Root Canal
…so i found out today i have to get one. Dentist said so and gave me a couple endos who can do it.
Two things, though… it’s painful as fuck and it’s expensive; even having to pay only 20%
Just wondering what everyone thinks about these. I’ve been thru it before and i ended up losing the tooth anyway.
“There’s got to be a better way!”
Comments
I had one done a few years ago. Had a crown put in as well and haven’t had any problems with the tooth since. The tooth was in bad shape too.
I’m not gonna lie and say it was fun though.
My dad had some pretty crazy dental work done (I have a vague memory of him coming home with pointed teeth one night) with caps and all. I suppose it’s better than dentures.
Or you could just brush your teeth, you goddam hippie.
yes! i was expecting one of those comments. But seriously… i’m reading online it’s not always necessary. And yes i brush-too much. That’s why I’m wondering about the whole thing. But at this point I wanna be relieved of this pain!
I have bad teeth in general (something about some pre-natal vitamins prescribed in the 70’s). I have had about 6 or 7 root canals. They suck and hurt like hell, but once done at least you don’t have to worry about the tooth. But yeah, it’s expensive as fuck both for the procedure itself but also the crown which you need afterward.
If you don’t get it done and the decay goes further down to the root it will hurt like hell and you could lose the tooth root and all which would be worse.
I also had one that got done years ago and then just last year something happened where the guy who originally did it must not have gotten everything out of the root. So the guy had to get the cemented crown off which involved gripping it with pliers and pounding it with a hammer, rattling my head in excruciating pain.
Yeah, that was fun.
it’s worth the pain to get it done, but make sure you go to a doc that’s good. I had one done that had to be done over by a better doc cause he didn’t get all the root out (or something like that)
Jesus Christ, I am going to go brush my teeth now. For three hours.
Reading this thread makes me want to cry.
I dunno, I had a root canal last year and it wasn’t all that bad. That said, I also had 4 teeth knocked out by a hockey puck (one of which was subsequently re-jammed into my mouth by a doctor in the ER, only to get taken out again by an oral surgeon the next day) a few years ago. I think Sammy has some pictures of my moment of supreme ruggedness.
O.K. just for reference here, during a root canal the doctor drills down your tooth to the nerve endings, and then basically scrapes away all the nerve tissue contained with the 3 roots of your tooth. Takes different sized little pointy things that look like they are covered with sandpaper, and scrapes in and scrapes out…back and forth…scrape scrape scrape scrape….tearing away the tissue. Then for good measure he sticks a heated pointy thing in there and burns it a little. And for the duration of this procedure (usually at least an hour) you mouth is held wide open by this devices which is covered by a piece of latex sheeting.
Good times. Good times.
Can’t they knock you out? I would demand to be knocked out.
You’re numbed up with novicane (sp?)but I’ve never been knocked out for it.
some students need to practice root canals for cheap or free. they are qualified and certified and there are actual oral surgeons in the room, too.
call UMDNJ and see what they can do for you.
http://www.umdnj.edu/healthcare/index.htm
I would absolutely need to be knocked out cold. I would have a panic attack from having my mouth held open for that long.
This thread made me feel sick. Also…do you really want to put your root canal in the hands of a student? I don’t even trust student stylists for fear of blue hair.
Kevin said:You’re numbed up with novicane (sp?)but I’ve never been knocked out for it.
Exactly. You don’t feel anything. They even have this topical numbing cream that takes away the pinch of the needle so you really don’t feel much of anything. Having your mouth open for a long time is kind of rough, so is the smell of your teeth getting burned away by the drill, but it’s really not that awful. It’s in no way worse than the pain that the infection itself is causing.
Do you have time to get a second opinion on this?
I had a tooth that was kinda sore and I went to a dentist in Philly. He recommended I get it crowned, and when I asked him, he couldn’t promise I wouldn’t need a root canal after all that. If I remember correctly, the tooth seemed to have a little chip out of it.
I went to my regular dentist in Jersey and he told me to do a prescription toothpaste or mouthwash and it was fine. No mention of repair or anything. His way worked.
Not sure how complicated your tooth is, but it’s just a thought to explore other options before the last resort. My dentist is Dr. Cordero in Sewell, NJ, in case you want to try him.
UMDNJ has a waiting list 6 months long.
If you have insurance, go to someone GOOD. I went to Dr Connolly (in Sewell) for ages, he’s the freaking best but he’s way too expensive for me anymore (we don’t have insurance) I’ve never had any problem with any of the work he did (unlike several other cheaper dentists I’ve gone to)
The good news is once it’s done you get up, walk around with a numb mouth for the afternoon, dribble down your chin when you drink, but then it’s over!
Dr Cordero – ha!
Last time i saw him he kept saying certain abnormalities in my tooth structure were ‘cool!’ Then he stressed over and over again i needed braces – which already being into adulthood – I was not at all interested in. He continued to harp on that for a while and then put my cavities in a peking order, incongruent with the painful ones. Seeking immediate help in the one that was actually causing me pain, I went elsewhere.
Dr. Connolly IS the freaking best! I used to go there when I lived in Jersey. I never had any issues. I highly recommend him. I would usually go to McCarty who practices at the same office. Why are they called practices?
Dr. Cordero tells me I have beautiful teeth all the time and that I’m beautiful, and I’m sure the hygenists must be sick of him telling everyone the same thing.
I feel like he is always pretty good, and I feel that he is a non invasive doctor. However, his wife (the office manager) can be a bitch and I was really annoyed when I got charged for a little bottle of toothpaste stuff that I thought they were “giving” to me.
omg.. I remember Dr Cordero.. took Britt to him once, he said she had 5 cavities!.. Took her to Connolly, she actually only had one.
And calling Corderos wife a bitch is an understatement., and she’s rude. I wanted to bitch slap her when I went to try to pick up the xrays they took, she said she needed 24 hour notice.. I’m like yehhh cuz there’s sooo many people here in this waiting room! (which was empty)