President Biden underwent a root canal at the White House on Monday after experiencing dental pain that emerged over the weekend, his doctor said in a letter.
As a result, Biden missed one event on his public schedule Monday morning, a celebration of the women’s and men’s NCAA championship teams. Some other events scheduled later Monday, including a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, were rescheduled for Tuesday.
The White House said that Biden was not put under anesthesia during the procedure and that the powers of the presidency were not temporarily transferred to Vice President Harris.
“I can confirm that the procedure has been successfully completed,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Monday. “The president is doing just fine and [will] be … working in the residence this afternoon.”
Biden, 80, told medical officials at the White House on Sunday that he was experiencing pain in his lower-right premolar, physician Kevin C. O’Connor wrote in a letter to Jean-Pierre that was publicly released. The premolars are about halfway back in the mouth.
After performing an examination at the White House on Sunday, members of the presidential dental team from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center followed up with an initial root canal, O’Connor wrote.
Biden experienced “further discomfort,” which was anticipated, and members of an endodontal specialty team were called in to complete the root canal Monday, he said.
O’Connor said Biden tolerated Sunday’s procedure well and there were no complications.
Harris appeared on Biden’s behalf at the NCAA event. Her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, had already been scheduled to attend.
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