My one root canal a few years ago was no big deal. The local anesthesia worked well, and while there was quite a long while in the dentist’s chair the overall experience was tolerable.
Well, that was interesting.
On Monday, my dentist refused to let me try nitrous. He did an excellent job with lidocaine, though. Somehow he managed to reduce the length of time of the injection but left me just numb enough for everything to be painless. And it wore off fairly quickly when I got home.
In between, things got sticky. He cleaned out the cavity that went under the gum line that started all this and inserted a temporary filling. Then he tried getting to the bottom of the canal to clean that out. After two hours of my being in the chair he gave up. He couldn’t find the bottom. And he thought there might even be a second hidden canal. He referred me to an endodontist.
Amazingly, when I called them on Monday they could give me a Tuesday appointment. So I had a second root canal. The second injection was more bothersome and took much longer to wear off, although everything was still painless. There was indeed a second canal that didn’t show on the x-ray because they lined up perfectly. As an endodontist he had what an ordinary dentist didn’t: a 3D 360 degree x-ray machine that spun around my head. I had to bite down on a piece into my mouth, levers were attached to my head to keep it from moving, and a gridwork of red lines was shone onto my face. Looked like something out of a movie and would make a good stand-in for a torture device, although of course no pain in the real world. My dentist predicted that he was close enough that it could be finished in a half hour, and the endodontist polished them both off in 30 minutes.
I still have to go back for the permanent crown. In the meantime no pain unless I bite down on anything. I don’t like chewing just on one side but it’s manageable.
In the end, no big deal. Mostly lots of boredom. Two consecutive root canals, though. I did not see that coming.
I’ve had 2. The first one involved Novocain plus a topical pain killer dropped on the nerve as the dentist removed it. that went south instantly. My instructions were to let the dentist know if I feel anything. Well, the first indication of any feeling was the Dentist striking a raw nerve. I knocked the instruments out of his hand without thinking.
the other root canal involved a gazillion shots of Novocain. That would be my choice. I also had wisdom teeth removed and that involved medication. I was in and out of consciousness and didn’t care. I remember hammering to break up the tooth and I DIDN’T CARE. Possibly Sodium Pentothal. It was awesome.
I once spent over 3 hours in the chair on nitrous, while listening to an Agatha Christie book I had read before on Audible.
I had a huge dental phobia coupled with a few years with no dental insurance, and no motivation to investigate getting any privately. Then DH got a new job with fantastic insurance. I had a new cavity, and a couple of old fillings that needed to be replaced.
It’s been so long since I read it, but years and years ago I read a nonfiction account about some secret agent. I don’t even remember if he was CIA or MI6, but one thing has always stuck with me. He went to have a root canal without anesthetic, because he wanted to know if he could stand it if ever captured and tortured. He said at the end of the session, he knew two things. One, he could stand it. Two, he never wanted to do that again.
That’s a Panorex. I had my first one before I got my braces in the late 1970s. Those things are pretty cool, aren’t they?
For what it is worth I’ve probably done about 2000 root canals in the last 35 or so years since the first one I did. I’ve had six, too much Dr Pepper as a kid. If one is properly anesthetized, they really shouldn’t be painful. Some people have pain afterword but for most it is nothing more than OTC meds can take care of. I have done root canals on three ladies without using anesthetic(their request), none of them appeared to have any discomfort.
Just make sure you’re good and numb.
I had one years back where the pus and infection were so bad it prevented the lidocaine (or whatever it was they used) from getting deep into where it needed to be.
On the outside it felt numb. But when the dentist stuck that file down into the root HOLY CRAP!!! They had to peel me off the ceiling with a rake! Did that freaking hurt! I would have been willing to give away state secrets.
Twice now I have had a novocaine shot not only in the gums by the tooth needing work but also one in the roof of my mouth. That shot in the hard palate really hurts (a lot) but it is over fast. I have noticed when that shot has been administered I pretty much can’t feel anything on my whole face. And I do mean you can’t feel a thing. I was touching my lips with my hands (when I got home) and could not feel anything. I had to stand in front of a mirror to take a sip of water and make sure I was pouring it into my mouth (I had to take a prescribed antibiotic).
Not sure what is happening with that shot but it sure seems effective.
Great, glad it wasn’t so bad. Yeah, the boredom.
The Panorex is how dentists get images like these, of the whole mouth at once.
This pissed me off to no end.
I went to my dentist and they charged me $250(ish…I forget exactly) for X-rays. Then they tell me I need to see a periodontist. Days later. They insist they do that thing you just showed…another $250(ish). Then they tell me I need to see a dental surgeon. No new X-rays but the visit was $250 to say hi and review the records.
I get why it happened the way it did but still…hard to stomach.
I have no dental insurance either (I looked into it and it is mostly crap anyway).
I hear you.
When I was a county Sheriffs Deputy my dental plan was amazing! Paid everything. One of my kids needed braces it paid 100%. I needed an implant it paid almost 90% when other plans pay basically zero.
When I retired I took my medical insurance with me at no cost, but could not take the dental even if I paid the full premiums.
I started a second career and the dental plan sucks balls. The 6 month cleaning is a $50 co-pay and the max benefit per year is only $1000. Seeing that a root canal with crown is about 3 grand better not need one of those.
Sorry, gotta play this:
I have had one…with my dentist saying I will need significantly more in the future.
It was less painful than a normal cavity.
YMMV
When I was younger (say 50 years ago) I would hear bad things about people getting it. Be thankful you live at the time you are living.
Dental insurance reminds me of my cell phone insurance. The company I work for agrees to payfor my cell phone service if I buy the phone. For some reason the company demands the insurance the cell phone provider offers.
I forget exactly but the cost is stupid.
One time I needed to collect on the insurance on an $800 cell phone. The deductible was something like $250 and they depreciated the phone (so I didn’t even get $550…IIRC it was something like $250 I collected). If you consider the premiums it was highway robbery. The only reason I had it was because the company wanted it.
Dental insurance reminds me of that.