Afraid shot won't work for root canal :(

[saponaria]

I'm so stressed out. I had one root canal already and it's been 3 mo and it's still not pain free. Now I need a root canal on the tooth behind it. The last bottom molar. I have had to have shots just to deal with the crown on this tooth. The nerve pain is awful! Today after the dentist checked it and it was so painful despite repeated shots she told me I need the root canal. I had gotten a crown due to a very deep cavity and I'd been warned I might need a root canal because it's just too close to the root.

I came home and kind of freaked out thinking what if they can't numb it all the way?? What will happen to me if they can't complete the root canal because I can't handle the pain and I'm left with an open tooth and nowhere to go or way to fix it in a speedy manner? I don't even know what. I'm just terrified it won't take and I will be in horrible pain. It hurts to barely touch it or have cold water on it when they numbed it to do the crown. How likely is it they won't be able to numb it all the way?

I called the dentist and her assistant answered and talked to me. She said it's not really possible for them to not be able to numb it. They have various methods etc. But honestly she sounded sort of hesitant in her reassurance. And part of the reason why I am freaking out is a friend told me today when I shared my experience how she had to get dental work on a tooth once and they never could properly numb it even with a shot in the jaw. Why do people tell me these horror stories?

I am having a horrible year. Non stop health problems, trauma, a root canal that's not ok after 3 months and I feel like I'm going to lose my mind at the idea of a root canal that's not numbed all the way. I'm just seriously terrified. I'm trying to see if I can even find an endo who can do this with IV sedation. I found one not too far away but not a lot of a reviews and not all are great. I also feel like I need to feel safe with the person I'm seeing. But my tooth is hurting so bad now just from dealing with checking it and getting a new temporary crown (dentist decided to not put permanent one on so I could get the root canal) I can't even drink anything too cool or warm without pain at this point.

 

[geos]

Hi, welcome on the forum. Did you read the Dental Fear Central page regarding people who can't get numb, https://www.dentalfearcentral.org/fears/not-numb/ ? I think it would answer many of your questions.

I like the 2 quotes from 2 dentists that frequently come on the forum in regards to difficult numbing for infected tooth :

“Don’t be afraid to ask for more – it’s not that expensive!!! Also if things are too sore at the time you can always abort and reappoint – might annoy an impatient dentist, but certainly isn’t the end of the world!! It’s your mouth – you are in control!” (Mike Gow, BDS)
“It’s very very rare for a tooth to be so acutely infected that local won’t work properly, usually you can get around it by either putting more local in or else using a block injection to freeze the entire quarter of the mouth rather than just around the tooth.” (Gordon Laurie, BDS)

I hope your pain and your anxiety can calm down a bit before you get to have the root canal treatment.

 

[saponaria]

Just an update: I posted my stress over this on FB and had several local friends post suggestions. I ended up choosing to go to an endodontist my friend recommended that offered oral sedation and whose partner also offers IV sedation. I wasn't able to wait long enough for the IV sedation option. But my dentist prescribed valium. The root canal was amazingly easy.

The endo was super nice and reassuring. He went out of his way to explain the placement of my nerves and how they properly inject anesthetic. He gave me the BEST and easiest shots I've had in months and I've had a lot. I barely felt it. And he numbed me properly from the first. No need to top up or inject in other areas to help. The whole procedure was easy and quick. I have even less discomfort this time than my first root canal.

In every way it basically went as good as it possibly could. I even told them when I first got in the chair that I really couldn't handle them even touching or testing my teeth at first. It hurt too much. And he went instead with the xrays and what I told him. My nerves were just fried from the constant pain in my teeth I just didn't want to feel it one more blasted time.

So anyway, I hope this is at all reassuring to anyone else out there worried about their root canal. I'm so relieved it's over with!