Finishing A Root Canal?? What Does This Mean??

[josiegrossie26]

Hi, all,

I just got back from the dentist this morning. I have a few questions that I really need help with. First of all, I had 2 root canals last year. My dentist put a temporary filling in and, until, this last month or so, I hadn't been in to see him. Long story short, I had to go see him about a toothache. My dentist told me that he hadn't finished the two root canals and that was what he did - the second of which he just finished this morning. What does that mean exactly...to finish a root canal? All I know is he and the dental hygienist kept talking about different colors like blue, black and red. Also, I think they took some measurements on the teeth they were working on. Another thing is these two appointments lasted about an hour and half. Could anyone tell me what finishing a root canal means??

Another question I have is that at the end of my appointment, I made an appointment for Monday to get a permanant filling done. What exactly is this? I am able, under insurance, to get a crown on one of the root canal teeth before the end of the year. Does this have anything to do with crowns? Shouldn't I be getting impressions done in preparation for a crown? I've already mentioned the staff the fact that I can get a crown before the end of year and that I have to get it before the end of the year ( due to insurance reasons). Should I mention it again? I just don't want appointments to fill up...

Thanks for all the help!!

[harper]

hi
the rct question, some dentists(mine included) do rcts(root canals) in 2 appointments the first the one you had where they do some measuring(gordon would be able to explain that better) then they put a temp filling in and the next appointment they do the permanent one. sorry im not very exact ive had loads but find it hard to explain things [smiley=grouphug.gif]

[Gordon]

Finishing the root canal generally means putting the permanent filling into it. The first stage is to remove as much of the gunk from the canal system as possible, to clean out all the infected debris from the canals and to insert an antibacterial material into the canal space. The finishing phase is to fill up the canal spaces with an inert filling material.

It's usually a good idea to crown root treated teeth, but some dentists (including me) prefer to wait and make sure that the root canal has settled down properly first. Usually I'll wait a month or so to be on the safe side and save me having to drill through a nice new crown.

[josiegrossie26]

I guess I didn't realize that you get a permanant filling in teeth that are going to eventually get crowns put on them. And this is normal? So, after the permanant fillings are put in, what would the next step be? The impressions for the temporary crowns? It would help if someone could explain the whole process to me! It would help ease my anxiety about it all

[vict4ia]

I didn't have a root canal done with my crown. However, when I went for the crown they did the impression for the crown and fitted me with the temporary crown all in the same day. I think that's the way it usually works for crowns. They do whatever prep work they need for the crown and fit you with a temporary all in the same day.

For me, the steps were as follows:

1) They did the prep work for the crown. Lots of whirring sounds, occasional pressure, and a little bit of vibrating but no pain at all.
2) They did an impression of my lower teeth using some goopy stuff. (I think that's the technical term for it. )
3) They did an impression of my upper teeth (which is where I was having the crown done). That impression was done in a much harder substance. There was a lot of resistance when they took that out but, again, no pain. Don't be alarmed when they do that step. (One of my phobias is losing all of my teeth. I had a dentist joke with me that all of my teeth were going to come out when I had a similar mold done as a teenager. However, THIS dentist assured me that they've never pulled anybody's teeth out with that mold - even people whose teeth were very wobbly and practically falling out on their own.)
4) They fitted me with a temporary crown. They had me bite down and grind my teeth a bunch of times to make sure that the crown fit properly with my bite. Once the crown was correct, they put it in with some "temporary" cement.

I realize not everyone is the same but I can honestly say that getting the crown done wasn't really a big deal. I was just the teeniest bit sore around that tooth that evening (no more than if I'd slipped with my toothbrush while brushing my teeth) and was fine the next day. Getting the permanent crown done a couple of weeks later was a breeze. (I just had that done on Tuesday and I didn't have any discomfort at all.) That was just a matter of numbing my mouth a bit, popping out the temporary crown (which I didn't feel at all), cleaning off the temporary cement, fitting the permanent crown in, and sticking that bad boy in with permanent cement.

Now, obviously, this is from the patient's perspective. I'm sure there's more that goes on that that. However, I hope that helps to alleviate some of your anxiety until a dentist can answer your questions.

[Zzzdentist]

Some dentists like to place a permanent filling in after the root canal to allow time to make sure the root canal heals up okay and to form the basis for a solid core foundation for a new crown. The filling seals the tooth up better than a temporary filling can and makes the tooth stronger.

Ultimately, for a posterior tooth it's best to have the root canaled tooth crowned. For anterior teeth it depends on the dentist and how much solid tooth structure is remaining. Some anterior root canaled teeth might not require crowning.

You might want to double check with the dental office to see what is planned for the teeth in question.