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Deaden the nerve???

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fudgywoo

Junior member
Joined
Aug 11, 2011
Messages
1
Hi.. need some help please

Have been in pain for a few years with 2 back teeth,the pain and sensitivity has become much worse in the past few weeks.I havent been to the dentist in 7 years,but did go in today with the help of some calming pills.Dentist sait to save the teeth he would need to deaden the nerve,remove filling etc,this has just put the fear in me and i got out of his office asap,they do know what i am like at the dentist and sent me a text with an appointment in 1 weeks time to have this treatment done,as its the only way to save my teeth,what are they going to do,to me? and will it fix the problem? what is a super freeze injection? please help..
 
Hi!

Sounds like you are getting a root canal treatment. The nerve of your tooth has become inflamed and is causing you pain, fortunately it is possible to remove just the nerve and not the entire tooth, this enables you to keep your tooth and takes away the pain.

They'll anesthetize your tooth so it's completely numb, and then they'll take out the nerve using tiny files. This is completely quiet and if you are properly anesthetized, it doesn't hurt. It's easy to top up the anesthetic if you feel anything at all, so don't hesitate to ask. Some dentists will wait a few weeks before putting in a filling in the tooth, others do it at the same appointment. This doesn't hurt either.

You'll probably get to wear a rubber dam which is a sheet of rubber that is put around your tooth to isolate it from the rest of the mouth. No problem breathing in it, and you can even talk, but no point in trying to say something smart ;).

The result should be a pain free and functional tooth. They have a high success rate, but are not guaranteed. Ask your dentist about the prognosis, it's usually somewhere around 90%.

It's really a very non traumatic and easy procedure for you, the only downside is that it takes time, so don't worry about it. :)

Be glad you have your appointment set up so soon, and good luck to you!

:)
 
'deadening the nerve' could just mean numbing it with local anaesthetic so he can re-do the filling to relieve your pain.
This may or may not subsequently require a root canal, it may depend how deep the decay is into the tooth whether just a filling will be enough or on how inflamed the nerve is. A root canal procedure is essentially removing the nerve but leaving the tooth intact as Norwegiangirl said.
I also agree that with a good dentist, it is not something you need fear. You can expect it all be painfree.

A superfreeze injection is probably just referring to injected local anaesthetic which is given into your gum to make your tooth numb so you feel no pain during treatment. Apparently in Canada they say freezing instead of numbing.
 
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