Root Canal?

L

lorihart

Cathlete
I guess I spelled that right...
Anyway, this is what I am having done at 8:15 tomorrow morning. I am a bit nervous b/c I don't like going to the dentist as it is, but now he as to be picking at me for 2 hours!
I am wondering what pain comes after? I don't want to hear any horror stories, I just want the common root canal stories that were a bit painful after and you couldn't eat for a day. I don't want to hear stories of infected gums, swollen face and numerous trips to the dentist. Bascially, what can I expect tomorrow?
Thanks,
Lori
 
Take a walkman or see if he has one. That helped me from hearing "part" of the drilling. He will numb you and then start cleaning out the tooth. If he is doing it in 1 visit, then be thankful. Relax while he is working, do not stiffen up. You feel it afterward. If you have ANY infection at all he should have already had you on an antibiotic for a couple of days. I could eat as soon as the numbness wore off. Mine was on an eye tooth.:7
 
Hey Lori, you can probably expect to have a bit of a sore jaw from having your mouth wide open for so long. I've had 3 root canals and honestly they weren't as bad as I expected. The tooth will be drilled and then they take long thin needles to canal down the root and eventually extract the nerve altogether. If the freezing is done right you won't feel much at all. I always bring a 'worry stone' in with me when I'm having dental work done, any smooth stone will do, it just distracts me and gives me something to squeeze if I feel the need. Can you bring in headphones and put on some music to distract yourself?
If you are getting a crown after the root canal the temporary crown can be a bit of a nuisance but once the permanent crown is on it feels very natural. I've had my crown for almost 5 years with no problem. Good Luck tomorrow!

Take Care
Laurie
 
I have had 3 myself like Laurie. All I can say is that one of my teeth hurt so bad the root canal was quite a relief for me. I had no problems at all and breezed right thru them. No infected gums or swollen face. I didn't have any pain after...it should go smooth for you Lori...:)...Carole
 
Lori,

You will be fine!! I just had one last month and in fact, am getting the permanent crown tomorrow morning at 10:00!! Yesterday I broke the temporary crown -eating, but since I was going tomorrow anyway, I don't think that's any big deal.
I did find myself stiffening up and grasping my hands together, holding my neck stiff during the root canal (just out of fear), and had to keep reminding myself to loosen up! My dentist had a flat screen tv on the ceiling , so while I was waiting to get numb I watched Regis and Kelly on a CRUISE and pretended I was there with them! Once the drilling started, I just shut my eyes and tried to picture myself on the boat with them and NOT in the dentist chair.
Like Carole, I had pain- mine was really severe sensitivity, with my tooth , and the root canal eliminated that completely. Now, even with a broken temporary crown, I have NO PAIN, and I can drink ice water and iced tea again!!!
I will think of you tomorrow, but I KNOW it will go just fine!!;-)
I had myself very worked up and was a nervous wreck and honestly it wasn't bad at all.
I even came home and worked out and had a regular dinner that night.
NO WORRIES!
 
Hey Lori,

I had a root canal three years ago and it didn't hurt during the procedure. It hurt a little when the numbness wore off. I was eating 3 hours after the procedure. By the way, I am terrified of dentist. I am having a root canal three weeks from now.


Don't worry, you will do okay. and yes I clinched my hands together and sweated alot. But that is because I was tense.


kim
 
I've had one root canal, and I don't remember any unusual pain afterwards (but I've had several crowns, and the pain afterwards might have been about the same: something that's eased with asprin or something similar if you want).

Like Carole says, the pain BEFORE the root canal is probably worse. I remember when I had three wisdom teeth taken out at once, because I was getting braces, and one of them was impacted. The pain beforehand was a sick, achy "bad" pain, while the pain during recovery seemed like a relief. It might have been as intense at first (I don't really remember), but it was a "healthier" pain, if that makes sense.
 
I agree w/ the pain BEFORE the root canal. The 2 I've had were welcome procedures. No pain an otc pain med couldn't help. You'll do fine. Don't be nervous. It'll be over and you'll feel much better before you know it.
Kali
 
How high is your tolerance for pain? It was no big deal for me and neither was wisdom tooth extraction although I fear they may have taken my wisdom....;) I was prescribed painkillers and I needed them for the day of the procedure and the day after and then I was fine.
Bobbi http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif "Chick's rule!"

Tell me, what it is you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? -Mary Oliver
 
I have no pain tolerance, and my root canal was a breeze. I went to a root canal specialist, not a regular dentist (endodontist, I think). I was so sore BEFORE the root canal, but during and after I was pain free :) Don't worry too much--a root canal was always my biggest nightmare, and I couldn't believe it when I actually had to have one! It was no big deal, and they even gave me a t-shirt that said "I survived a root canal!" Pretty cute :)

Good luck!

Wendy
 
>How high is your tolerance for pain? It was no big deal for
>me and neither was wisdom tooth extraction although I fear
>they may have taken my wisdom....;)
>
>

OMG...Bobbi?....I had my wisdom teeth pulled too.....wow, now I know how the wisdom was lost....x(.....:)...Carole
 
My DH just had one last week, and truly, he's a baby with pain if EVER there was one ;) He reported that injection site from the pain medicine shots and the teeth NEXT to the one that was drilled were a little sore for the next 2 days, but nothing that he'd take medication for. His relief from the original pain (the tooth that was 'canal-ed') was so good that anything after that wasn't so bad. They do medicate you pretty well for the procedure, and they are getting rid of the nerve, so that shouldn't hurt after.

I sure hope it goes well for you - I think the anticipation of dental work is almost as bad as the actual visit, sometimes! Hang in there, and good luck!
 
Lori, I just had one in February. As others have said, I was having so much pain the root canal was a relief (this was my third)!

Anyway, no problem with the root canal, my tooth was sensitive for about a week meaning I could eat soft foods like mashed potatoes on it but nothing hard (like an apple). But again, this was no big deal compared to what I'd been going through. Bottom-line...you'll be fine! :)

Jo
 
Lori -

Unfortunately, I am have a BIG BIG BIG fear of dentists but am also an expert on this :(

First of all, you should definitely talk to your dentist and let him/her know that you are afraid. You may feel stupid doing that, but if they know, they will tend to tell you more about what they are doing, when you might feel discomfort (so you can relax on taht other parts), etc. and in my opinion, they tend to keep better track of how you are doing.

Don't worry b/c you really be fine, promise. Your doc can put a little salve on gums to lessen the needle pinch.

During the root canal you will not feel anything at all. There's not even a lot of pressure. Sometimes you may feel a little sore from holding your mouth open for a while but once you are out of that chair, you will forget all about that. ;)

Afterwards, my advice is to take Advil just when you leave the doctors office. That way, when you start to lose the numbness, you are already "under the influence" of the Advil. :)

Good Luck & Let us know how you are tomorrow,
Christine
 
Thanks Ladies! I really appreciate all the good news. I think I will be o.k but I always expect the worst. Do you think I will be able to workout tomorrow afternoon? Or am I pushing it?:)
 
See how you feel and ask your doctor. I am thinking that is a little much. You don't want to push yourself into pain if you can keep it pain free!
 
Well, I am getting ready to go. I am trying to drink my coffee now, but I don't have any milk in the house and its not going down like it should.
I am going to take my MP3 player, then I won't have to hear the drilling.He is probably going to laugh at me but oh well.
If I can't workout then I can probably do weights. That doesn't take a whole lot of energy. But we will see, it could be just a good day to lie in the sun:)
 
Good Luck Lori !
I am getting ready to workout now (I have time BEFORE my dentist appointment) , then will get ready to go get my crown.
When I had my root canal , I really did feel good enough to workout. I did weights, and was just fine.
I'll be thinking about you and hoping all goes well. Soon you'll be smiling like this again.....:7
 
Im back and I feel fine. It wasn't that bad at all. The worst thing was, not being able to swallow right. Normally the assistant always has that little vacum like thing in your mouth that will suck everything up but I was left on my own to TRY and swallow.
I have to go back at some point in time to get eveything done for my crown. He just put a filling there for now but he left it sort of rough. Maybe I will smooth it out when I start eating.
I am hoping I won't be in to much pain later when everything wears off. I will be able to work out after lunch no problem. Maybe low max and upper body.
Thanks again
Lori :)
 
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