New here and really scared

[FearfulInMA]

I do hope you start to feel better, but if you do need a RCT, please know that it is not at all like the nightmares we hear about. And, it is very, very likely to eliminate the pain you are having while still saving the tooth. I've had 4 of them and all 4 teeth are now pain free after nearly unbearable pain.

Best of luck to you!

 

[Mugz]

Yay Scaredy Cat!!! Great JOB getting through a HUGE appointment!!! What a whopper!!! You should be so very proud of yourself....and it seems it turned out better than you hoped....so far anyway. That is awesome!!! I'll keep my fingers crossed it settles down and a root canal is not necessary....your dentist knows his stuff so it is very likely you won't need one, you just need time for the tooth to adjust to it's new ceramic blanket.

I am so proud you went through with it all...I KNOW how hard it is and how you had to fight the urge to cancel...but you did the right thing and hopefully will now have some well deserved (and earned) relief.
Praying that is the case for you....asap!

 

[ScaredyCat22]

I do hope you start to feel better, but if you do need a RCT, please know that it is not at all like the nightmares we hear about. And, it is very, very likely to eliminate the pain you are having while still saving the tooth. I've had 4 of them and all 4 teeth are now pain free after nearly unbearable pain.

Best of luck to you!

Thank you, the thing is it's not just the fear and the having to get back in the chair. The filling was 410 bucks, the crown was 1100 and I assume after root canal It needs a new crown again.

 

[ScaredyCat22]

Yay Scaredy Cat!!! Great JOB getting through a HUGE appointment!!! What a whopper!!! You should be so very proud of yourself....and it seems it turned out better than you hoped....so far anyway. That is awesome!!! I'll keep my fingers crossed it settles down and a root canal is not necessary....your dentist knows his stuff so it is very likely you won't need one, you just need time for the tooth to adjust to it's new ceramic blanket.

I am so proud you went through with it all...I KNOW how hard it is and how you had to fight the urge to cancel...but you did the right thing and hopefully will now have some well deserved (and earned) relief.
Praying that is the case for you....asap!

Thank you Mugz
I really hope this does the trick for me. It's aching right now but not severely.
Good luck at your appointment today I'll be thinking of you and watching for an update.

 

[FearfulInMA]

I totally understand about the financial aspect of it as well. I just had a RCT on a crowned tooth. They were able to make a small hole in the crown for the RCT. After that I only needed a very small filling - the crown did not need to be replaced.

 

[ScaredyCat22]

I totally understand about the financial aspect of it as well. I just had a RCT on a crowned tooth. They were able to make a small hole in the crown for the RCT. After that I only needed a very small filling - the crown did not need to be replaced.

That's great to know, thanks! I was too shook up to ask for the details so I just assumed they had to do a whole new crown. That wouldn't be too bad then because I think my insurance considers a dead nerve to be a medical problem and they would probably pay for most of a root canal. I am currently only having a little bit of pain in my mouth where the gums are a little raw and raggedy from the crown prep and placement. I'm not having that deep jaw pain so I am hopeful the crown will do the trick for me. If I can have some pain free days and relief I may schedule regular appointments for cleanings and exam. I never got past my last cleaning when the filling broke so we never did my exam. I have other fillings that are more than 30 years old and should probably get them looked at.... someday. I ate normal food today! crispy crunchy bacon and toast and it didn't hurt.

 

[Spike 1969]

Hi ScaredyCat

Well done you for getting through your appointment That's amazing!!!

 

[Mugz]

Eating without pain is HUGE!! Yay!! It is a reward of sorts for your courage! Great job ScaredyCat!! I'm with you there with the 30'yr old fillings...and the financial strain of it all. ugh. maybe we can work up the nerve to do them a little at a time together if we experience a little success and relief first! Here's hoping your gums and aches settle and more crunchy bacon is in your future!!

 

[ScaredyCat22]

Thank you so much everyone. I just wanted to update to let you know that I am having hardly any pain today and what I do have feels like "normal" pain from being worked on. A little bit of stiffness when I yawn and soreness where the shots were. Some slight pain where my gums are a little beat up around the edges of the crown. The dentist said it was ok for me to floss there but it bled when I did and I decided I am just going to skip that area today (don't tell on me but I don't think skipping one day will give me gum disease) I haven't tried anything really icy cold but room temperature water and mouthwash no longer makes me want to jump out of my skin like it did before. The crown itself feels a little strange to me but I imagine I will get used to it with time. It's definitely not a bite problem because it doesn't hurt to chew. I think the fit and size are pretty good, it just feels a bit strange. It's a lot smoother than a chewing surface of other molars. Anyway I am sure I will get used to it in time and if I don't I think I could manage to call the dentist without breaking down in tears. I am so thankful that I am not going to spend Thanksgiving just watching everyone else eat while I suffer in pain.

 

[Mugz]

Awww, Scaredy, that's AWESOME!!! YAY!!!! A success story in progress...just in time for Thanksgiving dinner!!! Couldn't happen to a cooler cat!
I'm THRILLED for you!!!! YAY!!!

 

[FearfulInMA]

Yay!!! So glad that things seem to be moving in the right direction

 

[Spike 1969]

Hi Scaredycat

Congratulations on an excellent result; enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner; you've earned it!!

 

[ScaredyCat22]

Just to update, I will be calling the dentist today and I believe I may be headed for root canal. Last night was the most agonizing pain I have ever experienced in my life. I cried all night and when I managed to finally fall asleep the pain even followed me into my nightmares I guess, because I woke up screaming. I do not understand how I can be pain free one day and in agony the next. This has gone on far too long for me to have any hope the nerve will ever just settle. Today it even hurts just to open my mouth all the way. I think there may be some swelling. I am so scared and so depressed and feeling like this will never end. I wish I had never gone for the cleaning where the hygienist broke my filling. I wish I never would have let a strange dentist fill it. I wish I would have just walked out when my dentist wasn't there. I wish I had stood up for myself when the dentist was mean and rude and insulting and talking down to me like I was an idiot. Because everything I told her that I was afraid would happen is happening.

 

[ScaredyCat22]

My appointment is tomorrow. They could have seen me today but I have no way to get there.

 

[FearfulInMA]

Good luck Scaredy! I still am going to hope that it's something minor, but totally understand your worry that you may need a RCT. I do promise that, if this is the case, it will not be nearly as bad as you imagine and the result will be that you are finally out of pain. Take good care of yourself today!

 

[ScaredyCat22]

Good luck Scaredy! I still am going to hope that it's something minor, but totally understand your worry that you may need a RCT. I do promise that, if this is the case, it will not be nearly as bad as you imagine and the result will be that you are finally out of pain. Take good care of yourself today!

Thank you Fearful
Were your teeth that needed root canals ever like this? did you ever have totally pain free days followed by agony that just started for no apparent reason? Not pain that started from chewing or cold but when you are just sitting there doing nothing BAM you are hit with pain? I just don't understand why it doesn't hurt all the time.

What is the recovery period like after root canal? how long til the pain is totally gone and you can eat what you want and actually use the tooth for chewing on? Am I really in the chair with my mouth stretched open for 90 minutes? I'm not sure I can stand it. The crown was hard enough and seemed to take so long

 

[FearfulInMA]

Scaredy - I'm at work, so just a quick response for now...

Yes, I did, at first, have intermittent pain. It wasn't always related to chewing, cold, etc.

In terms of recovery time... For the first 3, I had them done pretty quickly (within a few weeks) of starting to have pain. For those, I was pain free immediately after (a little sore from the injections, but no tooth pain at all). For the most recent one, I waited a couple of months and it took a few weeks to fully recover, though I was able to eat without a lot of pain after a day or 2.

It usually does take about 90 mins for a molar, but there are lots of times to take breaks to close your mouth. The rubber dam will keep all of the stuff out of your throat, but won't keep you from being able to close your mouth. The dentist will switch tools a lot so when s/he does this you will get breaks. You can also ask for extra breaks if you need them.

Let me know if you have more questions and I can write more later.

 

[ScaredyCat22]

Thank you so much Fearful, for answering my questions. Right about now pain that is only the soreness from injections sounds like heaven. I would dance a jig if the rest of the pain was gone. I've never had the dental dam before and that sounds a little scary too. Are you still able to swallow if you need to? I hate being there with a mouth full of drool unable to swallow or close my mouth.

 

[FearfulInMA]

Yes - you can totally still swallow and breathe easily. It's nice having it because you don't have to worry about anything going down your throat that isn't supposed to (like bleach or anything else).

 

[ScaredyCat22]

Yeah the thought of swallowing bleach is the stuff of root canal nightmares that I have been hearing. Scary stuff