September 08, 2005

• DO THE SALT RINSES. I had a root canal and a few days later went to Tahoe for Christmas. It got infected and I had to make an emergency trip to some random hospital in the middle of the night. Spent the next day throwing up because I reacted badly to the Vicodin(?) they gave me. It's not really that bad getting the actual root canal, despite what people seem to think. Make sure you've got some painkillers handy for when the local wears off, and the pain should be relatively brief if you treat it right. I can't remember how the actual procedure felt but the basic process is drilling right into the base of the root of your tooth and pulling out the nerve, which looks like a little worm. There's drilling involved, a bit of poking and prodding to get to the nerve, and then the dentist will fill it much like a normal (but deep) filling. In the long term the tooth may die and turn grey-black. Then veneers or capping is an option if you feel the need.
• Usually dentist wait with giving root-canals until it hurts. I also have a broken off incisor, but the pulpa just retracted a bit and I've never had any pain in that tooth. Have had many other root-canals though (many), mostly with a bad sinus infection afterwards, that knocked me out for a week or two. Also one dentist was a bit too eager and removed so much of my root that I now have a piece of metal in my cheek that is so close to the big cranial nerve that dental surgeons are kind of reluctant to remove it. Even though it causes pretty bad headaches when the air pressure changes, so basically when it rains, or I'm flying. So, I'm not the person you should talk to. But others I know have had no problems. Really.
• cranial = facial
• I did mention that I was looking for words of comfort, didn't I? I'll pretend I didn't read these first two comments, but thanks anyway.
• Seriously, if you do what your dentist says and do the salt rinses religiously, you'll be aces.
• I had one when I was sixteen, a rear molar. You know what? It was no big deal. It helped that the tooth was nearly dead inside. Only two things really made it irritating: the first being the six shots of novacaine -- yech, I hate feeling needles, but in the bigger picture...meh, I survived. The other thing I found most disturbing was how damn stiff my jaw was that night from all that work in my mouth. And of course, the family had pizza that night, so all got a good laugh at me trying to get my jaws to prize open far enough to actually get the pizza in. Just remember to go into it with the right attitude. No, it's not gonna be fun, but it needs to be done, and heck, it's a couple of hours of uncomfortableness out of a hopefully rather long life. Once it's done, it's over. I've had this crown for twenty years now, and have not once given it a second thought.
• I'm going throught the procedure at the moment. First visit they did the drilling and packed it with medicine then put a temporary filling in [normal filling experience]. Next visit they took the root out and used a file to enlarge the hole. more medicine, another temporary filling [the tugging and sound of the file is not to be described, jaw aching for a couple of days when the local wore off]. Third visit, a lot of drilling around the outside of the tooth for a cap, temporary cap made [local anasthetic, jaw ache again but not as bad]. Next visit, permanent cap [don't know and didn't want to ask what's involved]. The thing that really hurts is my wallet.
• Did you see " The Marathon Man " ? It's like that.
• do what i did when i had to get the wisdom teeth out...when the nurse asks if the anaesthetic is working yet, say "nope, not one bit." 'are you sure? nothing?' "nope." you will get more. i saw the xray...those suckers were completely under my other teeth...there was no way i was gonna be even slightly concious for that procedure...
• I've had several. The initial novicane is the worst part. Once you are numb, you really shouldn't feel anything. There may be some vigorus movement, but no pain. Be a sissy... speak up if you can feel anything resembling pain. My jaw was quite stiff after having to keep it open fully for over and hour, and there is some soreness after the local wears off. Nothing that a few does of ibuprophen can't handle. You'll be fine :)
• FWIW, I've known people who've had no problems with root canals, little to no pain during the procedure. I've never been lucky enough to have one myself.
• I think the dentists are a little more liberal with the novocain on root canals. My two root canals were completely painless, much easier than some of the fillings I've gotten. (I did get tired of holding my mouth open, but that's pretty trivial.)
• I had one done about 15 years ago, and it was a breeze, despite the fact I had to go 3 times (like tellurian describes). If I had to do it again today, I would visit an endodontist instead of a dentist. Mr. Mickey had one done recently and it was definitely the way to go.
• Root Canals are perfectly fine. You won't experience any pain during the procedure, and maybe slight pain afterwards (but it will be a pressure sensastion, not really pain). Think about what a root canal does... it's a removal of nerve endings in that particular tooth. It's designed to ELIMINATE pain sensation, not increase it.
• Cardenio, that was uncalled for! OTOH, it reminds me that a better title for this post would have been "eez it safe?"
• After skipping the dentist for a few years, when I finally did go, my X-rays revealed a botched filling from a previous dentist. When the new guy tried to fix it, oops, there's the root, looks like we'll have to do a root canal! It was no big deal. The dentist started it, gave me a temporary crown, and I waited two weeks for an endodontist to finish the job. The only pain I felt during the entire process was when I got the giant needle in my gums. After that, nothing. It was actually pretty relaxing, just lying in the chair for an hour. A root canal, assuming it's just because the tooth is cracked, is really no big deal at all. And my spiffy new crown is indistinguishable from a real tooth (although when I have dreams about teeth falling out, it's always that one).
• I had a root canal done with no anaesthetic - if the root is already dead, the painkiller shot hurts worse than the drilling (which I really couldn't feel, having no nerve left in the tooth...) Multiple roots mean multiple nerves to numb and drill, so front teeth are easier to deal with (one root, one nerve, one or maybe two shots at most). It'll be fine. Like anything else, the anticipation is worse than the procedure.
• I had a root canal a little over a year ago. I didn't have insurance, so I had to find the cheapest possible place to get it done. I found one who'd do it for half the price of anywhere else. The thing is, he wasn't trained in root canals, and had never given one before. It's a special kind of dentist that does them, and he wasn't one. I was scared, but I was in more pain than I was scared, so I did it. Actually, I had been scouring the internet looking for DIY root canal instructions, and I figured he couldn't be worse than doing it myself. The surgery was just fine. Better than fine, actually. Compared to the pain I was already having from the tooth, the surgery didn't hurt at all. No sickness, no more pain. It was great.
• One word...Demerol
• You'll be fine. Frogs is spot-on. It's the anticipation that will get you more than anything. Tell your dentist if you're really apprehensive. A good dentist will give you a dose of gas to mellow you out before he nails gently injects you to numb you out. After, a bit of ache, maybe a sore jaw like you've chewed too much gum, and then you're fine. The part I hate about seeing the dentist is feeling like you've got a fat liP. The numB is weirD.
• No big whoop, kamus. The novocaine needle will hurt a bit, but then? A bit of irritating vibration from the drill, but otherwise it's just an hour of you sitting in a comfy chair with someone else's hands in your mouth.
• Oh dear god in heaven... I can barely stand to read this thread. But thank you for providing the incentive I needed to get back on a daily flossing routine.
• I've had several. Generally speaking, they aren't any worse than getting a regular filling, except the process takes longer. What kind of discomfort you may get during and after depends on where the tooth is. A molar will probably leave you with a sore jaw for a day or so, from holding your mouth wide open for that long, whereas upper front teeth, in my experience, are the worst for the novocaine shots. (Imagine the sensation of a needle going up through your sinuses and tickling your eyeballs. No, it really doesn't go up that far, but it feels like it does.) Molars are also the ones that usually require the two-visit process with the packing, and sometimes - but not always - the filing. The file is a really weird sensation, but you're not feeling any pain by that point, so it's just pressure/pulling and the sound. Overall, they are nowhere NEAR the horrible experience that they are reputed to be. If you're really nervous, tell the office beforehand, and ask if the dentist will prescribe valium for you before. Also, if you're worried about the pain from the novocaine needles, ask the dentist if he/she will squirt a topical anaesthetic on your gums before the shots. You'll still feel the needle, but it helps some.
• I second VeraGemini that the experience is not a bad as you have been lead to believe. "I would rather have a root canal" is the general term for anything that you would do anything to avoid, which has troubled me a bit. Having said that, I did the "Think About England" thing. I forced my mind to find some other subject to consider while the process was underway. I even got a "Good Job" from the fellow afterwards. Did you know that England has all of those islands towards the north, and it it broad and flat towards the south? Where is Cornwall, and why do people go there on Holiday? Do they have shell, shale, or sand beaches? Those are the questions you should ask yourself as you thing about England.
• I cracked a tooth and my dentist, who doesn't do root canals, referred me to an endodontist, who specializes in root canals. I think that is the way to go. His setup included a dvd player and a selection of movies, so I got to watch "Austin Powers" while he drilled. It sounds like needless frippery, but having something to distract the patient is a very good idea. In my experience, the pain that got me into the chair was the worst part. Once the novocaine kicked in, and even after (just jumbo doses of ibuprofen) I was fine.
• I guess I echo much of what was said above. I had my first root canal this year. After the shot, I felt nothing else. However, it is very boring & tiring on the jaws to have to keep your mouth open for that long and your jaw may ache later from all the pressure being put on it during the procedure. The smell of a tooth being drilled always gets to me so yuck there. My dentist told me that root canals, up until the last decade, took about 2 or more hours to complete and thus became the stereotypical dreaded dental procedure. Nowadays, they can get one done in an hour or less due to huge recent medical advances in the field.
• thanks, the shakiness in my hands has abated somewhat. Y'all rock.
• DO NOT let the dentist show you the nerve. You don't want to see it. They do this out of pride, since it is hard to get the nerve out intact ("See that? I did that. It was me!"). There can also be a bad smell that comes from opening an infected or screwed up tooth. And get the gas, take a cd player, ask for valium before hand. It's not like you need it, but it's available so why not. Oh, and go late in the day so that you can have the gas as long as possible before the proceedure begins (dentists get backed up).The last time I had root canal done I felt like I was in the Matrix. And don't talk or the nice feeling will go away. Breathe through your nose. You'll do fine.
• Heh, Blanky, I got to see mine. :) The weirdest thing for me about the anesthetic wearing off is this: the first time you go to take a drink (and you'll be thirsty afterward from having your mouth open and all the saliva etc sucked out), the side of your mouth that's normal will feel the temperature as it should be, but the numb side of your mouth will feel like whatever you drink -- even ice water -- is warm. It's freaky.
• Tracicle, I know I should probably dig up your old tooth-pulling thread to ask this but. . . how did you fare with the wisdom teeth? Please delete if inappropriate.
• I'll post it over there, to save this thread for kamus's root canal.
• I can offer something about wisdom teeth. Due to generations of genetic mutations, all of our family members on my mum's side have all four wisdom teeth in an unfortunate impacted condition. Like really impacted and growing horizontally instead of the recommended conventional vertical alignment. So naturally, this was spotted by alert dentists early on and I had two on one side removed after a persistent toothache. It involved oral surgery under general surgery. Being totally out was ok but I felt like useless dog doo for about three or four days afterwards with the constant swallowing of blood- yuck! Since then every dentist I've seen has urged me to have the other two immediately removed lest dire consequences ensue. However since I have been less than enthusiastic about repeating the experience, I have resisted their seductive siren song. It has now been damn near 30 years since the first set came out and nothing bad has happened at all. Every couple of years I get a dull toothache back there that lasts about three days. I just ignore it and it goes away. None of the dire prognostications of teeth falling out or shifting around have come to pass. Every time I go to the dentist I'm still met with urgent exhortations to have them immediately removed. I just nod politely and ignore them and I plan to continue the policy until the dull three day toothache becomes a sharp week long toothache. YMMV. In a related story, I cracked a tooth last year and the dentist urged immediate root canalage. Instead, I went to a second dentist who said that all I needed was a filling and I was suddenly $900 dollars richer. Moral: if you're concerned about a onerous dental procedure, it's worth getting second opinion.
• I can't believe no one mentioned the fun of dental dams used for their actual intended purpose. Everyone who said it's no big deal is right. I've had a number of them and I find the preparation more unnerving than the actual root canal procedure. Get the crown as soon as you can, though. I broke a root-canaled tooth in the back and ended up having to get it pulled. Obviously you don't want to do that to a front tooth.
• Is it possible to not need your wisdom teeth extracted? Mine have been coming in, but so far no pain. Just very tight teeth (makes for hard flossing, but I bought some good stuff - cheaper than a dentist).
• jb: My understanding (warning: layman's opinion) is that everyone is different in this area. Unless they cause pain, problems with other teeth or they are impacted, then it's probably not necessary to have them removed. Dentists may tell you differently as wisdom teeth can be real revenue generators. Though nobody cares but me,on my long post above, I wish to correct It involved oral surgery under general surgery to read It involved oral surgery under general anesthesia and if you're concerned about a onerous dental procedure to read if you're concerned about an onerous dental procedure.
• and above, there should be space after though nobody cares but me. Crikey! How many times do you press preview before you get it right?