President Joe Biden underwent a root canal procedure on Sunday and Monday, White House officials said.
On Sunday, he said he was suffering from dental pain in a lower right premolar, Mr Biden’s personal physician, Kevin O’Connor, said in a memo on Monday. After an examination at the White House Dental Operatory, the presidential dental team determined that Mr. Biden needed a root canal.
The initial surgery was performed on Sunday. The president felt additional discomfort on Monday morning before the end of the procedure.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Mr Biden was not placed under a general anesthetic for the procedure, which meant there was no need to invoke the 25th amendment and that Vice President Kamala Harris was Acting President.
In 2021, Mr. Biden was put under general anesthesia during a colonoscopy. He forced him to transfer the interim powers of the presidency to Harris for 85 minutes, making her the first woman to hold presidential power in the USA
Mr. Biden only received local anesthesia during the root canal, Jean-Pierre said. He was back at work Monday after the procedure.
“There’s nothing unusual about it. Millions of Americans go through this process,” Jean-Pierre said.
Root canal procedures are performed more than 15 million times a year, according to the American Association of Endodontists. They are performed to remove the inflamed or infected pulp inside a tooth.
“As for the health of the president’s teeth, I can’t talk about that,” Jean-Pierre said.
The procedure impacted Mr. Biden’s schedule. A meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has been postponed until Tuesday. Harris took Mr. Biden’s place on College Athlete Day at the White House.
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