Ok so I'm panicking here...

Bicycle

Nervous neurotic patient, in need of help please. Need to have a nerve killed and have root canal work done.

My previous post alludes to the fact that my own lovely, lovely, calm and caring dentist won't be doing the work.

To get things into perspective, I've already checked to see the rate of heart attacks in the dental surgery and it appears that each dentist is only likely to see one heart attack in every 150 years or so (give or take a couple) and a cardiac arrest in every 300 years or so (again give or take a couple) so as one of many patients my risks are now deemed negligible :p

But does a nerve killing kill you with pain (memories of my brother being in agony 40 years ago when a nerve was killed in West Cork - I'm sure Cork has improved significantly since lol!!). And putting it into perspective the pain can't surely be as bad as the pain I'm in. And yes, I've been told by TWO people it won't hurt but as you all know, the negative memories are far far stronger than the positive ones.

And root canal work. How bad is it? Before when I was getting work done, people would say "Ah sure aren't you lucky it isn't root canal work, won't you be fine", Hmmm. Now is the time. Will I survive without intimate knowledge of how to cling onto the practitioners ceiling?

Thanks in advance for any reassurance.....;)

P.S. to all you dentists out there, how do you deal from a personal or a psychological perspective with the fact that you are feared by many?

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Root canal treatment is COMPLETELY painless. Local anesthetic removes all sensation from the tooth while its being worked on. A lot of patients fall asleep during root canal treatment. Dont worry,

Bicycle

Thanks Fitzgeme.

I could do with the sleep lol!!

day dreamer

The procedure itself is indeed painless and can even be relaxing if you have an Ipod to listen to.

The tooth can be a bit tender afterwards but I found that the injection site was a bit sore afterwards, particularly if it is a lower injection or block. This discomfort is similar to any filling you have had before before so you will know the feeling i am talking about, that honestly is as bad as it gets!

lizzie09

I absolutely agree....painless procedure really.

The site of the injection vvas the only tender bit and I recovered
completely in a couple of hours...no meds at all needed though I had been given
a prescription in case I got into difficulty

Bicycle

Thank you all so much for your reassurance.

I'm on prescription pain killers at the moment so that shouldn't be an issue.

The consult and possibly the root canal treatment will take place on Thursday so I'll let you know how things go on.

Bicycle

Just getting organised to drive the 62 miles to Galway. Scared S******s. Know the logic but feel what I'm feeling...

Please think calm, calm thoughts for me. I know I've no other option and the fear will be there whenever I get it done. And the pain I've been in for the last month has been unbearable, even if it has reduced in the last couple of days.

Have the MP3 with hypnosis and relaxation tapes. Have hubby primed with various hand signals. Hoping to be back here laughing at myself later...

georgieporgy

So how did it go?

Bicycle

Apologies for not getting back and thank you for asking.

I went up to Galway. The specialist was absolutely lovely and following a detailed case history plus a check and recheck of x-rays taken, he decided that no root canal treatment was necessary.

There is certainly a little decay under the existing filling on the tooth and this is being remedied by my own dentist this coming week. However, the pain that I've been experiencing is not the typical type of pain experienced with a tooth needing root canal work.

The nature and path and extremity of the pain suggests TMJ or Trigeminal Neuralgia. But he is also encountering more and more patients with severe facial pain that cannot be pin-pointed exactly and that may well be due to stress (I was incredibly stressed when the pain started).

So, I'm being referred to a facial pain specialist. .

How do I feel? I've been off the pain killers for the last few days, and while not entirely pain free, feeling significantly better, the pain is barely impacting on my day to day living. But I feel confused.

At this stage, I'm not sure I'll ever get to the crux of the issue. I may well look back in time to come and say "what ever went on during that time in my life?"

Thanks everyone so much for your help and kindness. If there are any further developments, I'd like to keep you in the loop if thats OK

dudara

Roy Greasy Tailor wrote: »

A lot of patients fall asleep during root canal treatment. Dont worry,

I did! Was so embarrassed but the dentist's surgery was lit with sunshine, nice music was playing and I was just shattered after the week at work.

Bicycle

So, I went back to my own dentist today to have the filling that the endodontic specialist in Galway recommended last week.

Apparently the nerve in the tooth appears dead and I need to have a root canal once more.

Errrgh.

Its not just the cost and the actual process (I don't do sitting down not talking for 2 hours very well) but the actual time processes involved.

Chasing my tail with work and other issues as it is....

Somebody please tell me something positive and calming.

Thanks.

day dreamer

At least you are doing something about it and there will be a solution at the end.

On a positive note the planes are flying again

lizzie09

It probably wont take a full two hours to complete.

Afterwards you will be just fine. I had not one problem afterwards
and even the time spent with the mouth open went by quite fast

bullpost

lizzie09 wrote: »

It probably wont take a full two hours to complete.

Afterwards you will be just fine. I had not one problem afterwards
and even the time spent with the mouth open went by quite fast

Agreed - biggest problem I had when getting it done was boredom.

Bren Jacob

Sorry to butt in on this thread but Iv been told that root canals can be a really horrible experience.
Judging by the comments on this thread it seems that the procedure has got a lot better in recent years but............
Can you get gased/knocked out (for the want of a better way of phrasing it) in Irish dental surgeries?
They do it a fair amount of the time in the US & Canada or have I been misinformed.
The though of getting a root canal is seriously getting to me already and I havnt even set an appointment

lizzie09

I had a root canal in March and one on 1st April....as I have said ..no
problem at all...seriously, I mean that.

It seems a shame to pay so much extra for knock out during procedure
as I understand its not cheap (the anaesthetic I mean). But do if you must.
Its on offer in most surgeries.

I am not the kind to say everything is OK if it isn't so maybe take heart
and go for it.....its just a boring procedure as its a bit long but in all ,prob
not 2 hours completely:)

Bicycle

Thanks everyone for your helpfulness.

I'm going to get it done over the next few weeks, and will let you know how I get on.

Bren, the sedation is widely available. But what I'm planning to do is listen to a couple of hypnosis tapes on my MP3.

The receptionist has told me that if I need a bathroom break or a leg stretch break, I can have them.