I had one of those once -- Actually, I had an initial root canal where the resin did not fill the cavity completely and I got an infection in the end of it a year later. So they had to do another root canal through the first one. Required 3 3-hour sessions spread over 6 weeks to allow for swelling to recede. To make it worse, the initial root canal was through a crown, which had been put in place when a deep filling cracked.
In the initial root canal, the dentist had to do that. At one point the numbness had completely worn off, and he accidentally touched something with the tip of the needle -- I think I jumped 3 feet out of the chair -- hands down the worst thing I have ever felt.