President Joe Biden’s dental health made headlines Monday after he rescheduled a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to undergo a root canal.

In a letter, Biden’s physician Kevin O’Connor noted that the president had been experiencing pain in his lower right premolar on Sunday.

O’Connor wrote that the Presidential Dental Team from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center was able to perform an examination, including X-rays, in the White House Dental Operatory and determined that a root canal was the most appropriate course of action.

O’Connor noted that Biden “tolerated the procedure well” and that there were no complications. Biden continued feeling some discomfort into Monday, “which was anticipated.”

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Common but annoying to most patients, root canals are typically done to treat an infected tooth and involve removing the inflamed or infected area, called pulp, from inside the tooth. 

Pulp is a soft tissue that’s located beneath the enamel and dentin and contains blood vessels and nerves. The dentist also disinfects, fills and seals the root canal to prevent reinfection.

While a root canal is a fairly routine procedure and patients typically recover within a day or two, that didn’t stop news outlets from pouncing on the opportunity to dig into some of Biden’s eating and dental habits. 

The New York Post published a headline saying “Biden gets two-day root canal after report president eats ‘like a child,’” and The Daily Beast poked fun at Biden’s well-known love of ice cream. 

“Ice Cream-Loving Joe Biden Forced to Get an Unscheduled Root Canal,” the headline reads.

Whether or not Biden’s root canal was linked to sweets, however, he appeared to be doing well after the simple procedure. 

Typically, anesthesia is provided to patients when they undergo root canals, though not always. According to the White House, Biden was not placed under general anesthesia for the root canal.

The White House also noted that the 25th Amendment – which would make Vice President Kamala Harris step into the president role in Biden’s absence – would not be invoked. 

In short, presidents undergo mundane health procedures just like the rest of us.