Most of my root canal visits are pain‑free with thorough numbing (buffered local anesthetic, slow injection, and supplemental shots if needed) and unhurried, gentle technique. If you’re losing sleep from hot sensitivity that lingers or a sharp bite pain on one tooth, that’s when treatment helps most — happy to answer questions about what to expect and how we keep you comfortable.
What’s worked for me is asking for the “buffered anesthetic” and then giving it a full five minutes to set before you start — combined with your slow injection, I barely felt anything. Small caveat: if the epi makes me jittery, I ask for the last supplemental shot without epinephrine and it keeps me steady.
Piggybacking on @sarahB_703, I ask for a quick cold test before they start — “numb lip ≠ numb tooth” — and they’ll top up if I still feel it. If a lower molar is stubborn, an intraligamentary or intraosseous shot has made mine painless.