flu or a root canal

CHICAGO, Illinois--Americans are more afraid of losing a natural tooth than they are of getting the flu, according to a January 2013 survey by the American Association of Endodontists.

Despite an especially bad flu season that taxed hospital emergency rooms nationwide and led some cities to declare a public health emergency, more survey respondents hoped to avoid losing a permanent tooth (74%) than avoid getting the flu (73%). Also, 70% of respondents say they want to avoid getting a root canal, and 60% were more anxious about root canal treatment than getting a tooth pulled (57%), or receiving a dental implant (54%).

The underlying factor of these numbers could be connected to outdated concerns about root canal treatment.

During the Seventh Annual Root Canal Awareness Week, March 17-23, 2013, the AAE wants to dispel myths that root canals are painful and encourage patients who need a root canal to see an endodontist to save their natural teeth.

"We want patients to know that there is no reason to be anxious about receiving a root canal," said AAE President Dr. James C. Kulild.

"With today's advanced technologies, root canals are no more painful than getting a filling--root canal treatment is actually one of the best ways to save your natural tooth!"

Endodontists are dentists with at least two additional years of advanced specialty education in diagnosis and root canal treatment. This enhanced training--combined with high levels of expertise, use of cutting-edge technology and impressive success rates--are the main reasons patients trust dental specialists, according to the AAE survey.

By partnering with endodontists, general dentists can help patients feel less anxious while delivering the highest quality of care. In fact, 89% of patients report being satisfied after root canal treatment by an endodontist.

More than 15 million root canals are performed in the U.S. every year. The AAE video, "Endodontists Put Root Canal Patients at Ease," explains this important tooth-saving procedure and features patients who were surprised by their root canal experience.

For more information, visit www.aae.org.

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