Root Canal Procedure/Technique questions??

[CourtneyM87]

Apologies for the long post!! Hoping someone can understand where I am coming from....

After 2 years of putting it off, I got a root canal yesterday. It was the first molar next to pointy tooth, upper. Maybe tooth 5? Not sure. I went to my general dentist, a very popular and well liked dentist who is top recommended for those fearful of the dentist.

Prior to this, the tooth rarely bothered me, occasional dull discomfort and random sensitivity unrelated to hot or cold. But I am going away next week and realized it should be done.

The procedure was fast, under an hour, no dental dam, sure yeah i guess like a filling, but I have questions/comments and no one is willing to help me out so I am coming here!

This is what I heard before/going into it from my dentist or FAQ on other dentists websites:
-this particular tooth has less roots/nerves/something than other teeth so it will be easy (from my dentist)
-it would take about an hour (my dental office)
-only 1 appointment, i don't need crown (my dentist/dental office)
-feels similar to a filling (my dental office/others online)
-dental dam required and without you can swallow filling debris or chemicals, and not one little speck of liquid can get into the working field aka tooth being worked on or else you will risk infection and other (serious) issues with the sealed up fixed tooth (online, from other dentists websites, not just random people)

When I tried to bring some of this up to my dentist after, he brushed off all my comments and questions. He is a great dentist, everyone who has dental phobia comes to him and loves him. But my mind always goes back and forth about things, and while I don't think it was done WRONG, I want to understand WHY it was done how he did it.

This is what he said to me in a text:
"Courtney, listen I had perfect isolation. It's an upper tooth. I know what I'm doing. We had cotton rolls in the mouth to protect and cleaned it with bleach. I did nothing wrong and it came out beautifully with no pain ""

My husband was in the room with me and doesn't recall cotton rolls, and I didn't feel cotton rolls in my mouth either. Yes, I was numb, and drugged on Xanax and laughing gas, but I think I would have noticed the feeling of cotton?

I just don't want issues with this tooth down the road because of SOMETHING. Hope someone understands and had a similar experience or other input to offer?

 

[Gordon]

Rubber dam is not 100% necessary for a good root filling, it's just helpful for the dentist and saves the patient from the risk of swallowing debris or some of the little files we use for the job.
I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[CourtneyM87]

@Gordon thank you for your reply. Is it weird I didn't feel the cotton that he said he used? I don't recall smelling bleach.
Are most root canals quick based on what I said above? I was expecting an hour. Yes, I was there for an hour but from start of actual procedure to end was like 35-40 min tops.
Maybe I was just too drugged to notice the cotton or bleach? But I remember texting people, leaving, walking down a step while texting and my husband telling me to be careful.

 

[Gordon]

Xanax messes with your short term memory, so no I wouldn't be surprised if you don't remember it. Cotton rolls are pretty standard things in dentistry, so it's not like it was something unusual that you've never experienced before and would stick out in your memory.
Time taken varies massively depending on many factors, access to the canals, number of canals, operator technique and so on. I wouldn't get hung up on it.

I had a patient once who had many different issues, he had fairly severe learning difficulties, was mostly blind, non-verbal and deaf. He also needed a root canal on his upper left canine. He could co-operate very well for a short time, maybe 5 minutes on a good day. Thanks to a lot of pre-op preparation and my excellent dental nurse (hi Lesley!) we got it finished in 2x5 minute bursts of treatment...

 

[CourtneyM87]

@Gordon Thank you!

It has been 6 hours shy of 48 hours (12:20pm Friday here) since the root canal. My tooth still hurts/pulsating. 3 advil helps, but not for full 6 hour period. Taking Zpack, took 2 on day 1, and 1 last night. Not chewing on that side of my mouth and eating softer/easier foods like scrambled eggs, yogurt, sweet potato, ground beef, chocolate pudding. Is this normal??

 

[Gordon]

It's not unusual to have a bit of biting pain immediately after a root canal, so it doesn't sound too worrying. If it's still bad on Monday call your dentist again.

 

[CourtneyM87]

@Gordon Thank you. I am very much a stay ahead of an issue and know as much as I can to prepare kind of person..
that being said...
it is Monday, 11am. My root canal no crown was last Wednesday at 6pm. 5 days.
I am definitely feeling better with much less pain. To compare I am taking 2 advil every 7-8 hours with no breakthrough pain, instead of exactly every 4 hours.
However I still have very very slight swelling. If I didn't point it out to you and you don't look closely, you wouldn't tell. However, to me, it is worth mentioning. Should I be concerned?

 

[Gordon]

No, just keep an eye on it, it's likely down to soft tissues getting manhandled a bit during the treatment.