As popular as a what? The American Association of Endodontists (AAE) is tired of hearing its raison d'ĂŞtre used as the symbol for everything painful. Following U.S. President Barack Obama's State of the Union address January 27, the AAE put the president on notice that he should not have compared the government's bailout of failing banks to root canal therapy.
"If there's one thing that has unified Democrats and Republicans, and everybody in between, it's that we all hated the bank bailout," President Obama said in his speech. "I hated it. I hated it. You hated it. It was about as popular as a root canal."
The comment perpetuates a "myth" that root canal therapy is unpopular, the AAE said in a press release. "The AAE, which represents root canal specialists, knows that root canal procedures should not be feared, and hopes the president and all Americans become better informed for the sake of their dental and total body health," the organization said.
The AAE went on to say that national surveys have found that most root canal patients use positive words to describe the experience. Those who have had the procedure done are six times more likely to describe it as painless than those who haven't, the AAE said.
"While we certainly understand the president's intent, people need to know that root canals don't cause pain, they relieve it," said AAE President Gerald Glickman, D.D.S., M.S. "Root canals may sound daunting, but endodontists can do this procedure quickly, efficiently, and with virtually no pain involved. The result is a restored natural tooth that can last a lifetime."
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