Aaack! Root Canal a week away!

[gotkube]

Well I said I would stick around these forums for the last month or so- but haven't really. I've been so busy I haven't had time to think about the pending root canal scheduled for March 16th- until today.
My dentist's office calls my wife and tells her that they have a cancellation THIS Friday for the root canal and other fillings I need done. I declined the offer. That's a little too close for comfort right now.
But now I have the appointment at the forefront of my thoughts- and despite knowing that I'm going to be treated incredibly well, and heck, I'm being put out for the procedure itself, I don't know what I'm terribly worried about. But it still weighs on my mind.
As it is, Monday morning I have to go back for my second round of hygiene. Aaack! Suddenly my dental health has become a major topic in life once again! I can't even bring myself to look at the calendar because what was once 'so far away' is suddenly at my doorstep. Oh well- once it's done, it's done and I can more forward. It's the anticipation that's crippling for me, however. I hate waiting. But I also hate unexpected changes or surprises. Hence why I stuck with my original appointment instead of bumping it up a week.

 

[Rocky52]

Hi,
I've had root canal treatment done and I can tell you there is nothing to worry about. Totally painless after the l.a, infact it feels like a normal filling..just takes a few minutes longer to do! Good luck

 

[gotkube]

Thanks Rocky,

I'm actually going in for a 7:00am appointment for the second half of my hygiene prior to the big procedure on Friday. Even though this is a routine cleaning- I'm still anxious about it. They prescribed me Valium to help take the edge off- but Valium means I can't drive myself to the appointment- and then have to wait for it to wear off before I can drive again. I'm already taking Friday off as a result of my procedure- so I can't really afford to take off another half-day the same week. So I'm going 'sober' , and really I don't think I'm so anxious about tomorrow as much as I am about Friday- even though I know there's nothing to worry about. I've had a RC done once before almost 5 years ago (wow, has it been that long!?) and it was generally a good experience- and this time I'm being put out so all I have to contend with next weekend is some mild pain- which Tylenol Ultra will help me with... something that wasn't around during my first RC.
I am taking full advantage of the 'day off' though to catch up on some MUCH needed rest. I figure I'll come home, crawl into bed and pass out for a few hours. But mid afternoon I'll wake up and probably need to medicate. Crawl back into bed, or onto the couch, and sit with a laptop and a Nintendo DS for the remainder of the evening- sleep if necessary. I actually remember 'enjoying' the weekend of my first RC- so I'm hoping to have an equally enjoyable time this weekend too.
Sorry- I'm rambling. I must be nervous about something.

 

[Lesley]

I've got butterflies just reading your post. That awful feeling in my stomach at the thought of getting into the chair, or even walking through the dentists door. But don't you find that when you actually walk into the room it sort of goes away? (Yea sure, he says only cos the REAL gut wrenching fear kicks in then...)

Root canal on the 23rd myself on a big back molar, but I'm having IV sedation this time.

 

[brit]

Quote LesleyThat awful feeling in my stomach at the thought of getting into the chair, or even walking through the dentists door.  But don't you find that when you actually walk into the room it sort of goes away?  

It depends on the degree of anxiousness but I would agree with you there, that yes, all waiting-room-induced nerves just fall away once you step through the door provided you are made to feel welcome. Thanks - the other moderators used to think I was mad when I said things like this.....obviously the effect may not be as profound, if you are having something major done but Lesley with i/v sedation your root canal will be a breeze...no worries about what happened before.

You're also likely to be less nervous, the better you know the practitioner, assuming of course that you've stayed with them because you like and trust them and not just because they are the only one in town.  

In periods of my life where I have been able to see the same dentist for many years...I haven't been nervous at all. But this can all be upset by then seeing someone who doesn't tick all your boxes   bit like Miss Unsympathetic with you recently.
Sure it'll be fine on the 23rd.

 

[gotkube]

In a way I can't wait for it to be Friday and get some much-needed time dedicated to power-sleeping- especially while in the chair. I think I'm mostly nervous of the sedation itself- having never done it before. But the valium prior to going in should make the experience a little more pleasant. The nerves probably won't really kick in until tomorrow night I imagine- but I will surround myself with friends and family to help take my mind off it.

 

[gotkube]

Off I Go...

Just about to walk out the door for my Root Canal. I'm a little nervous- ok, a lot nervous, but I'm too tired to really care right now. Once I pop these other two Valium I'm sure I'll be waaaaaaay past caring. I'll let y'all know how I make out!

-gotkube

 

[mkayy]

Re: Off I Go...

hope you did good , let us no how it went and be nice remember i go tuesday for 11 teeth pulled lol.

 

[gotkube]

Thanks for moving my post to my previous thread. I was literally walking out the door at the time so I wasn't paying attention to where I was posting.

In a nutshell- today went INCREDIBLY well! IV sedation is really something else- even though it took them several times to try and find a vein to connect me to it. Oh well- they finally did and before long I was long off to la-la-land. The procedure actually took closer to 8 hours than the originally-planned 6. I'm in virtually no pain- in fact, I was in more pain upon arriving home due to a headache from the weather than I was from the root canal, 2 fillings and multiple sealants!

After arriving home, I was still quite groggy, so I mustered up enough energy to post a blog entry and play about 20 minutes of Wii- then I passed out on the couch for about 4 hours. I woke up about an hour ago, at 8:00pm. I feel fine- I even just ate (Chef Boyardee & Toast) and I feel like I can go all night now.

I am sooooooo happy that today was such an overwhelming success! Sedation is absolutely the way to go for people like me- regardless of how big or small the procedure.

 

[brit]

Congratulations - glad it went so well for you.