Dental work

I have to go to the dentist for my first root canal.

I'm terrified, as I hate dental work and don't do well with it.

How awful is it getting one done? Any pain after?

 

It's just an uncomfortable 30-40 minutes in the chair..No pain during or after from what I remember..Good luck,just think about your upcoming trip!

 

One hurt a little. they seemed to be above the freezing. They didn't do it right and I ended up having a bunch of issues with it, but that hurt, not the actual root canal. On my x rays, my new dentist commented I had a root canal on a different tooth and I don't recall getting that done. So that one must have been awesome!

 

I had my first root canal in January and terrified doesn't do it justice. When I told the endodontist that I always heard root canals were worse than death, he said "not at all, more like childbirth!" He told me that other patients were currently having canals and asked if I heard any screaming. I said, "No, they had probably already passed out!" Yeah, my regular dentist didn't do the procedure, but referred me to an endodontist - a specialist.

Performed over two sessions, I was in the chair about 1 ½ hours each time. (There was a month gap after the first session for the medicine to do its thing.) He actually performed the procedure using a microscope after drilling a small hole through the crown.

Anyway, to get to your question, there was essentially zero pain except for the initial needle, and hardly even then. For sure, having my mouth spread open for over an hour wasn't comfortable, but no pain. The hardest part was waiting until the initial procedure was well underway before learning that the root wasn't cracked as first feared and that the tooth could be saved. The second hardest part was paying the bill! Then, when all done, it took my regular dentist a very short time to plug the hole in the crown – with no pain killer being needed for a change.

It sure wasn't what I had been led to belief and definitely a better option than extraction and having an implant. And whatever you do, avoid looking up the procedure on YouTube, at least until afterwards! As they say in Vegas, good luck!

 

If they do it right and it goes normally, you shouldn't feel anything during or after, just the needle - some docs are better than others when it comes to that. The whole "root canal" thing is archaic, it's usually nothing these days.

 

Depending on your insurance, the most pain may be with the cost of it...

 

I've had two and no pain. The first I had to come back a couple of weeks later for him to finish. On the second one, he asked if I could tolerate another 45 minutes with my mouth open. If I could, he would finish that day and give me a big discount. I took the discount!!

btw, I am a wimp when it comes to dental work after a very bad experience with wisdom teeth in my 20s. So if I can handle it, anybody can.

 

I've had about 10. They have been from no pain to "relief". I already had an dental abscess and the root canal was actually relief.

Disclaimer - I have been having dental work for 50 years and have a high tolerance for pain.

 

Pretty much painless. You might want to ask them for the device that keeps your mouth open, what really affected me was trying to "open wide" for a lengthy period. They put in the device, and it was all good.

 

Had a couple, the most pain was writing the check. I never had good dental insurance, but it was better than nothing.

One of my favorite lines from Sinefeld: what's the difference between a dentist and a sadist? Better magazines.

 

I believe that it's called a "bite bridge".

 

I've had 2, they were quick and painless, mine were to front teeth with one root(molors have more roots and will take longer), the actual work took maybe 10-15 min, the endodontists really know what they're doing, they take instant x-rays while working to make sure they get all of it, etc. Your worries are overblown.

 

I don't know about the pain as I never had one. But I came close I was in high school and went for a teeth cleaning ..I sat in chair and assistant came in said hi etc..About 2 minutes later I had a mouth full of cotton and two shots of novacaine and I was still able to say is this a new way of cleaning teeth. Make long story short assistant grabbed wrong chart. Dentists still haunt me 30 years later

 

I have had so many root canals as I have soft teeth and I didn't have any luck in getting good teeth..you are going to be great, no pain and make sure they give you enough Novacaine and such so it doesn't bother you at all!

 

Modern dentistry is to the point where the only real pain is when they stick you to deaden your mouth and that is only momentarily.. I have had dental work done recently and there was no pain from the actual procedure.
Don't let your your imagination and fear get the best of you. Don't make it worse than it is.

 

Nothing, including 2 root canals has EVER been anywhere close to as bad as I make it out to be in my head going in and I've gone to the same dentist for 30 years. I always think, "this is gonna hurt"... it never does! You'll sail right through!

 

I had a root canal about 17 years ago. It did hurt a little and was very uncomfortable. I haven't had one since but everyone I know says that nowadays the technologies and procedures make it almost painless. I believe this because sometimes my dentist has to do root scaling on my teeth and it does not hurt at all.

I did extract a tooth a few years back (again absolutely painless) and the dentist recommended I do an implant to replace it. I listened to the procedures and what it will take to make it happen and decided to postpone it until I have time to do it (it's a multi-day/week procedure) because I didn't want to take time off from work.

But now I hear it can be a bit painful to do so now I'm scared, lol!!

Don't mean to hi-jack the thread but has anybody done implants?

 

I've had three, by an excellent endodontist. No pain ever during the procedures other than the needle sting.. The part I hated most the first time was the darn root canal mouth dam...and the cost, lol!!

Since mouth and jaw are open and locked in one position for 30 minutes or so, you probably will experience some discomfort/pain afterwards as the muscles relax. They normally start me on an antibiotic the day before the procedure. Also a prescription of a few pills for pain to be taken once home after the procedure. I've only ever needed to take one as the muscle pain was minimal. My endodontist always tells me to stop for a milkshake on the way home, take a pain pill with my milkshake once I get home - yum - works like a charm.

Hope your procedure goes as easy and pain free as many here have noted from their experiences.