Root canal or extraction? (long, sorry)

Hi all

Just wondering if you can advise on what I should do about a messed up tooth I badly need to get fixed. I'm really bad with dentists (avoided having work done for 15 years) so I've been having all kinds of fun trying to let my (very sympathetic) dentist get near enough to me to sort it out. I'm at my wits' end and I'm pretty keen to do this as I was in agony all over Christmas and new year with an abscess and have seen how bad it can get.

So - when I had my appointment I felt relatively calm about it all, but sadly things didn't go as straightforwardly as they could have done, and also because I was panicking I got flummoxed and confused about exactly what the options and costs were when the dentist was explaining, and now I'm still not sure what to do next.

Basically, I have either the option of a relatively straightforward extraction or a root filling. I decided to go for the latter option at the time, because if I have the tooth removed I will have a massive and visible gap and/or bills I can't cover for reconstructive treatment, and I was doing well at the time so I just went for it hoping it would be less bad than I'd feared.

Sadly, it wasn't

The injection bit was fine - dentist was v good about explaining that he wouldn't use the sort with adrenaline in because it might make me more panicky, and I was glad I didn't have to ask about this and sound like a total cybercondriac But when he started the drilling I found I could still feel quite a lot and the closer it got to the root the more it hurt.

Bleugh of course by this point I was too panicky and upset to let him do any more injections so there was no option other than to have it dressed and leave it as it is - back to square one. I felt such a failure and wished I just could have got it over with, but I just couldn't do it.

I just don't get it. I can be relatively logical about this stuff. I was even joking abuot it with the dentist, who was a star and totally understanding. But I can't physically stop myself from reacting this way. I was so disappointed, because I KNOW that if it hadn't hurt like it did I would have just dealt with it, even though I was scared. We're not talking major agony, but enough pain to feel like it might suddenly really hurt (it did at one point) and that made me really anxious.

So what should I do???? I have about two weeks to make a decision re. root canal or extraction. I don't want to go down the sedation route if at all possible and he won't let me take valium for root canal as you need to be quite compus mentis. So that's not really an option unless I go for the extraction. I'm reluctant to seek out another dentist who does, as it's taken me years to find one I get on with and for me the whole 'new situation/new person' thing is half the fear.

I really don't know what to do.
Also, if someone can run through the options and likely costs that would help as I was freaking out too much to really listen when the dentist did this and am scared also that I'll go for somethign that sounds easier then get told 'that'll be two grand please'. I can't really even afford lowest NHS costs but don't qualify for any help with them.

Really want this sorted out. Should I just go for an extraction and have a gap?

And I'm still in pain

help!

I can't give you very much advise, but I'll tell you the little I know.

"he won't let me take valium for root canal as you apparently need to be quite 'compus mentis'" (Sorry I did the quoting this way!) Ok, first I had to find out what "compus mentis" means. If I can trust Wikipedia, you mean you would have to be more sane, more rational to take Valium. I don't get this. When I have a dental or medical procedure and I have to take Valium, I'm usually very irrational because of my fear. After taking the pills I start feeling more like a normal person, thinking clearly, and I become a cooperative patient. Valium is a drug for many kinds of mental problems, why would you have to be completely in your right mind to take it?

"And I wished I could have just coped with the injection but I was freaking out and any pain or weirdness would have made me do something crazy like grab the needle off him (which I have done in the past!!!!)"

I'm just like this. If I feel (unexpected) pain, I easily freak out and do something crazy. At least I'm afraid I will. But 10mg Valium just takes that fear away. I can relax and if something hurts, I just make some weird sounds but I don't move. I don't even think of that possibility then.

So my point is... find out why you can't have Valium. It works for me, so it should work for you. If this isn't possible, maybe nitrous oxide is, I haven't tried it but it has some fans on this site. I'm afraid I can't give you any advise about which is better root canal or extraction. Hope someone can!

I dont understand him not giving you valuim either. It doesnt make any sense to me at all. I took valuim when I had my wisdom teeth extracted like 14 yrs ago and it didnt work well for me, so when I get work done I take Halcion. It a wonderful drug and I take 1 before I go to bed the night before and 2 1 hr prior to appt and its great. I am sorry, if my denstist stopped allowing me to use medication, then I would have to find another dentist- its just better for everyone- him,the assistant and me. If you really like this dentist, I would really push for the medication and if still refuses, I would politely ask him if he had any dentist that he could recommend. As far as getting a rootcanal or extraction, it really depends on on the condition of the tooth(and the money u want to spend). I had a rootcanal done 10yrs ago and a crown but the root of my tooth was cracked and I ended up having it pulled about 2 mths ago, so sometimes even when you choose to save the tooth something happeneds. Good luck - but get medicated!!!

If the tooth is visible, then choose the root canal as an implant later will be very expensive. While a tooth extraction is about 25% of the total for a root canal and crown, an implant to replace the tooth (is this would be desired in the future) is twice the price of a crown.

Hiya, I have read elsewhere that some procedures are better done without sedatives than others, but yes, I also think I'd be a better patient after taking several chill pills. Will have to have a think about how that could work. Am thinking I probably just want to get the tooth removed now anyway, so this may not be such an issue.

Hi...I am so sorry you are having such a rough time You may want to post (or I could move this post) in the dentistry section to get a dentist's advice. My thought would be to try everything to save the tooth if at all possible. I had a root canal and needed the injection into the root as well. For me, as I was pretty numb already, it was a pinch and pressure, but nothing too bad, and this is from a terrified dental phobic I am not sure why he wouldn't allow you to have Valium for the procedure, possibly one of the dentists could give some input. I do know that many of the people on the site have had some medicine to help them relax during the procedure. In my case, the root canal was unexpected, so I just went the local route.

I hope this helps. Let us know what you decide.

Hi
just wondering if the choice of anaesthetic (without epinephrine aka adrenaline) had anything to do with the tooth not properly numbing. Epinephrine is used in local anaesthetics to make the numbness more profound and last longer (although if for some reason you don't want it need to avoid it, there are good alternatives available).
It is likely that a different type of injection (e.g. a PDL injection) would get the tooth totally numb).
Depending on how much information you want, I've attached an article I came across recently which, although targeted at dentists, may be of interest to you.
I don't understand why your dentist won't let you take valium for a root canal. Root canals can be difficult or impossible to do using general anaesthesia, but there's no problem with conscious sedation. You don't have to be super alert and compos mentis to follow simple instructions like "could you open a bit wider please". Can you check with your dentist again on this? Maybe there was a bit of a misunderstanding.

I hope some of this may help and I do hope you'll be able to save this tooth . Please let us know how you get on!

Oops, forgot the attachment, here it is