Hi.. Usually root canal treatments are not painful. With proper anesthesia treatment is comfortable. Pain happens only if anesthesia is not given properly and in very rare cases because of chronic infection. Visit a endodontist to get painless experience or ask your same doctor to give some 10-15min time to allow anesthesia to act properly. Regards

Hi. As a root canal specialist I can assure you that after proper anesthesia, a root canal is not painful until and unless it was started for a tooth with acute infection. That means if your tooth was very sensitive prior to the start of root canal, it is likely the anesthetic will not have its full effect and the first sifting of the root canal will be painful. Such a tooth is called a "hot tooth" and it's first sitting can be painful. Other than that, any pain during root canal treatment is totally avoidable by the dentist.