Apicoectomy

[Lozboz]

Hi. I’ve had so much trouble with an RCT and received some great reassurance and advice from here for which I am really grateful.

Long story short, I have paid to see a specialist Endodontist and have infection over 2 RCT teeth next to each other, one is a new RCT and one is 20 years old. There is a huge dark shadow between the teeth above the gums which he said is all infection. The endo was lovely and explained he could do - double apicoectomy and was quite confident it would be successful (he said 98-99%).
I am so nervous about this, he said if I’ve coped with RCT I will be fine but I’m so worried about the sounds and if I can taste blood, etc. Does anyone have any reassurance for me? This is v expensive and I have been struggling for 5 months so am really hoping this is a resolution that means I won’t need extractions and implants. Is the recovery awful? Is there a lot of drilling noise? Thank you.

 

[MountainMama]

Hi. I’ve had so much trouble with an RCT and received some great reassurance and advice from here for which I am really grateful.

Long story short, I have paid to see a specialist Endodontist and have infection over 2 RCT teeth next to each other, one is a new RCT and one is 20 years old. There is a huge dark shadow between the teeth above the gums which he said is all infection. The endo was lovely and explained he could do - double apicoectomy and was quite confident it would be successful (he said 98-99%).
I am so nervous about this, he said if I’ve coped with RCT I will be fine but I’m so worried about the sounds and if I can taste blood, etc. Does anyone have any reassurance for me? This is v expensive and I have been struggling for 5 months so am really hoping this is a resolution that means I won’t need extractions and implants. Is the recovery awful? Is there a lot of drilling noise? Thank you.

I have had two apicos. One was a molar and one was my front upper tooth. I had nitrous for the molar but couldn’t have it for the front tooth because the mask would be in the way. Honestly the procedure itself isn’t as awful as it sounds. Once you are numb you don’t feel anything but pressure. I had imagined it would be much worse and was very surprised. The drilling sound is no worse than a filling, actually better I think, because it isn’t that high pitched whine. It is a lower pitch. I hate the sound of the drill for fillings. The only part I found difficult was the smell. Drilling into bone gives this burning smell which I can’t stand. The endodontist draped a folded towel over my face and that helped a lot. She knew I was nervous.
I won’t lie...the recovery is pretty rough. It is worse than a tooth extraction but you have less to worry about, if that makes sense. You don’t have to worry about food getting stuck in a socket or dry socket. You basically just have stitches that will dissolve. The pain wasn’t horrible...easily managed by Tylenol. The rough part was just that it takes a long time to recover. Everything I had read said one week but it was closer to a full month before I felt normal again. It was about two weeks before I felt I could eat normally again. It wasn’t sharp or throbbing, just a dull ache that took awhile to go away. The molar apico was definitely a quicker healing time than the front tooth.
If your endodontist is that confident that it will be successful, then it will be worth it in the long run to be able to keep your teeth. If you have any other questions I am happy to answer them.

 

[Lozboz]

I have had two apicos. One was a molar and one was my front upper tooth. I had nitrous for the molar but couldn’t have it for the front tooth because the mask would be in the way. Honestly the procedure itself isn’t as awful as it sounds. Once you are numb you don’t feel anything but pressure. I had imagined it would be much worse and was very surprised. The drilling sound is no worse than a filling, actually better I think, because it isn’t that high pitched whine. It is a lower pitch. I hate the sound of the drill for fillings. The only part I found difficult was the smell. Drilling into bone gives this burning smell which I can’t stand. The endodontist draped a folded towel over my face and that helped a lot. She knew I was nervous.
I won’t lie...the recovery is pretty rough. It is worse than a tooth extraction but you have less to worry about, if that makes sense. You don’t have to worry about food getting stuck in a socket or dry socket. You basically just have stitches that will dissolve. The pain wasn’t horrible...easily managed by Tylenol. The rough part was just that it takes a long time to recover. Everything I had read said one week but it was closer to a full month before I felt normal again. It was about two weeks before I felt I could eat normally again. It wasn’t sharp or throbbing, just a dull ache that took awhile to go away. The molar apico was definitely a quicker healing time than the front tooth.
If your endodontist is that confident that it will be successful, then it will be worth it in the long run to be able to keep your teeth. If you have any other questions I am happy to answer them.

Thank you so much for such an in depth reply! That’s really put my mind at rest. It’s the smells and sounds that I feel worried about - I may take earphones to wear. I’m also considering asking my GP for a small dose of Diazepam. Maybe I could put Vicks Vaporub up my nose to disguise the smell. I’m determined to keep my teeth, so have to just be brave I guess.
Thanks again for the reply.

 

[MountainMama]

Thank you so much for such an in depth reply! That’s really put my mind at rest. It’s the smells and sounds that I feel worried about - I may take earphones to wear. I’m also considering asking my GP for a small dose of Diazepam. Maybe I could put Vicks Vaporub up my nose to disguise the smell. I’m determined to keep my teeth, so have to just be brave I guess.
Thanks again for the reply.

An oral sedative wouldn’t be a bad idea. I have used lorazepam before and it helped a lot. Vicks is a good idea!