Root Canal next week and I cannot stop worrying about it.

[mattlikesbikes]

Hello this is my first post to the board and I am starting to freak out. The more I read the more worried I get. I have to get root canal on a upper molar in a week and cannot stop worrying about it. I have been doing a lot of reading on the web and do not know what to believe. it is about 50/50 with people saying it was horrible to it was no big deal. I am no stranger to dental work. I had about 9 cavities/fillings replaced in the past year and a deep cleaning (that was horrible!!!). I usually leave the dentist’s office feeling traumatized every time. I had to get a cavity drilled and filled a few weeks ago and it took 4 shots of Novocain to get me numb granted it was a tooth on my lower jaw which I have always had issue with getting numb but still it was not fun.

I just do not know what to expect. Is a root canal worse than a deep cleaning/scaling? Is it the same as a cavity that once they get you sufficiently numb you cannot feel a thing?
I am going to a Endodontist and not my regular Dentist. I meet with him for a consult last week to see if I felt comfortable with him which is a big thing with me and I got a good vibe from him. I really want to cancel the appointment but this needs to get done and I do not want to wait until it gets really bad.

Sorry for the long post

Matt

 

[brit]

You'll be fine - all dentistry is painfree if you are properly numb. My one and only root canal was painless and that was many years ago.

Fear of Painful Dental Treatment

Do you avoid the dentist because you are afraid of pain? Find out how dental treatment can be made painless.

www.dentalfearcentral.org

Can't Get Numb

Find out why you may not get numb enough, what dentists can do to get you numb, and how to ensure your treatment is painless.

www.dentalfearcentral.org

 

[Sassy411]

Exactly. If you are properly numbed up, it should be fine. Does your doctor use nitrous oxide? That can make you more relaxed--anxiety increases pain.

I'd suggest talking with the doctor before the procedure & explaining exactly what you are feeling.

 

[RP]

Why was the deep cleaning horrible for you, were you not numb? Is it the local that bothers you?

I had an endodontist do a redo root canal for me with some sedation but I was wide awake, it was long because of the redo but absolutely painless during the procedure once the local was given.

rp

 

[Razzle3]

I had a root canal a year ago and it was easier than a regular cleaning! Painfree after local and gentle care by dentist.

 

[mattlikesbikes]

Why was the deep cleaning horrible for you, were you not numb? Is it the local that bothers you?

rp

I am not a good dental patient. The deep cleaning was just bad. They did it in 2 visits and did numb me up but I have a problem with my lower teeth getting numb and it took a lot and I mean a lot of shots of Novocain or whatever they use and my heart started racing and I broke out in a sweat. I think because it contains adrenaline. After that I was still sensitive. Overall it was a very unpleasant experience.

Thanks everybody for the suggestions It is definitely anxiety. For some reason just thinking about the dentist gets me going. Even after all the work I had done recently I still cannot sleep good the night before I have to get a cavity filled. Maybe I watched Marathon Man a few too many times back in the day

I will ask about the nitrous oxide maybe that would help. I would love to find a sedition dentist but my insurance does not cover it.

 

[robotguy]

Hi Matt, I've had two root canals over the past few weeks and have found them actually easier and gentler than normal fillings. They do take longer as its very fine work using small tools, but as it on the soft part of the tooth I find its easier to cope with.

Both mine have been done in two stages; the first gets to the roots and removes the nerves, (sounds painful but shouldn't be once the LA is in there you feel nothing, I even had a top-up injection directly into the exposed nerve which I didn't feel thanks to the general LA at the start). The second stage is a washout of the root canal with disenfectant, a bit of shaping then the holes are plugged up with resin and capped off with a filling (or crown if you are going that rotue). A week was allowed between each stage to make sure no infection had got in there before the cavity is sealed up.

Both times the first stage I had no after aching or pain, the second stage I ached for a day afterwards but its nowhere near the pain of 'normal' toothache.

On both RCTs I've had the rubber dam put around the tooth so that the disenfectant doesn't go in my mouth. It wasn't essential but a RCT has a better chance of working with it. The dam does mean that you have to keep your mouth open the whole time without a rest, but you don't need to rince or spit with it as nothing goes in your mouth. I find that it makes it seem like the outside of my mouth is being worked on and not the inside, its strange.

My dentist explains as she goes along what she is about to do, always warning me what to expect which I find helps.

You can do this Matt, you really don't want to get to the stage where an abscess forms because you put off a RCT.

 

[GrahamDee]

I had a root filling a few years ago. A bit more work, a bit more fumbling about...but not much different than having an ordinary filling really.

 

[Di]

Matt, I know you can't help worrying but please don't cancel your appointment. I had a root canal done on a molar only yesterday and I'm fine today. The tooth was prepped at an earlier appointment; I had a little pain after that, but only needed to take one painkiller. Then yesterday the canals were checked and filled and the rest of the tooth built up (I may have to get a crown eventually, but that won't be a problem).

I had only two injections and was totally numb, so didn't feel a thing while the work was being done. The only bad thing was the time it took and this is unavoidable as of course the dentist needs time to do the work to the best of his/her ability. My jaw felt rather sore afterwards and when the numbness wore off I had some pain; I took a Nurofen, just the one, and that was that. I have no pain today, just a little soreness in some of the nearby teeth, but no need of any pain relief medication.

I'm very relieved the tooth was able to be saved and I'm sure you'll feel the same once your root canal is done. It's always wise to keep as many of your own teeth as possible, something I wish I'd realised when I had some removed in the past. I understand what it's like to feel nervous before a dental visit and how traumatic it can be; in my case, I'm not bothered about injections or pain, but about swallowing something that might stick in my esophagus which has a narrowed section due to acid reflux. This of course has never happened, which probably goes to show how my fear is actually groundless, nevertheless it's very real to me. I've always found dentists to be very understanding of my worries and I'm sure your endodontist will understand your worries too.

Best of luck!

 

[Sassy411]

I am not a good dental patient. The deep cleaning was just bad. They did it in 2 visits and did numb me up but I have a problem with my lower teeth getting numb and it took a lot and I mean a lot of shots of Novocain or whatever they use and my heart started racing and I broke out in a sweat. I think because it contains adrenaline. After that I was still sensitive. Overall it was a very unpleasant experience.

Thanks everybody for the suggestions It is definitely anxiety. For some reason just thinking about the dentist gets me going. Even after all the work I had done recently I still cannot sleep good the night before I have to get a cavity filled. Maybe I watched Marathon Man a few too many times back in the day

I will ask about the nitrous oxide maybe that would help. I would love to find a sedition dentist but my insurance does not cover it.

I was always a horrible dental patient too. I finally worked up the nerve to blow out all of my credit cards & face the music. I'm nearly done with a full mouth reconstruction done via crowns & bridges rather than implants to hold costs down.

I also had to have an emergency rct in the middle of it all.

What I've learned is that for me, the cure to my dental phobia was getting the work done. I've spent so many hours at the dentists that I feel like the staff is my main social circle now.

It's desensitized me dramatically in a very short time. Having so much work done within a short time span has made the dental office a 2d home.

A psychologist would call it stimulus flooding.

Not all of it has been pleasant but NONE of it has been as bad as I had feared.

 

[mattlikesbikes]

What I've learned is that for me, the cure to my dental phobia was getting the work done. I've spent so many hours at the dentists that I feel like the staff is my main social circle now.

I wish I felt that way. Maybe I need to find a better dentist. I like him but I do not feel 100% comfortable with him. A few times during a really tough cavity he was visible getting frustrated and sighing while trying to get to the cavity. You could imagine how this made me feel seeing the Dentist do this. But since I have been there so many times I have some level of comfort and trust with him. The Endodontist I am seeing on Thursday I have only meet once during the consult. So I do not know how he is and what to expect. At this point I wish the Appointment was today so I could just get it over with and not worry any more.


And on top of the root canal my wisdom tooth (I think) has been bothering me pretty bad all weekend. I have all my wisdom teeth and they are all through but my dentist wants to pull them anyway which I have been putting off also. It feels a little better today but the gum is sore around it was hurting when I was biting down on it.

Now I have even more to worry about. I can’t win

 

[leohopkins]

I was always a horrible dental patient too. I finally worked up the nerve to blow out all of my credit cards & face the music. I'm nearly done with a full mouth reconstruction done via crowns & bridges rather than implants to hold costs down.

I also had to have an emergency rct in the middle of it all.

What I've learned is that for me, the cure to my dental phobia was getting the work done. I've spent so many hours at the dentists that I feel like the staff is my main social circle now.

It's desensitized me dramatically in a very short time. Having so much work done within a short time span has made the dental office a 2d home.

A psychologist would call it stimulus flooding.

Not all of it has been pleasant but NONE of it has been as bad as I had feared.

Hi, emergency rct ??? Is that emergency resuscitation ?

 

[Sassy411]

Rct=root canal therapy.

 

[Sassy411]

I wish I felt that way. Maybe I need to find a better dentist. I like him but I do not feel 100% comfortable with him. A few times during a really tough cavity he was visible getting frustrated and sighing while trying to get to the cavity. You could imagine how this made me feel seeing the Dentist do this. But since I have been there so many times I have some level of comfort and trust with him. The Endodontist I am seeing on Thursday I have only meet once during the consult. So I do not know how he is and what to expect. At this point I wish the Appointment was today so I could just get it over with and not worry any more.


And on top of the root canal my wisdom tooth (I think) has been bothering me pretty bad all weekend. I have all my wisdom teeth and they are all through but my dentist wants to pull them anyway which I have been putting off also. It feels a little better today but the gum is sore around it was hurting when I was biting down on it.

Now I have even more to worry about. I can’t win

I'm actually pretty neutral about my dentist. What I meant was that by spending so much time there--some days 9 hrs--I couldn't help but get desensitized to being at the dentist. Sort of a stimulus overload really damped down the anxiety. Your body can only stay in full panic mode for so long.

A few 7-9 hr days at the dentist & the panic response just doens't kick in like it used to.

I spent a lot of time in the chair just waiting--to get numb; waiting while dentist flits off to do something else, etc.

Huge time waster but a pretty effective phobia cure.

 

[brit]

I spent a lot of time in the chair just waiting--to get numb; waiting while dentist flits off to do something else, etc.

Huge time waster but a pretty effective phobia cure.

7-9 hours - that's a bit long...in UK dentist doesn't tend to flit off, they stay with you for the whole appointment...treatment would never involve 7-9 hour days. What you describe is one benefit of a more 'production line USA' system which hadn't occurred to me though.
You are maybe neutral about your dentist because he flits off...I'm guessing you feel more at home with the staff who actually spend more time with you.

Actually orthodontistry is also a good phobia cure...you live there...familiarity breeds contempt.
I totally agree the more you go the easier it gets for most people anyway. If it doesn't, maybe you are not quite in your ideal 'dental home'.

 

[losinmuhteefs]

Endodontists are awesome. They have great injection techniques and you won't feel hardly anything. The sad part (for me) is afterwards, finding out whether or not my body wants to reject the tooth despite the root canal and that I wasted 775$ on a tooth that needs an extraction anyhow. But if you are someone who always has success with root canals, be thankful you can afford to save your tooth! You can call the office and tell them you need a xanax or valium b4 you go in if you want. They can usually call a pill into the pharmacy for you to take b4 ur appt.

 

[mattlikesbikes]

Well my appointment is tomorrow and I have been stressing out yesterday and today pretty bad so far. I am tempted to call to see if they can give me some meds to calm me down in the morning. But then I will have to get my wife to take me there and I am not sure what her schedule is like at work tomorrow or even if they will give me any. Right now I just keep thinking that by this time tomorrow it should be done

 

[mattlikesbikes]

I am back from the root canal and it was pretty much a non event. It went smoother than most fillings. It was even a tough location with 4 long roots. I was in the chair for about a hour and a half and I have no complaints. I feel like I wasted the last week or so worrying about it.

 

[robotguy]

Well done Mike,

Root Canals take time but they really aren't worth all the bad press they used to get, or the worry and stress we make about them beforehand.

 

[Di]

I am back from the root canal and it was pretty much a non event. It went smoother than most fillings. It was even a tough location with 4 long roots. I was in the chair for about a hour and a half and I have no complaints. I feel like I wasted the last week or so worrying about it.

Really glad it went so well for you - I bet you're glad now that you went ahead with it. You've managed to save your tooth and that's something to be thankful for. And if you ever need a root canal in the future you won't have to go through such worry again. Well done!