Biden undergoes root canal and a follow-up procedure

President Biden had a root canal on Sunday and completed a follow-up root canal procedure Monday because of continued tooth pain, the White House announced.

A White House official said Mr. Biden, 80, was not put under anesthesia and there was no invocation of the 25th Amendment, which provides that the president notify congressional leaders if temporarily “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office” and hand those powers over to the vice president.

The president received a local anesthetic to numb the area around the tooth involved, as is typical for the procedure.

By mid-afternoon, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the procedure was over and that Mr. Biden was “doing just fine.” She said the president was back at work.

Asked why the White House had not disclosed the root canal on Sunday, Ms. Jean-Pierre said that “it’s a general, routine dental procedure. There is nothing unusual about this.”

The president’s unexpected dental work forced the postponement of Mr. Biden’s meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and a White House reception for diplomats. The White House said both events will be held instead on Tuesday.

Mr. Biden began experiencing dental pain in his lower right premolar on Sunday, according to a letter from White House physician Kevin O’Connor.

The Presidential Dental Team from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center performed X-Rays on Sunday and concluded that a root canal was the most appropriate action. An initial root canal was performed on Sunday, according to Dr. O’Connor’s letter.

“The president tolerated the procedure well,” the White House physician says in a letter made public. “There were no complications.”

But the president still had pain Monday morning, which was “anticipated,” the doctor said. The “endodontal specialty team” completed the president’s root canal Monday at the White House.

Mr. Biden also was scheduled to host college sports champion teams from this past season at the White House on Monday. The event, dubbed “College Athlete Day,” was hosted instead by Vice President Kamala Harris.