Anyone here ever had a root canal done?

[Sniper82]

My sister went to the dentist today and they told her she needed 3 root canals. Well she didnt ask how they did it exactly. So thats why I am posting here. How do they do it exactly? I heard it was the worst thing that could be done at the dentist. Is it real painful or is it no big deal?

 

[LH]

Damn three root canals?

Root canals arent bad at all. The worst thing to get down is having impacted wisdom teeth done, the pain you feel afterwards(from what I hear, Ill soon be finding out 🙁

 

[SuperGroove]

<< My sister went to the dentist today and they told her she needed 3 root canals. Well she didnt ask how they did it exactly. So thats why I am posting here. How do they do it exactly? I heard it was the worst thing that could be done at the dentist. Is it real painful or is it no big deal? >>



Tell her to tell the dentist that if she feels ANY discomfort during the root canals, to tell them immediately. I remember trying to stick it out after feeling some pain early during one of my root canals, and boy did it start hurting when they started drilling the old decayed tooth material away.

I've had 3 root canals, but not in one day. Two at most, and those were impartials. I've had to go back several times to complete them. It isn't the most painful procedure, but it's not pleasant🙂

I'm going in to get 4 impacted wisdom teeth pulled.

 

[Zim Hosein]

^Sniper^, a root canal isn't a big deal, there are two major pain steps: 1. The shot to numb the area, and 2. The 12-24 hours after the procedure is done as the tooth is quite sore. I've personally had more than one root canal done and must say the best way to avoid the pain is to go right to bed after you have the root canal is done. This way you don't have to deal w/ the lidocain [sp?] wear off. When she wakes up, the tooth will be sore, so just have some soup, watch TV or something brainless and go back to bed for the night. She'll be fine the next day. Hope this helps and good luck to your sister.

 

[HappyPuppy]

From my experience I would advise your sister to insist on being put out. Unconscious. Cold. Out of it.
It was the worst pain I have ever experienced in my entire life.
Better yet, tell her to go to a dedicated dental surgeon who can do it right.

 

[Zim Hosein]

<< I'm going in to get 4 impacted wisdom teeth pulled. >>


I was in the same situation, my advice have them pull tow at a time, left side then right or right then left, that way you're still able to eat, and minimize your trips for tooth extraction. Good luck SuperGroove 🙂

 

[BMdoobieW]

No, but i had my wisdom teeth pulled a few years ago. I only had it done by an oral surgeon that put put me totally under - none of this half awake stuff. Scared the heck out of me. So I was totally under for the 2 hours or so that he removed my wisdom teeth and exposed my 12 year molars (I was 17). I woke up crying (apparently a reaction to coming off of the knock out stuff) and it took my mom about 10 minutes to get me to stop crying. I remember that I wasn't in control of my body and I just couldn't stop crying. Ok, I just got back from a party and I'm a little wooooooozy. I hope I contributed to the forum in a positive way. Much clown love.
---Brian

 

[tcsenter]

<< My sister went to the dentist today and they told her she needed 3 root canals. Well she didnt ask how they did it exactly. So thats why I am posting here. How do they do it exactly? >>

Wow, I was told I needed two root canals once, but not three (unless they're referring to the actual number of nerve canals that are damaged, not the number of individual teeth). If for some reason she doesn't feel that should be right because she's not having problems with those teeth, maybe she should get a second opinion.

Root canals are usually not that bad, but occassionally they can be painful. It depends on the individual, the dentist, and the extent of the damage. There is no reason a root canal HAS to be painful, it just depends on the individual circumstances.

What happens is that tooth decay threatens to enter (or has already entered) the nerve canal. When that happens, there are only two ways to deal with it; pull the tooth or do a root canal. Dentists are not fond of pulling people's teeth, and not just because it is the least expensive alternative.

Teeth can shift when theres a gap between them, creating more problems. Teeth are also a limited resource, you never know when you may have no other choice but to pull a few teeth, so its always best to save every tooth when you can (and if you can afford it).

In a root canal, the decay is removed and the nerve is essentially killed and stripped away. Some inert and stable material is put in the canal space to act as a sort of insulation. Then the tooth is restored usually by bonding a crown to it. There can be some discomfort for several hours after, which can be mitigated by taking an anti-inflammatory/pain-reliever before your dental appointment (only if the person has no problems tolerating such things as Advil) and as necessary for pain after getting home.

In most cases of pain or discomfort, the nerve is ALREADY so inflammed by invading decay that the root canal itself isn't the primary source of the discomfort. Within 24 hours, the tooth should actually begin to feel better than it did before the root canal.

I lived with an aching/sensitive tooth for a year before having a root canal done, and I would trade that for 3 or 4 hours of discomfort any day. In my case, within 24 hours I was wondering why I didn't have it done sooner.