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kelly88
Junior member
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2016
- Messages
- 6
Hi everyone! I found this board after my many Google searches about root canal treatment.
As a child my upper second premolars (at least that's what I think they were) grew in behind my other teeth because there wasn't enough room for them. Those, my first premolars (?) and my first molars were in a sort of triangular sort of formation (that's the only way I can describe it). I have always been good about keeping my teeth clean, rarely ate sweets, didn't drink fizzy, sugary drinks. However because of the way these three teeth were it was impossible to properly clean the area. My dentist later discovered decay in my first molars on both sides (upper) and filled them. No problems, I'm now 28, I don't think I've ever had toothache.
I'm currently undergoing orthodontic treatment to correct a bad overbite. My braces are coming off in no more than two months. Last Wednesday I had an adjustment. Some soreness as expected but no big deal. Sunday morning around 5am I woke in a daze with some tooth pain. It was coming from around the area where my filled molar is on the right hand side. My orthodontist had attached a power chain to this tooth and the neighbouring one next week so half asleep I thought no big deal, it's just tenderness from my braces (which was what it felt like at the time). I took some paracetamol, went back to bed but couldn't sleep as the pain got progressively worse over the next few hours till at 8am I was crying to the lady on the phone at the out of hours dentists because the pain was so bad. She fitted me in for 2 that afternoon.
At the dentists she took an x-ray, seemed confused about why I had pain at first. She blew cold air at my tooth, no pain. She pushed them, no pain. She tapped them, only slight pain but nothing major. I had seen my dentist about pain in this area around 6 weeks ago. She said she could take the filling out when my braces are off and see what's going on but at the time she saw nothing on an x-ray. The pain settled. On Sunday after prodding, poking, pushing and blowing my teeth and being confused the dentist took an x-ray, looked confused for a bit then said she could "see a pathology" on the x-ray. Before I had time to question this she had got in there with the injection, numbed it, drilled the filling out and refilled it. When she had finished and I questioned her about what was going on with the tooth she didn't really give me an answer other than I would need to see my dentist after my braces come off and get a root canal... maybe. She sent me on my way.
All seemed well, no pain all afternoon. Around 6 the pain came back (probably because the numbness had worn off). Monday morning I didn't take any pain killers. By 3pm I was sobbing in pain again. I got to see my own dentist Tuesday morning who took another x-ray and showed me where the problem was. I could see it myself on her x-ray, what looks like a black line around the roots of my tooth. I heard her mention an infection to her assistant then she sent me on my way with an appointment for a root canal on April 4th... almost two weeks away. Again, by 3pm the pain was so bad I called back and said I couldn't cope with this for two weeks. The receptionist asked if I'd been given a prescription which I hadn't. She said to come back yesterday morning and my dentist prescribed 500mg of Amoxicillin, three times a day for five days.
Fingers crossed so far today I've just had some niggles. Late afternoon seems to be when the pain comes back though. I'm hoping it won't. I'm panicking a bit because the dentists are going to be closed all over Easter...
So! What's brought me here? One of my biggest fears is losing my teeth. I take such good care of them. I brush, floss, very very rarely eat sweet things. I never brush my teeth straight after eating (I've read this is bad). Since having braces I've used interdental brushes to get all around the brackets etc. I rarely drink sugary, fizzy drinks (maybe once or twice a year). When I do I drink them through a straw. I guess the infection has just got in through the old filling some how.
I am SO worried about this root canal. The thought of things going wrong and losing my tooth is filling me with dread. My dentist seemed happy to do it but my Google searches have shown that an endodontist would be the better option? My dentist is young and has only been qualified for two years. I worry that maybe she's not had as much experience. I know, she must be capable or she wouldn't be doing it but... I will do what ever I can to save the tooth.
Should I be looking for an endodontist? I've searched but can't really find any where I live. I've asked a couple of friends and they said I'll be fine, that my dentist can do it, their dentists did. But I'm still worried.
I am so annoyed that I need a root canal after years and years of taking care of my teeth
As a child my upper second premolars (at least that's what I think they were) grew in behind my other teeth because there wasn't enough room for them. Those, my first premolars (?) and my first molars were in a sort of triangular sort of formation (that's the only way I can describe it). I have always been good about keeping my teeth clean, rarely ate sweets, didn't drink fizzy, sugary drinks. However because of the way these three teeth were it was impossible to properly clean the area. My dentist later discovered decay in my first molars on both sides (upper) and filled them. No problems, I'm now 28, I don't think I've ever had toothache.
I'm currently undergoing orthodontic treatment to correct a bad overbite. My braces are coming off in no more than two months. Last Wednesday I had an adjustment. Some soreness as expected but no big deal. Sunday morning around 5am I woke in a daze with some tooth pain. It was coming from around the area where my filled molar is on the right hand side. My orthodontist had attached a power chain to this tooth and the neighbouring one next week so half asleep I thought no big deal, it's just tenderness from my braces (which was what it felt like at the time). I took some paracetamol, went back to bed but couldn't sleep as the pain got progressively worse over the next few hours till at 8am I was crying to the lady on the phone at the out of hours dentists because the pain was so bad. She fitted me in for 2 that afternoon.
At the dentists she took an x-ray, seemed confused about why I had pain at first. She blew cold air at my tooth, no pain. She pushed them, no pain. She tapped them, only slight pain but nothing major. I had seen my dentist about pain in this area around 6 weeks ago. She said she could take the filling out when my braces are off and see what's going on but at the time she saw nothing on an x-ray. The pain settled. On Sunday after prodding, poking, pushing and blowing my teeth and being confused the dentist took an x-ray, looked confused for a bit then said she could "see a pathology" on the x-ray. Before I had time to question this she had got in there with the injection, numbed it, drilled the filling out and refilled it. When she had finished and I questioned her about what was going on with the tooth she didn't really give me an answer other than I would need to see my dentist after my braces come off and get a root canal... maybe. She sent me on my way.
All seemed well, no pain all afternoon. Around 6 the pain came back (probably because the numbness had worn off). Monday morning I didn't take any pain killers. By 3pm I was sobbing in pain again. I got to see my own dentist Tuesday morning who took another x-ray and showed me where the problem was. I could see it myself on her x-ray, what looks like a black line around the roots of my tooth. I heard her mention an infection to her assistant then she sent me on my way with an appointment for a root canal on April 4th... almost two weeks away. Again, by 3pm the pain was so bad I called back and said I couldn't cope with this for two weeks. The receptionist asked if I'd been given a prescription which I hadn't. She said to come back yesterday morning and my dentist prescribed 500mg of Amoxicillin, three times a day for five days.
Fingers crossed so far today I've just had some niggles. Late afternoon seems to be when the pain comes back though. I'm hoping it won't. I'm panicking a bit because the dentists are going to be closed all over Easter...
So! What's brought me here? One of my biggest fears is losing my teeth. I take such good care of them. I brush, floss, very very rarely eat sweet things. I never brush my teeth straight after eating (I've read this is bad). Since having braces I've used interdental brushes to get all around the brackets etc. I rarely drink sugary, fizzy drinks (maybe once or twice a year). When I do I drink them through a straw. I guess the infection has just got in through the old filling some how.
I am SO worried about this root canal. The thought of things going wrong and losing my tooth is filling me with dread. My dentist seemed happy to do it but my Google searches have shown that an endodontist would be the better option? My dentist is young and has only been qualified for two years. I worry that maybe she's not had as much experience. I know, she must be capable or she wouldn't be doing it but... I will do what ever I can to save the tooth.
Should I be looking for an endodontist? I've searched but can't really find any where I live. I've asked a couple of friends and they said I'll be fine, that my dentist can do it, their dentists did. But I'm still worried.
I am so annoyed that I need a root canal after years and years of taking care of my teeth
