Root Canal Forces Biden to Postpone Meeting With NATO Chief

A root canal forced President Biden to cancel his public events on Monday and postpone his meeting with Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s secretary general, to discuss the war in Ukraine.

Mr. Biden did not need general anesthesia, and the 25th Amendment, which would temporarily transfer power to Vice President Kamala Harris, was not invoked, the White House said.

Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said the president “was doing just fine” after the root canal.

“It’s a regular, routine procedure,” Ms. Jean-Pierre said.

Dr. Kevin C. O’Connor, the president’s physician, said in a memo that Mr. Biden had experienced dental pain on Sunday and underwent some initial procedures at the White House without complications.

But Dr. O’Connor said the president felt “further discomfort” on Monday morning, “which was anticipated.”

He said the “endodontal specialty team” from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center conducted the root canal at the White House.

Mr. Biden had a physical in February, at which time Dr. O’Connor called him a “healthy, vigorous 80-year-old.”

The president has had a root canal before. In 1991, he underwent the procedure in the evening while his days were spent at the confirmation hearings for Justice Clarence Thomas.

The root canal forced Mr. Biden to cancel his public events, including a White House reception for diplomats, and Ms. Harris filled in for him at a Monday morning event celebrating college athletes.

He also delayed his meeting with Mr. Stoltenberg until Tuesday.

Mr. Stoltenberg is expected to step down from his position leading the Western alliance this fall. Various nations are jockeying for their own officials to succeed Mr. Stoltenberg, and Mr. Biden’s opinion brings considerable weight given the United States spends more on defense than any other member of the alliance.

Asked by reporters on Monday for more information about the president’s root canal, Ms. Jean-Pierre demurred.

“I am certainly not a dentist by any means,” she said. “So I cannot speak to what leads to a root canal. I know that it is a regular dental procedure. It is not uncommon.”