A root canal sounded terrifying. It took less time than my last dental cleaning and I felt fine by dinner.

I’d built up a root canal in my head as one of the worst things that could happen at a dental office. When Old Mill told me I needed one, I actually asked if there was any alternative — there wasn’t, but the way they explained the actual procedure took most of the fear out of it.

It took under an hour, I was numb the entire time, and the follow-up discomfort was closer to a bruise than the horror-story version I’d built up. I was back to normal eating within two days.

If you’re dreading one, ask your dentist to walk you through exactly what happens, step by step. Mine did, and it made all the difference.