Worried about potential root canal

[AnxietyGuy]

Hi guys,

I posted on here a few months ago when I was getting bad toothache on a tooth I had a filling on. Turned out it was slightly infected when I saw my dentist. She suggested root canal but I wouldn't have it done, so she told me to rinse my mouth with salt water to take the swelling down.

This worked, the swelling went down and the pain went off, but the toothache has now come back again!

I am really fearing now that I will need root canal, the thought of being in the chair for an hour really scares me because my heart starts to race and I begin to feel faint and dizzy.

I would love to have the tooth pulled but it's one of my front ones so I have to avoid extraction! Is it possible to get some sort of 'fake' tooth on the NHS???

Thanks

 

[brit]

Hi Anxiety Guy
Your best bet is to keep the tooth for all sorts of reasons.
Even an implant isn't as good as your own tooth restored with a root canal. I would guess that all the NHS would offer would be a root canal (best option if done properly, front teeth are easier to do as have fewer canals than molars), partial denture or a bridge (worst option as it compromises the 2 teeth at either side).
There's information on root canals here and how they are not really a big deal:

Root Canal Treatment FAQs

Get detailed answers to FAQs: Is root canal treatment painful? Why am I sore afterwards? Why do I need a crown? And many more!

www.dentalfearcentral.org

Best wishes.

 

[Dr. Daniel]

I am really fearing now that I will need root canal, the thought of being in the chair for an hour really scares me because my heart starts to race and I begin to feel faint and dizzy.

Thanks

Hey
If you want to avoid being on the chair to long, I would suggest having the treatment done by a specialist (endodontist) or at least a dentist with a lot of expeirnece with root canal treaments. It is also possible to ask to do the treatment in two relatively short meetings.

 

[norwegianchick]

I've had several root canals and an extraction. Root canals are FAR easier. So if you can have a root canal, definitely go for it!

And yes, specialists do it faster, I can't remember how fast my friendly endodontist did my premolar, but it really felt like just a few minutes.

 

[AnxietyGuy]

Thanks for the replys guys. The toothache went off for a few days but now it REALLY has come back on. Agony!!

My gum is also a little bit swole. I'm going to see the dentist on Friday but to be honest I'm really scared about it all.

My MAIN worry is when I had dental treatment a couple of years ago, after they numbed me my heart started to race really fast and I felt pretty dizzy. Not sure if it was nerves what caused it of it was the adrenaline inside one of the needles, or even if it was a blood sugar related issue??

As far as I know, I don't have any issues with my blood sugar levels but for some reason I constantly worry that my blood sugar levels are low and I think this is the main reason I'm scared when at the dentist - I worry that my blood sugar levels might be low and I might pass out in the chair or something.

Sorry for the rant but I feel like crap!

 

[norwegianchick]

Local anesthetics contain epinephrine, which is identical to the body's own "fight and flight" hormone adrenaline. The reason why this is added, is that it constrics blood vessels, making the local anesthetics stay where you want it for longer, thus prolonging the effect without increasing the dose. You can also experience a "rush" like the one you describe. This is not very common, and I've only had it happen to me once. I think you should discuss this with your dentist if you are still worried, it's safe for most people, and they should be able to determine if it's safe for you by the health form you fill out.

If you're in pain now, you'll probably feel a lot better after your treatment. Try to think about it that way.

Good luck!

 

[AnxietyGuy]

Thanks for the reply.

With my last dentist when I needed further treatment I asked them to not include adrenaline in the needles, it made me feel much calmer so I can ask my new dentist to do the same.

Any tips for curbing this horrible toothache untill I see the dentist on Friday? Pain meds don't help much!

Cheers

 

[biffo1963]

Any tips for curbing this horrible toothache untill I see the dentist on Friday? Pain meds don't help much!

Cheers

Since you're in the UK, try Nurofen Plus - does the job for me !

 

[scully82]

I had a root canal done last week and was the closest I have come to fainting! I basically forgot to breathe as he was putting the local injection in and my heart rate raced and felt dizzy and lightheaded. He stopped what he was doing to allow me to get my breath back. If it is any consolation the root canal itself was not actually as bad as I feared, apart from taking a long time. He did not mention a crown at all though, so do you actually have to have one?

 

[brit]

He did not mention a crown at all though, so do you actually have to have one?

No it's not compulsory ever. It is however often advisable as otherwise I was quoted that it is 50% likely the tooth will fracture at some point (say within 5 years). In my case however my i.m.v. ethical dentist has always waited at least 6 months for the root canal treated tooth to look healed up or well on the way on the x-ray, before doing the crown. He has always mentioned a crown will eventually be a good idea. I personally see the crown as a way to protect my investment in the rct treatment. In my part of the world cost-wise they are similar.

Others will say the crown promotes the healing but I think this is sometimes more a money-motivated thing to get as much work done as quickly as possible.

It might be best to ask your dentist what he would do if it were his own tooth. An NHS dentist probably has less motivation to do a crown straightaway (not a bad thing) since if done in same treatment period they would only get one fee for the two complex treatments. The thing is they may never suggest the crown unless you mention it or show an interest as crowns are very time consuming.

 

[AnxietyGuy]

Just thought I'd update this thread.

Sorry to hear you felt feint scully82, that was how I felt as well a couple of treatments back. Hopefully I won't feel the same this time.

When I first saw the dentist last week, he was really nice and really re-assuring about it all. I was given a 5 day course of antibiotics, today was the last day on them. I've got root canal treatment on Thursday. He said it's pretty simple on the front teeth and he said it should only take him about 30 mins.

I am nervous and I really hope I don't get the feint symptoms again, but he was reassuring so that's got to be a good thing.

Cheers

 

[AnxietyGuy]

Hi guys,

Sorry if you are getting annoyed with all my posts now but just thought I'd update you all lol.

I had the root canal this morning and it took about 30 mins. It was very easy and nothing like I expected. I expected it to be lots of drilling and grinding etc! So that was a lot of relief.

When the dentist was nearly finished, for some reason my heart started to really race and I was quite breathless and my breathing felt out of sync. I guess this is just anxiety related though? It passed after about 2 mins.

All in all, it seemed to have worked out very well and I feel stupid for getting so worked up about it.

To other people that may be scared of getting root canal: It really isn't as bad as you think it is, I didn't feel a bit of pain.

Cheers!