Talk me through root canal..?

[KiwiPanda]

Hiya. I have root canal scheduled today (somebody shoot me now please) and need some moral support/info on what happens

Firstly I have to deal with inability to tolerate those evil X-ray things in mouth (strong gag reflex) and then everything else. Has anyone had it recently and can you tell me how it works/ what happens especially for a panicky dentist-phobic?

Had one last week, have had others in the past.

Tell dentist you are nervous and mine tells me to put my hand up if i need them to stop. During my latest one i had to do that as i felt some sensation ( not pain) and he put more anasethic in. I keep my eyes closed and imagine being somewhere nice. I have had no problems with mine the worst part is having to keep you mouth open for about 30/40 mins. Root canal is a two part procedure and you go back about a week later so a permanent filling is put in.

Get some strong painkillers for when you get home ( haven't always needed them) and it can take a few days for discomfort to completely go.

Had one last week and several in past few years

Last weeks was painful when he was doing the procedure but my dentist knows what a wimp I am!

It throbbed for a couple of days on and off afterwards but I only took one lot of paracetemol, it settled quite quickly.

The needle is the worst bit

Back to dentist next week to get second part done.

Good luck

Many thanks for all the advice and tips. An wishing I could just leave my teeth there and go somewhere else

You will be fine, in my experience they are not that bad far rather have one than a tooth pulled.

Just tell the dentist you are terrified and if they are good (luckily i have a great dentist) they will do their best to put you at ease.

Root canal is good, it gets rid of pain.

Agree with the advice given above. I think dentists are used to nervous patients as most of us are nervous! Mine also says to raise hand if you feel pain. Painkillers beforehand are a good idea, actually, as the anaesthetic takes a while to build up. When I had mine I had some anaesthetic dripped into the root itself once he had started. It can always be topped up if necessary. One thing I find helpful when having injections is to try and breathe out slowly (through my nose) when they put the needle in (a technique from childbirth I think!). Good luck and remember it will only take 15-20 minutes (I seem to remember).

I have strong gag reflex too - trying to keep calm is the big thing I think. I find breathing (as in what you did in labour) helps a lot.

do you have an ipod you could listen music to?
hopefully they will
1)give you a local anaestheic. and make sure its worked before do any thing else. maybe take an xray if they havent already
2)put a rubber dam on. sheet of square rubber so water, all dental stuff, stays out of your mouth. this way the tooth is isolated. making it a safer and cleaner way to work
3)drill access remove filling( temp filling?)
4) file each canel and make sure they are clean. irragte them and then medicate them
5) depending on size and what they find inside they may place medicine temp fill for another visit
6) pack each root with whats best described with rubber. to make rubber flush they may burn the end. You will not fill this. they dont light your mouth or anything. just warm an instrument.
7) put a normal filling to make tooth normal.
8) take another xray. in fact you will find they will take 3 xrays over the treatment.
9) you might have to have a crown on the tooth. whole different day

remember you are the most important person in the dental dept. if you fill uncomfortable at any stage tell your dentist or the nurse. if you dont tell them they will not know how to help.

good luck

Oh good luck op.

I had one about a year ago, the worst part for me was the rubber dam, I hated the feel of it.

Apart from that, the procedure was totally painless (apart from the local going in!) and best of all the acute agony I had been in from that tooth was completely gone afterwards. I didn't even have any pain from having had the root canal.

Actually, I lie... The most painful part was paying £500+ for the pleasure of not being able to get on the list of an NHS dentist :(

Oh yes the worst pain for me was the bill too, no NHS dentist.

Thank you so much for all the advice, I survived! Needed rather a lot of topping up as I have an impressive (ahem) resistance to drugs but wasn't as bad as I feared.

Luckily as I'm still just on mat leave it was free cos of maternity exemption. Two more appointments to go (fillings, hygienist etc) but the worst bit is done. Mouth still totally numb so no idea yet if it will hurt after mind

Well done, take painkillers as soon as the numbness wears off and before you go to bed.

I had an appt for what turned out to a root canal problem just before dd turned 1. Each time I went back, the dentist tapped on the next tooth, and it hurt. He was not pleased as he was independent, and it was all nhs work.

13 appts later, it was finally clear. Only problem was I had to pay a fortune for a white crown, as it was too far back for a white nhs one, and I didn't want a silver-coloured metal one.

Root canal - ugh never again. The injections never do much for me; I end up feeling like my mouth and tongue is swolen/numb and my heart is racing but inevitably at some stage during the drilling I end up with red hot stabbing pains as the dentist manages to hit an area that isn't numb.

I had root canal done twice that failed to cure the pain in the tooth. In the end I insisted on having it pulled out completely. More recently when I had a problem with another tooth the dentist again wanted to do root canal and a rebuild? and I said no way, pull it out!

The last lot of work I had done with was with sedation but apparently they had to give me 2 lot of a sedation and even after numerous injections I was still moaning/thrashing around in pain. Luckily I can't remember any of it - I assume the drugs they use for sedation have some kind of amnesic effect?

Dentists are lairs IMO, they all say you wont feel anything apart from the initial injection but that is bullshit.

Hope it went well OP.

when I had a root canal done, my dentist put the local in, waited and then stuck something in my tooth to make sure it was numb. After he peeled me off the ceiling, he said that had never happened to him before.

I am due to have 2 teeth removed soon and will be taking full advantage of the sedation because I do not want hand ache from clinging to the arm of the chair.