Is root canal treatment that bad??

sudzs

I'm booked in next week for root canal treatment on a lower molar and hadn't thought about it until now due to being consumed by an exam I had last week!

Anyway, now I'm getting very nervous. I had a look at other threads here about it and there is talk of specialists and having it done in stages.... As far as i know I'm booked in for an hour of treatment with my dentist. Will it be completed in one appointment??

My dentist is young, I think it's her first job since qualifying, she wasmore nervous than I was during my first appointment with her about a year ago! But I do have confidence in her as she can give a block anesthetic injection without having me hopping off the chair in pain (which has happened me before with a young dentist) but trying not to think of how much experience she has had of doing root canal treatment.

I used to have a terrible phobia about going to the dentist, not too bad now but still feeling quite nervous so any info or advice would be greatly appreciated.

alias no.9

sudzs wrote: »

I'm booked in next week for root canal treatment on a lower molar and hadn't thought about it until now due to being consumed by an exam I had last week!

Anyway, now I'm getting very nervous. I had a look at other threads here about it and there is talk of specialists and having it done in stages.... As far as i know I'm booked in for an hour of treatment with my dentist. Will it be completed in one appointment??

My dentist is young, I think it's her first job since qualifying, she wasmore nervous than I was during my first appointment with her about a year ago! But I do have confidence in her as she can give a block anesthetic injection without having me hopping off the chair in pain (which has happened me before with a young dentist) but trying not to think of how much experience she has had of doing root canal treatment.

I used to have a terrible phobia about going to the dentist, not too bad now but still feeling quite nervous so any info or advice would be greatly appreciated.

It's a long time to be lying back, mouth open wide, but once the anesthetic is done right, it's no worse than a regular filling at any given instant, just prolonged. Breaking it into stages is about breaking up the time for both you and the dentist.

sudzs

alias no.9 wrote: »

It's a long time to be lying back, mouth open wide, but once the anesthetic is done right, it's no worse than a regular filling at any given instant, just prolonged. Breaking it into stages is about breaking up the time for both you and the dentist.

Thanks for the super quick reply! I think I'd rather get it over in one session.

DMcL1971

I had two root canals done a few years ago. They were each done in a one hour session. I had heard stories about how terrible it was and serious it was. Turns out, it was a walk in the park. Absolutely no different than getting a filling.

I don't know what all the fuss is about. Getting the injection is typically the worst part of any dental visit, after that there is no problem. When it goes so well you are always worried that it is going to start to hurt once the anaesthetic wears off, but for me it was absolutely fine. They gave me some pain killers to pop if it did start to hurt but I didn't even bother taking them.

username123

I only had one, upper tooth near the back, one 1 hour session with dentist, then three 1.5/2 hour sessions with endodontist, ended up in A&E from the chemicals leaching through into my sinuses causing sinusitis, was traumatised to such a degree that I haven't been to a dentist since, and would definitely choose removal rather than root canal again. I'm a nervous dental patient anyway and find dentistry barbaric and medieval at the best of times!!

Hogan24

To be honest there's nothing really to worry about. I used to be terrified to go to the dentist, I got a few regular fillings and got used to going again. Then I was told I needed 2 root canals on front teeth, it took 2 hours (1 session) and it was fine... I didn't feel a thing. If I can do it then any1 can... You'll be fine!

theteal

I had a lower molar done about 2 years ago. It was done in 4 visits iirc. 3*1 hour for the RC and a final 15-20min appointment for the crown - all done in the space of 2 weeks (best use of holiday time ever!). It was nowhere near as bad as I had envisioned. The worst bit was having to get x-rays taken with pins sticking in my tooth, not painful, just awkward.

I would have been more painful had I had it done before I left Ireland but ~£300 (which included the expensive white crown) didn't seem bad at all

Icaras

Had one done about 6 years ago. The worst part was when he was killing the nerve - it felt like he was poking it with a pin! It was very sore but he took it slowly with a few breaks - took about 10mins in total. Everything else was fine.

The Gardener

Go for it, I had one done a few years back also by a young dentist, but the good thing about a young dentist is that they'll do everything by the book and as was already said, the anaesthetic is the hardest part, after that just lie back and before you know it the job will be done. In my case I had an abscess a week previously which was worse than any dental treatment that I've had, so the root canal job was a doddle in comparison. Good luck.

Oral Surgeon

Your experience of root canals is not the norm and certainly doesn't help the op overcome their nervousness... Op you'll be fine.

username123 wrote: »

I only had one, upper tooth near the back, one 1 hour session with dentist, then three 1.5/2 hour sessions with endodontist, ended up in A&E from the chemicals leaching through into my sinuses causing sinusitis, was traumatised to such a degree that I haven't been to a dentist since, and would definitely choose removal rather than root canal again. I'm a nervous dental patient anyway and find dentistry barbaric and medieval at the best of times!!

username123

Oral Surgeon wrote: »

Your experience of root canals is not the norm and certainly doesn't help the op overcome their nervousness... Op you'll be fine.

I think it's fair to present a differing opinion or are only opinions telling people it's fine welcome here?

Oral Surgeon

username123 wrote: »

I think it's fair to present a differing opinion or are only opinions telling people it's fine welcome here?

No, your views and opinions are valid and welcome but correct me if I am wrong, you have posted this already....

It's like someone asking if they should buy a Mercedes and you telling them not to because yours broke, what about the countless others that don't....!!!

Complications are a part of any procedure. You had complications with the root canal, another person may have complications with an extraction....

sudzs

Thanks for all the replies... even the ones that gave me the shudders!!

Is it a quieter procedure than drilling away for a filling... I mean, will there be that grinding drilling effect or is it a gentler quieter excavation??!

username123

Oral Surgeon wrote: »

No, your views and opinions are valid and welcome but correct me if I am wrong, you have posted this already....

It's like someone asking if they should buy a Mercedes and you telling them not to because yours broke, what about the countless others that don't....!!!

Complications are a part of any procedure. You had complications with the root canal, another person may have complications with an extraction....

I've posted about it before yes, but not on this thread.

Surely it's better to know that some Mercedes do present problems?

I was never told I had complications actually, in fact the endo made out like she had never before heard of chemicals leaching into the sinuses before despite the doctors in A&E being familiar with that happening as a result of root canal. Other than the sinus issues the RC itself was straightforward but it did take about 8 hours in total and to me having your mouth forced open for dental work for so long is painful and the rubber dam is nauseating. That has nothing to do with complications.

Hannibal Smith

I am the worst for dentists and I had a root canal last year and was fine. I was more sick through fear than the actual procedure. I heard so manu horror stories. ..but thankfully that's all they were.

The one thing I would suggest is, ask the dentist before hand if its a back molar, can they tell you how long the root canal will last. My dentist only told me after that the root canal weakens the tooth and sooner or later id need a crown. ..if I'd known that I may have avoided it all and gone for an extraction!

Johnwayne98

Go for an extraction instead, its much cheaper and will eliminate the risk of pain reoccurring if the root canal is unsuccessful.

Johnwayne98

Root canal is way over-priced and isn't always the solution to the problem.

Johnwayne98

Root canal is way over-priced and isn't always the solution to the problem.

sudzs

Hannibal Smith wrote: »

I am the worst for dentists and I had a root canal last year and was fine. I was more sick through fear than the actual procedure. I heard so manu horror stories. ..but thankfully that's all they were.

The one thing I would suggest is, ask the dentist before hand if its a back molar, can they tell you how long the root canal will last. My dentist only told me after that the root canal weakens the tooth and sooner or later id need a crown. ..if I'd known that I may have avoided it all and gone for an extraction!

It's ok, there is a crown going on it anyway! And thanks for the reassurance!

davo10

username123 wrote: »

having your mouth forced open for dental work for so long is painful and the rubber dam is nauseating. That has nothing to do with complications.

Dental treatment tends to be easier when your mouth is open, I don't know, maybe you would prefer it done through your lips.

Root canal treatment requires the canals inside the roots to be sterile prior to the filling being placed. An abscess is caused by bacterial invasion so it helps to remove all bacteria prior to root filling. If you close your mouth, saliva which contains bacteria, gets inside tooth, therefore it is no longer sterile and the process has to begin again.

Advantages of Rubber Dam:
• Keeps inner tooth sterile during treatment.
• Protects airways from sterilising solutions and sharp instruments.
• Helps people to keep mouth open during long treatment so they don't have to consciously stretch.

Root canal treatment is most cases is painless, in fact the main reason it is done is to relieve pain and after the anaesthetic wears off, the relief is almost priceless. Yes some people have some discomfort and a tiny percentage have complications but so do people who have undergone all procedures. For most people the main issue is the time it takes to do it.

At the end if the day it comes down to whether you want to keep the tooth.

aaakev

I had 2 done, one last year and one on friday just gone. I actually fell asleep on friday in the chair and the dentist had to poke me and day wake up!! No pain at all in both cases. First time I got it done they wanted a grand, I bargained them to €500. Second time round I got it for €200! Dont be afraid to ask for a deal! He was getting €100 to pull it out or €200 for an extra half hour work on a friday afternoon

username123

davo10 wrote: »

Dental treatment tends to be easier when your mouth is open, I don't know, maybe you would prefer it done through your lips.

Root canal treatment requires the canals inside the roots to be sterile prior to the filling being placed. An abscess is caused by bacterial invasion so it helps to remove all bacteria prior to root filling. If you close your mouth, saliva which contains bacteria, gets inside tooth, therefore it is no longer sterile and the process has to begin again.

Advantages of Rubber Dam:
• Keeps inner tooth sterile during treatment.
• Protects airways from sterilising solutions and sharp instruments.
• Helps people to keep mouth open during long treatment so they don't have to consciously stretch.

No need to be smart about it. I'd prefer dental work done while I'm knocked out, not conscious through the torture. I'm not interested in the technical explanation as it happens. It doesn't make it less torturous.

looksee

I had root canal done for a front crown - it was not done the first time the crown was fitted and I had persistent low grade pain from it, so got the root canal done by a dentist who unfortunately didn't really know what he was doing and in the end recommended I to go to an orthodontist (? specialist anyway). It was tedious and tiring but not painful, and it was successful. Only hassle was the first dentist wanted to charge me for the unsuccessful work, which I objected to!

cbreeze

I had a painful abscess two months ago so after a course of anti-biotics the dentist did a root canal filling which involved two visits after the pain and swelling went down. I did not feel a thing after the anaesthetic kicked in and have had absolutely no problems since. Removal would be the cheaper option if the tooth is not in a prominent place. You can claim tax back on root canal work.

Oral Surgeon

username123 wrote: »

No need to be smart about it. I'd prefer dental work done while I'm knocked out, not conscious through the torture. I'm not interested in the technical explanation as it happens. It doesn't make it less torturous.

Do you not accept that your case seems to be the exception?? Even in this thread, most posters have reported few issues with this treatment.....

davo10

username123 wrote: »

No need to be smart about it. I'd prefer dental work done while I'm knocked out, not conscious through the torture. I'm not interested in the technical explanation as it happens. It doesn't make it less torturous.

Not being smart, it helps to be informed as to what treatment you are receiving and why.

It may not make the treatment less torturous but if your idea of torture is having to keep your mouth open while dental treatment is done then I'm all for torturing you less and doing it while your mouth is shut. Dental treatment tends to need direct access to the teeth.

username123

Oral Surgeon wrote: »

Do you not accept that your case seems to be the exception?? Even in this thread, most posters have reported few issues with this treatment.....

Sure. However, do you not accept that my view and experience is as valid as that of posters who had less traumatic experience?

davo10

username123 wrote: »

Sure. However, do you not accept that my view and experience is as valid as that of posters who had less traumatic experience?

Of course your experience is valid, but it is the exception. You have also shown that you don't like to be awake during treatment and that you feel dental treatment, although painless, is torturous just because you don't like keeping your mouth open.

username123

davo10 wrote: »

Not being smart, it helps to be informed as to what treatment you are receiving and why.

It may not make the treatment less torturous but if your idea of torture is having to keep your mouth open while dental treatment is done then I'm all for torturing you less and doing it while your mouth is shut. Dental treatment tends to need direct access to the teeth.

My idea of torture is dental work. A contributing factor in that is having to have your mouth open for hours on end. It results in headaches and jaw ache and usually neck ache from being in the chair too. No amount of technical explanation or smart alecky remarks about my preference to having dental work through the lips is going to change that.

I'll leave this thread now as we have Oral Surgeon implying I am unwelcome to post my experience and you making smart comments. Clearly posters with less than stellar dental experiences are not welcome in this forum.

davo10

username123 wrote: »

My idea of torture is dental work. A contributing factor in that is having to have your mouth open.

A contestant for post of the year?

fussyonion

I had root canal done a few years ago after the dentist told me one of my back teeth was at risk of infection.

I had no pain at all so her verdict was a bit surprising and I'd only gone in for a check-up.
She advised root canal to prevent it happening but she did give me the option for extraction.

In the end I went for the root canal and it was absolutely painless.
Dentist told me it's only painful if there's a present infection.

It just felt like someone prodding at my teeth and like other posters have said, the injection is always the worst part and even that only stings for a second.

Best of luck, OP.

xzanti

I had a lower molar root canalled back in January..

The procedure itself was fine apart from having my mouth clamped open for that long.. it is quite uncomfortable in my opinion and it takes about 1.5/2 hours.

I felt fine afterwards but my face was pretty numb for the day.

I'm not going to lie I did have some pain in the days after it but nothing unbearable.. just have a good supply of pain meds in stock for if you do need them.

I found Nurofen Express and Panadol Max good for keeping it at bay.

I'd do it again no problem if it means saving an important tooth.

Best of luck with it!

helimachoptor

Johnwayne98 wrote: »

Go for an extraction instead, its much cheaper and will eliminate the risk of pain reoccurring if the root canal is unsuccessful.

Johnwayne98 wrote: »

Root canal is way over-priced and isn't always the solution to the problem.

2 RCs done by the same Endo, first one took 1 hour (molar) second one took about 3 hours due to a few more roots than normal.

No issues with either, one is about 5/6 years old and the other a couple of years old.

Yes its a bit uncomfortable keeping your mouth open that long but the other options are non treatment/extraction

I'm sure one of the dentists can give the facts but its always better to keep your own teeth and RCs dont go wrong that often,especially if done by an Endo.

tooth_doc

i would also suggest , take some music with you and listen to it while your dentist is doing the work, I always recommend my customers to bring their favourite music when they are booked for root canal and if you have noise cancelling headphones/ear phones even better.Also ask if the dentist does binaural audio entrainment , if he/she does it then it will be a breeze

dealhunter1985

I also had a molar done a couple of months back and it was absolutely fine. No pain/discomfort.
The only thing that felt a little strange was when they were cleaning out the root..When they were sticking the swab or whatever it was down the canal, it was so damn deep. I remember thinking to myself.. Christ this canal goes on forever!!

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Sudz have you not had a root canal before? I seem to remember you posting about a premolar before??

tooth_doc

funnily enough , just finished a molar root canal :-) 2hrs ,customer actually went to sleep :-)

sudzs

Brixton Ambitious Roadblock wrote: »

Sudz have you not had a root canal before? I seem to remember you posting about a premolar before??

Yes. Good memory Brixton Ambitious Roadblock! It was years ago, I think I was still at school and at the time I didn't even know I was having it! Years later after an x-ray with a new dentist he said, "oh, you've had root canal treatment on that tooth" It was news to me!!

tooth_doc wrote: »

funnily enough , just finished a molar root canal :-) 2hrs ,customer actually went to sleep :-)

2 hours??! :eek: I have a xanax lined up for tomorrow so with any luck I might nod off too. 14 hours to go...

Dawn Rider

My root canal took less than an hour for the first part. And about the same for the second part when the tooth was crowned.

No Pain, just awkward keeping the mouth open for so long.

If anything hurts, just tell your dentist. Pain relief has come on such a long way over recent years.

sudzs

Thanks to everyone for all the encouraging posts.

Fortunately or unfortunately, (I'm not sure which!) I got a reprieve and did not have the root canal treatment this morning. My dentist reckoned as there was still some feeling in the tooth, the nerve hadn't died so decided to leave it for another 3 weeks to see how it is then. Waste of a xanax though! :rolleyes:

tooth_doc

sudzs wrote: »

Thanks to everyone for all the encouraging posts.

Fortunately or unfortunately, (I'm not sure which!) I got a reprieve and did not have the root canal treatment this morning. My dentist reckoned as there was still some feeling in the tooth, the nerve hadn't died so decided to leave it for another 3 weeks to see how it is then. Waste of a xanax though! :rolleyes:

Hopefully you will be ok