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Long post - venting.

L

leela

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 24, 2009
Messages
172
Location
Canada
Hi everyone,

Well I just posted over in the dentistry questions forum, but it looks like I need a root canal. I won't get into the "why" here as I did that in the other forum, but I just need to vent over here.

I'm at work right now and I just feel like crawling under my desk and crying. I can't believe I went through all I did to get the filling, and for nothing. I had to call on every ounce of emotional strength I had to do that. I knew going in of course that the possibility existed that it may not solve the problem, but God, was I hoping.

The domino effect that this unleashes is getting next to impossible to deal with emotionally, and I'm sure it's something almost everyone on here has felt. It starts with the pain, and then moves into anxiety and panic because I don't want to feel pain - then I take pain meds (narcotic so as to ensure I don't feel ANY pain), and that unleashes it's own problems. Then all of that moves into absolute obsession and the inability to sleep (sometimes the pain meds can help with this), but it completely takes over my life, resulting in self hatred for not getting the stupid root canal done in the first place and feeling like a complete idiot - which then moves right into severe depression.

A TOOTH TAKES OVER MY ENTIRE LIFE. What kind of insanity is this? I mean I think I've figured out that it's my fear of PAIN that is driving all of this. I call it a dental phobia, but really I think it's a pain phobia. I've been to the dentist every 6 months for a cleaning and the past 20 years not needing any dental work done. So I wasn't afraid of going to the dentist's office to get cleanings. Cleanings aren't painful. Maybe a little uncomfortable, but no pain.

But then again, why I am so afraid of getting a root canal done under IV sedation? My brain knows I won't feel any pain. I had one done 20 years ago and I was fine - so why can't my left brain and my right brain agree on this? One side of my brain intellectually understands that my fear is ridiculous, but the other side is causing my life to be hell.

I went from a normal (whatever that is) well rounded emotionally stable (again, whatever that is) human being into a crumbling mess in a matter of weeks. I had about 24 hours after the filling that I thought everything was fine and I actually felt "normal" again, then slowly as the pain came back the reality of what was happening started to surface, and once again, my emotional state deteriorated.

SIGH.
 
oh no leela!!!!

my heart sank for you when i read yr post you have been so brave and i really have had my fingers crossed for you too i was so pleased when you said the sensitivity with liquid had gone too!! I know how you feel its horrible cause you could have skipped the filling and just had the root canal but its not yr fault there is probaly not a single person on here who if they had the choice you had wouldn't have tried the filling first it sounds less scary for a start!!! :scared: Sometimes like you had the dentist didn't even know what to recommend so it is not yr fault i would have done exactly the same!
let me know how it goes

im thinking of you

all the best

emma :hug2:
 
A TOOTH TAKES OVER MY ENTIRE LIFE. What kind of insanity is this?
SIGH.

I definetely know how you feel! I'm really sorry about the whole situation. I think I'll end up having to have a root canal also.

Maybe after you get through it this time with no pain, you'll be all set and wont be scared for any future work you need to have done (hopefully none!). And then you'll be writing in the success section!
Let us know how it turns out.:XXLhug:
 
Thanks for the replies, I really appreciate it. Sometimes it helps just getting it out there, esp. when I know this is a place where so many people can relate and not think I'm just a pathetic basket case.

And to think all this baggage is going to the dentist with me every time I go and for the most part they have no idea how bad it is.

k.man - I love that name - is it from Seinfeld? I named one of my ferrets K-man after Kramer. :)

emma - thanks for continuously being there and listening, it really helps.
 
hi again
just wondered if you have spoken to yr dentist at all yet? i totally understand about the emotional side of things so don't worry about that ive been an emotional train wreck since my anorexia last year and its so so hard to claw yr way back up but hopefully when yr tooth is finally sorted you can at least have some peace of mind over your teeth thats what i want my teeth are affecting my life so much i hate it the fear of getting them sorted but the fear of getting tooth ache and any moment the fear of another one dropping to pieces or the fact i have to be careful how i eat breaking everything up and making sure i only eat on certain teeth otherwise ill be in agony its just horrible but hopefully once you have this one sorted you can be really pleased and proud of yourself and then if your like me you can find something else to worry about !!!!!:rolleyes:
best wishes

emma :)
 
Leela, I'm a total coward and on Thursday last I had RCT without sedation. I can hardly believe I somehow did it - but I did. And it was fine. Not fun - but fine. Nothing to worry about - I look back at my few disturbed nights beforehand, and think I was really wasting my time and emotional energy, there.

With IV, it will be a breeze. IV I had last year for other stuff was fantastic and I wouldn't hesitate to have it again if I felt I needed it!

Right now I'm keeping everything crossed this root canal doesn't fail. I know what you mean about a procedure taking every last ounce of courage you have, and the thought of having to do it again would not be too thrilling, so I know where you're coming from. But worth every second if, longterm, you save the tooth and when you are out the other end of it, you will be SO glad you went ahead!

Even without IV it is not as bad as you think - and with IV it will be a piece of cake. I'd be gutted if my root canal failed and I had to go through even more dental adventures, right now - just emotionally tired from it. So know how you feel. But this is just that one last thing you have to do to make sure you're OK and pain free forever!

After my RCT on Thursday I walked out thinking *Blimey, was that it?* like I had a whole life the other side of it! Even though the procedure was split over 2 appointments in my case, and from the first I had known it was painless - didn't stop me worrying and last Thurs was a hurdle in my mind.

But there's a whole life waiting the other side of this one last hurdle. You can find the toughness in you to do this, and ace it.;D:XXLhug:
 
k.man - I love that name - is it from Seinfeld? I named one of my ferrets K-man after Kramer. :)

:giggle:lol, no, its not from kramer. I do love seinfeld though! My best friend made up the nickname Kellyman for me years ago, so I just shortened it to K-man for my user name here.:)
 
Leela
There's no use crying over spilled milk and it could have worked..it was 50:50 whether a deep filling would have solved the problem and avoided a root canal. So it wasn't such a bad decision..the odds just didn't fall in your favour.
Don't forget you also learned that a filling unsedated with the right dentist is not so terrible...so yes as you say a root canal sedated should be a piece of cake in comparison.
Fear of pain is entirely rational..I'm a painophobe too....since most people associate dentistry with pain..fear of pain is a major component of most dental phobia but there are other elements in the mix too....the good news is there doesn't have to be any pain and afterpain (if any) can be alleviated/headed off with pain medication.
I'm sure you'll be fine..the worst issue is probably the bill as I said to HDF2 the other day who also had i/v sedation. :grouphug:
You can see it through and it will ultimately be worth it. :sleepyjuice:
 
Confirmed - root canal needed

So, just an update. I emailed my dentist yesterday with the symptoms I've been having since the filling. She faxed it to my endodontist and they had a discussion and both reached the conclusion that I need the root canal. I'm pretty sure the endodontist always held that position anyway.

So it's booked for a week from tomorrow on April 15. Blech. But I know I'm in good hands when they had a consultation about me, and the receptionist at the endo's office said this is all he does, day in and day out, that he could do it in his sleep.

And of course I'll be having the IV sedation - deep sedation with no recall of any of it.

I sound nice and calm now don't I? Well, let's see how I'm doing on Tuesday night of next week. :o

Thanks for all the replies and support, it's really appreciated. And I'm sure as the day draws nearer, I'll need it even more.

Thankfully between my husband and myself we have excellent coverage that should cover almost 100% of it.
 
hi leela
im sitting here so scared about just a consultation and you've got the root canal now yr so brave though much braver than me you will do it and i will be here to cheer you on too ! by the way im a bit confused whats a endodontist ( may be spelt wrong ) don't think we have them here or we might do but maybe we call them something different ??

anyway just think in a week or so yr prob will be sorted !! :jump:

best of luck again

emma:)
 
hi leela
im sitting here so scared about just a consultation and you've got the root canal now yr so brave though much braver than me you will do it and i will be here to cheer you on too ! by the way im a bit confused whats a endodontist ( may be spelt wrong ) don't think we have them here or we might do but maybe we call them something different ??

anyway just think in a week or so yr prob will be sorted !! :jump:

best of luck again

emma:)

An endodontist is a 'root canal specialist' and they do exist in UK but are mainly in private sector. Another one to know is 'periodontist' (a gum specialist.) They are not specialists based in hospitals, just dentists who have done extra training and got accreditation/experience in these areas.
The chances of success with a root canal particularly a complex one, are much greater with an endodontist not only based on their greater experience but also based on the hightech microscopes they use to see while they are working etc...they are also more likely to offer sedation options and be good at the LA techniques to get infected teeth numb (as they get a lot of patients with acute situations).

NHS dentistry can be a marvellous thing but if you think about it, a young Associate dentist willing to do say crowns for NHS patients, is doing it to get experience in crowns - they won't have done that many while at dental school...the same goes for root canals.
 

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