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Root canal work

A

Alida

Junior member
Joined
Oct 2, 2016
Messages
4
Location
Japan
I had root canal work done for 90 minutes with anesthetic but it was pretty nasty. The next week, it seems there was some nerve left and he spent 60 minutes working on it without anesthetic. That was even nastier. He says he'll use anesthetic on Monday. For other reasons, too. I'm getting fed up. Is this usual or should I be looking for a new dentist?
 
The next week, it seems there was some nerve left and he spent 60 minutes working on it without anesthetic. That was even nastier.

You should be looking for a new dentist! No doubt about it.

This is not usual and it is not acceptable, at all - as soon as there was any hint that you could feel something, he should have stopped and given anaesthetic, and waited to be sure it was totally numb before proceeding. You should not be able to feel it, at all.

Sounds like you're coming to the same conclusion yourself anyway - your instincts are right, get out of there and find a better dentist!
 
I agree. I've had several root canals and have never felt ANYTHING while they are working on the tooth. Maybe you should find a endodontist vs a regular dentist. They specialize in root canals. The only time I've ever had a problem with a root canal was the 1 time I didn't go to a endodontist.

Good luck!
 
Thank you so much. I'd never heard of endodontics and I didn't know I should expect at least only minimal pain. After googling, I know a whole lot more now. I'm considering various options.
 
Well root canals are expensive would I do that if I had the money instead of extraction yes. I just had extraction and glad I did plus if I ever want implants I probably could get them. My biggest complaint is why do they have to redo root canals? Why do root canals fails? Even If im not mistaken crowns sometimes need root canals, I now see why so many people get dentures at a younger age because dental work is so expensive
 
Hi newbie -

Root canals are often chosen because it's much better to keep the natural tooth root structure if they can - even an implant can never be quite as good as real tooth. Having a root-canalled tooth is often much better than having a gap, as it keeps the bone structure in good order and stops other teeth from moving, and avoids the need for things like treating adjacent healthy teeth to support a bridge. An implant can also help to preserve bone structure of course, but that's certainly not cheaper than a root canal.

The reason they sometimes fail is quite simply because root canal is hard! Roots can be curved, it can be difficult or sometimes impossible to get down all the canals and completely remove the infection. The skill of the person carrying out the treatment is a huge factor - root canals done by an endodontist using a microscope can have very good success rates (I was told 80-90% likelihood of success for my recent root canal, and that's allowing for the fact I have diabetes).

The crown thing is a little vague, not sure what you mean by that. They deal with different parts of the tooth - a crown covers/replaces the top part of the tooth (above the gum line), a root canal is removing the pulp inside the roots of the tooth (under the gum line). It is true that a root-canalled tooth sometimes needs to be crowned to give it more strength. It's also true that the larger and deeper the restoration a tooth needs (so a large filling or perhaps a crown if the tooth is quite far gone), the higher the risk of the nerve dying off following the treatment, which would mean the tooth would need a root canal. So crowns and root canals are separate, but in practise do often go together. I have one crowned tooth that has been root-canalled, and one that has not.


Yes, dental work is expensive, sadly. That's because it's highly skilled work, requires a lot of very expensive specialist equipment, and is time-consuming - this is especially true of root canals. The costs can be astronomical. But getting dentures at a young age isn't such a simple answer, it can completely change the shape of your face as the bone structure changes, and you can end up in the long term with a sort of 'collapsed in' look to your mouth - you see it sometimes on much older people who have had dentures for a very long time. This is one of the reasons that younger people often prefer implants to replace missing teeth, or indeed having root canals to keep the natural tooth root structure for as long as possible.


Some people really do prefer to have to tooth extracted though, and ultimately it's always down to the patient's choice. A good dentist will always talk you through all of the available options, including all the benefits and risks of each option, and they allow you to choose which suits your preferences.
 
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