Having a Root Canal on August 12th....petrified.

Crazy, I'm sorry you had so much pain after the procedure. Infections can be such nasty things and make even simple treatments so much worse.

Please don't stop here. Going back to finish up the root canal should make you comfortable again. I know it's easier said than done, but you CAN do it. Communication with your dr. is paramount. Make sure he knows just how much you're hurting and that the pain increases your fear. It's a vicious cycle, but you can break it. Ignoring it and refusing to go back will only make things worse in the long run. I'm sure you realize that.

If it takes finding a new dr. to finish the treatment, I would certainly go that route over suffering more in the future. And if your current dr. isn't willing to help you manage the pain, I do think finding someone else is in order, but you need to let your dr. know what you're going through and give him a chance to fix it.

I've been there, and I held off telling the dentist just how much pain I was in because I didn't want to appear weak. When I did go back in, he was very sympathetic but asked, "Why on earth didn't you tell me?" It was my own fault for not communicating, and I've kicked myself several times since then for not speaking up. Every time I have, I've gotten immediate relief. I'm not sure I'll ever learn.

Good luck, and I sincerely hope you can get this taken care of very soon.

Actually the pain is almost null now. My family doctor had to be put on Ceftin for a bladder infection and after two days on the Ceftin, I dunno if it's helping the infection in the tooth but it feels almost like I didnt have anything done. The pain is gone. So I am quite certain the antibiotics helped immensly not to mention helping with the bladder infection. So I am going back to finish treatment......then the crown. I am suppose to have my wisdom teeth out also, I dunno if I will ever be ready for that one, the only solice I have in the thought of wisdom teeth removal is I will have conscious sedation, plus they will give me meds for pain control afterwards.

Hey crazycat, sorry ive not posted back in a while. I can proudly say I had my first treatment for the upcoming root canal, and because mine was infected and he knew about it the first appouintment was like yours, to pack it with antibiotics and rid the infection. There was no pain before the appointmnet as i had been given a course of antibiotics, but the dentist wanted to pack the tooth to make sure, it tasted disgusting! dunno what it was but my god that was just horrible! He drilled a hole in the centre of my tooth and the white antibiotics look like a little filling, he drilled the hole without LA to prove the tooth is dead, he said he could even do the root canal without LA because the tooth is dead but he wont, I said to him if you dont give me LA and it hurts you will put me off for life! I want extra shots to be on the safe side.....anyway a week later im eating and all of a sudden theres a shooting pain from my 'dead tooth' and now I cant properly close my mouth, its as though the tooth has grown and when I bite down its tender and feels as though its bouncy (i know that sounds wierd but its not loose) when I chew down it feels like my tooth is really soft. Surely It cant be an abcess coz thatd bloody hurt??? Gonna call dentist in the morning and see what they can do. Im so glad they dont charge per trip to the dentist, only charge for the whole procedure or else id be skint flint!

I live in the US and l must say, looking back, it was okay, very uncomfortable laying there for two hours, not being able to talk, etc. I really have issues with people being in my face, I hate that, all I know is that labor was easier on me than the root canal and I even had back labor the second time around. I feel like they are violating my personal space and I hate that.

Anyway, I'm still on my antibiotics, even though they put the antibiotics in the tooth itself, I am taking oral ones.

I just am very fearful of dentists, I dont trust them, or perhaps I havent met one that dealt with my fear correctly.

Have you had the root canal done then or just had antibiotics filled in the tooth??? im confuzzled LOL

They filled the root canal with antibiotics. Going back tomorrow early morning appt. actually, first appt of the day for the dr. I have my Xanax ready and standing by.

crazycatlady said:

They filled the root canal with antibiotics. Going back tomorrow early morning appt. actually, first appt of the day for the dr. I have my Xanax ready and standing by.

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Does the Xanax help? I had a root canal (that I never finished-has a temp filling on it), but mine wasnt bad. The worst part for me was laying there for that long of a time. As far as pain , I never felt a thing. Even afterwards it wasn't bad (especially compared to the pain I was in). I didn't go back because I didn't have $500 to do the crown. Plus the dental phobia too. It's great that you are able to go, I hope you have a decent experience like I did!

I LIVED through it. I got the temporary crown put on yesterday, no problems, just have issues with not being able to hold my mouth open that long...dentist allowed me to take a break. Crown will be placed in 3-4 weeks....next week, I go to the oral surgeon for a consult about getting three wisdom teeth taken out..that is what petrifies me now. I lived through the root canal. Now I got to live through the wisdom teeth extraction. Thinking back, root canal wasn't that bad, my fear is what made it worse, the actual procedure was VERY uncomfortable,, just some pain afterward that Ibuprofen took care of. Wisdom teeth they put you out for that....my worries are.

1. I will say things to EMBARRASS myself. When I am drugged, God above only knows what I will say. I had an epidural when I gave birth to my kids and my husband says I said some wild stuff.

2. The whole loosing control of my body for the time they have me put out. I wont be aware of nothing so that freaks me out.

3. Pain afterward.

4. Anxiety before procedure.

This list could go on.....and on.....and on.....

Hi, CCL~

Congrats on getting that temp in place!

As for the extractions, I'm sure it will be much like what you've already gone through in that the anxiety beforehand tends to be much worse than the reality.

Don't worry about saying or doing something embarrassing! Once you're out, you won't be talking. And when the work is done, they bring you right back out of sedation. I've had two epidurals, and although I don't claim to be any kind of expert or health professional, I can't see where an epidural would make you say anything outrageous. It deadens sensation from the waist down and has no outright affect on your behavior. Childbirth in general is responsible for that!

I do understand how losing control can be an issue. It's not one of my particular phobias, but I can sympathize. All I can offer is that when it comes time, you won't care. All the worry in the world beforehand will be forgotten, so to dwell on that is counter-productive. Focus instead on putting it behind you and being on your way to a healthy mouth.

The pain after extractions is usually minimal and well-managed with pain relievers. You should be given a Rx to take the first few days, but I've rarely needed to take anything more than Tylenol or Aleve after the first day. It's really more of a soreness than actual pain, honestly. Follow your post-op directions and all should heal well and amazingly quickly.

Discuss your anxiety with your dentist or surgeon ahead of time. They should come up with a plan to help you deal with it. They don't want you to be anxious, either! Just make sure you let them know just how frightened you are and what those fears are. They'll be better prepared to deal with it when the time comes if they have the information.

Good luck! You can do this, and you've already come a long way!