Tell me about your root canal
 

Some how I have made it to 55 years of age without getting a root canal...

I wish I could claim it is because of my excellent dental hygiene but I think it is more to do with genetics and just being lucky to be born with strong teeth.

However at my last checkup I mentioned to my dentist that one of my back teeth is becoming more sensitive to cold and even cool temperatures... he took some ex-rays and said it had a very old filling and some minor cracks but nothing too bad... but if it is causing me pain... I may need.... A ROOT CANAL!

Are they no big deal or a major pain?

Thanks in advance.

I have, unfortunately, had several.
I have been lucky- none have been a big deal.
Pay extra for anesthesia. I go to "sleep", wake up later. Go home, a little uncomfortable that day- but no pain. Next day, just about forget I had anything done.
Pick your doctor carefully- can make a big difference.
Gary

Try sensidyne toothpaste first.

They aren't painful, just drilling, and drilling and drilling.

"you're root canal" = "you are root canal"

I feel better now.

I had my first and second root canals last year and I did not enjoy either one. During the first one I had my first and only panic attack - the rubber dam and all the stuff in my mouth was horrible. I felt an overwhelming desire to rip everything out and run away.

The second one was better because I knew what to expect. They take a long time. I have to go back for another soon but I am going to wait until the pain is unbearable.

Have fun.

Aw crap...and I can't edit the title

I have to have one redone. Not looking forward to that...

I've had several, last one about a year ago. Better than having to watch daytime TV.

I'm not going to sugar coat it. When he sticks you with that first needle it HURTS!

No big deal I have had a half a dozen of them and a few posts. Noting to fret about.

Hey Todd, can you edit you're to your in the title for me?

Again, anesthesia is the ticket. Then you do not feel the needle stick, realize they have all kinds of stuff in your mouth, etc. One iv then night night. Worth the extra bucks.
Gary

What is the difference between a RC and a post? The guy I have been referred to does both. I think I understand the post is they implant a post and glue a new tooth to it?

They said the might be able to do a cap (already have one) but I am preparing for the worst.

well I had one a few months ago.. also had to have a crown on top of it..
thought the crown was riding a little high,, but last week it got really bad after a few adjustments..
had to have the whole thing re-done due to some infection.. Much better now. but really sucked..
good luck! they really aren't that bad..

Same symptoms, same diagnosis. Sensodyne did nothing. My wife just had one a month ago, she said it was no big deal, just like a big cavity filling. I'll ask for the sleepy-time meds :)

A root canal is drilling out the nerve and filling the hole. A post is a root canal where they drill into the jaw and insert a post of some kind of unknown material and cement it in place then fill. I had to have a few of these done from an old injury and the repairs wore out. I had my upper jaw broken when I got busted in the face with a Milwaukee hole hog, when it locked up the bit.

Its not a big deal...really! Just ask the good Dr. to shoot you up a little extra and make sure they have a really cute dental assistant! Your molar will have more then "one" root 3-4? and it will take some time...again no big deal.

Also get the Dr. to show you the extra small dental files and brushes (kinda like a miniature bottle brush) used to clean out the root canal...I found them very interesting.

Best of luck!

I've had 4 or 5...lost count....and had to have one redone. Never had the knock out stuff, just Nitrous and it works fine for me. They put the little cup over your nose and tell you to breathe normally. Of course I took about 4 big deep hits before "breathing normal" and I just laid there staring at the cute assistant for about 45 minutes. Done.

With mine they did the root canal like 15-20 years ago with a crown but evidently didn't get all of the nerve. It has been acting up (and I think is causing other symptoms like eye pressure and headaches) so they said they need to go in a second time and get rid of the rest of the nerve.

+1

Never bothered me a bit.

I had one in a bicuspid that wasn't bad at all and I had one in an incisor (top) and it was one of the worst experiences of my life! I hope yours goes well!!

I had 2 done at the same time. They gave me a little blue pill to take at 7am then they gave me another pill at 8 when my dentist started........I woke up at home 7 hours later. The pills where 125.00 extra best money I ever spent.

Sedation dentistry. I pay the $$ to go to sleep. IV in, me out. I got a root canal, extraction and 2 fillings in one session. The best dental experience possible.

My wife has had root canals and the doc that she goes to has done them in about 45 min start to finish. No pain and she was very comfortable with zero meds.

Not me, I like the meds.

Next one's the first one.
A pretty reliable source said to do all you can to avoid having a tooth pulled.
Jim

I've had two in the last 3 years. Two badly cracked teeth, probably from bruxing (grinding my teeth) at night.

Both times, the root canal was no problem. The first was a surprise; my regular dentist sent me to a specialist to check how badly cracked my tooth was, and he pretty much said "It's bad; you're getting a root canal right now." My mom had horrible experiences with those, but this was OK. It was just like getting a cavity filled except it took longer. Getting numbed up took longer (and took more shots, but I didn't really feel any after the first) and the drilling took longer.

The second was not a surprise; it went just about the same way.

The first one led to a dental implant. They removed the tooth and let it heal up. Then they threaded a titanium post into my jaw and let that heal up. Then they put a middle part on it, then eventually a crown that is the visible part of the tooth.

The second led to a regular crown. The tooth stayed in place but was ground down a ways. They took a mold and made a crown for the tooth and glued it in place.

--DD

I just had my 5th or 6th done 2 weeks ago. No big deal. For pain before you can get in, demand Toradol. I never get gas or full knock out.

Ian

I have had several. No big deal if the dentist is good. best part is...you will never have hot or cold pain there again. I have a couple of teeth where the dentist "heroically" avoided a root canal and they have hurt ever since. Give me the root canal every time if the cavity or break is deep.

The first one I got must have been hurting for so long that I did not notice until the root canal. It was like a background noise that you heard for years that was suddenly silenced. Didn't even realize it hurt before that. Great feeling.

I have one, piece of cake.


One important word to me was ENDODONTIST, my regular dentist sent me to the endodontist for the 'drilling/filling' part, and it was more than half of the bill.


And it was worth every penny. That dude was smooth and had all the right tools and the hip new instant x-ray machine and it was very easy.

I got a prescription for vicodin and didn't even bother to pick it up. Not my thing.

It's the old saying, get one and it goes well you tell 5 people. Get one and you have problems, you tell 50. See a qualified endodontist and you should be good. And your symptoms sound kind of vague and common, something every other patient reports. I wouldn't worry about it for now.

Someone did, but they failed to cover up the evidence. ;)

Some roots are not accessible, therefore they hope the remaining nerve tissue won't bother you. Sometimes it don't and sometimes it do.

The method for getting at one of those blind roots is through the side of the gum. Ask me how I know.

This is exactly what I do. I had six between the teeth fillings, two crowns and two root canals done during one sedation session. Best money I ever spent. I remember a chalky white liquid in the IV and that was the last thing I remember.

had one last week. $1000.00 later no big deal. They numbed me so bad it took 6 hours to go away. Don't wait. Once it gets infected it will really hurt and take days to get back to normal.

I've had my front right three teeth done 6-7 times each over a period of 40 years. Some were a peice of cake and others were terrible. All depends on the doc doing it. A root canal specialist is the way to go.

The drilling was no big deal, but all those thing they use to keep you mouth open was killing me. that was the worst part. didn't feel a thing. That was my first one.

I've had a couple.
The first one was funny in retrospect. I was in the chair and was interested in the procedure and was mentally following along:
She is drilling through the crown of the tooth....now that is a rinse..... now she is getting into the pulp....the rasp is to remove the pulpy mater........OH OH ! I had to think about taking apart and re-indexing the rear suspension of the old E to stop thinking about what was going on inside my mouth.
The smell of the acid used to destroy any organic material inside the cavity was interesting.
All in all, no problem.

Best
Les

Speaking of smells there is none so distinct as that when you open up a dead tooth. I'm thinking roadkill left in a dumpster for a week or two. The inside of a tooth become a hollow empty cavity full of this gas that trying to escape. Let it go on and it eventually gets into the soft tissue and you get some swelling. Ok todays my day off

I had two done at 8AM a few months ago. I was at work by 10AM. No issues.

Got refereed to endodontist, check on that, he has all the cool high tech stuff.

Will see if they have gas.

I'm down playing the pain, like someone said it is just like background noise, the tooth has been badly cracked for years, can't bite down on anything hard on that side... and on a bad day ever room temp water will cause pain... anything with ice, furgetaboutit.

Thanks for the replies!

+1

Don't put it off, I had to go back for an Apicoectomy. (They open your gum and take the bottom of the root off.) The abscess had eroded the root tip to the point the root canal wasn't enough. No fun.

I had one done here. They have a row of cubicles all with the chair, microscope, computerized x ray w/ flatscreen and fibre optic camera.

Took all of 45 min, no pain. MUCH easier than getting a cavity filled. I know it's out of your way, but maybe you could get it done on a Friday and make it a 'weekend getaway". Timothy Jue was my doc, great guy.
Ventura Endodontics

I have an appt with the endodontist next week. Party.