this post was submitted on 10 Oct 2024
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I just learnt a sore tooth of mine is caused by my tooth root never fully closing (due to getting braces and shifting my teeth around). Now at 30 I need a root canal.

I’ve never even had a cavity before. I’m legit terrified. Teeth are the one thing that are much worse than nails on chalkboard for me.

How was your experience been? Any words of advice or words of encouragement? I could use it :(

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Just get the gas! It's very affordable and very relaxing i did mine without the gas and it still wasn't too bad

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Where I live doesn’t have a lot of specialists so I’ll probably need to rent an Airbnb or something in the next major city to be able to get gas.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 days ago

The worst part in my experience was actually getting numbed. You can't see the needle going in so a lot of people with needle phobias won't have any problem, but for me the feeling of a needle is repulsive. After that it was smooth sailing, just a bit boring.

The pop culture reputation of dentists as literal torturers is pretty outdated. Medicine has improved a lot in a short amount of time. Just look up reviews before picking your dentist, and don't cheap out if you can help it.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I used to get cavities filled without numbing, until I was 22 and needed a root canal. They make you get numbed and I haven't gone back when getting work done. I don't think the tooth pain is bad, and if you feel tooth pain, let them know. It should be completely shut down. The most uncomfortable part is really having your mouth kept open if they do it right. The light in your eyes too, but you can close your eyes. Also the vibrations sometimes make my nose hairs tickle. All that should be worse than the pain.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

I’ve got an old memory of my baby canines being extracted just with local anesthesia and the tugging and drilling was terror for me.

I can’t imagine cavity fillings WITHOUT anesthesia. You’re a tough customer.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

When I was around 8 or so, I was more afraid of the needle than the drill. It does hurt, but all pain is something you can get through. If you're numbing though, it shouldn't hurt. Also you may fell numb for over 6 hours afterwards. If they do it right you shouldn't feel pain after it goes away either.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago

Funnily enough the needle in the mouth isn’t so bad for me if I’m swabbed with a bit of lidocaine first.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

As long as its done by a qualified professional with proper anesthesia, you should be fine.

Do consult a professional though, every situation is different, and we're generally not professionals around here.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago

Solid and sound advice. I’m looking for peoples personal experiences mainly. Saw my dentist and saw the X-rays and heard the explanation and it checks out with some anxious googling I did before. More scared about the procedure and how the tooth feels like afterwards. I guess it’s a fear of change.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I literally had one on Friday! Long story short: mine was nowhere near as bad as I was expecting.

I had a wisdom tooth removed a couple of years ago and that sucked but it was bearable - it hurt for about two weeks, but Tylenol made it manageable. So I was expecting something along the same lines here. The actual procedure itself was fine - the scraping out of the inside of the tooth is a weird sensation, but not painful 'cause they freeze you up. Then afterwards, once the freezing wore off it hurt for about three hours and I was expecting it to suck for a while. But I had a Tylenol and a nap, and when I woke up it wasn't hurting at all and it's been fine ever since.

Other people have told me that they had pain for a week or so, so your mileage may vary, but yeah for me it was literally just a few hours of discomfort and then back to normal. Nowhere near as big a deal as I thought it was going to be.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago

I had 4 wisdom teeth extracted at the same time when I was younger so I’m really relieved to know it won’t be anywhere like that. 🥲

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

I have "tight jaws" problems so a trip to dentist generally is a pain for me, even without surgery. There are hygienists and surgeon dentistry. You only want to have regular business with the first. So brush brush mouth wash.

I learned the hard way that after root canal there is a chance you loose your tooth if you don't get it cared over fully promptly. (if a temp cap has any problems it's an emergency.) I think numbing the tooth is the worst part because for a root canal they have to (and you want this) kind of over do it. After this, no problem. Always tell beforehand if you have fears of the operation, so they can adjust how they work.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Had some. Not bad. The worst part is the numbing. It doesn't hurt, it just feels strange and tastes bitter. Some advice, don't take laxatives before the procedure. You'll be fine.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 days ago (4 children)

Lmao I will make sure to do my utmost best not to shit myself 🫡

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago

I had half of one. It fixed the pain, never went back to get the other half done.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I had one, from a tooth that got damaged with braces as a teenager. It finally got to the point in my 40s that it hurt all the time and couldn't be saved. My dentist suggested the root canal. Like you, I was scared.

I didn't need to be scared. It barely hurt after - in 48 hours it was like it never happened. During the procedure (maybe 75 minutes total?) they had really good pain blocks. My advise is to let them know your fear. Good dentists/endodontists expect it and have ways to help you.

If you've been in pain from this for a while, you have already been feeling the worst of it. It'll be so much better afterwards. Really!

They will likely fit you with a temporary crown to protect the remaining tooth until a proper crown is ready. Most of the pain will be from your irritated gums after the procedure, which will ache. Root canals terminate the damaged tooth nerves, so you may need to relearn how to chew on that tooth a bit. But did I mention it won't hurt?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Relearning how to chew freaks me out a lot. It’s my front tooth and I don’t want to lose my ability to bite into things 😭

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

had ones done with a local only was not that bad just be careful with that you eat as you don't feel it as much if something is stuck downstairs there like a seed or chip. years later had something stuck didn't know it and snapped the screw and lost the tooth without ever feeling it. bended up having to have the tooth pulled and getting a implant for way more money.

Even had the tooth pulled with only a local was not that bad my jaw hurt from holding my mouth open than the tooth than the tooth itself

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Gosh that sounds horrible. It’s my front tooth and I don’t need a cap apparently. Lucky that the facilities were close by.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

mine was a root canal after i had my crown but still its not bad if you find a good dentist its mostly their sound and vibration you feel. Get a dentist that has TV is a plus they give you headphones and you can just zone out. Three episodes of star trek ds9 and I was done.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Good choice on DS9 haha. My imagination is hard to control so I might have to be on something because the sounds, smells, and vibrations all blend together and cause me absolute terror haha

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

When it comes to those thoughts a wise woman once told me let the bear eat you. Just let the anxiety wash over you and know you will come out the other side.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

What does it mean to let anxiety wash over you in this context? Like accept and embrace it and be all “fuck yeah I’m anxious! I’m Awesome Noisy Xtreme Iguana Outstanding Uvula Supercool!!!”?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago

Kinda it's kind of like you have this fear and your mind is racing with what if's. By letting it yourself accept that your anxious and that's okay lets your limbic system run through the fear hormones. You've already generated but doesn't create more. It takes a little bit of time for that feeling to go away. So try not too go down the spiral of its not working i must be doing it wrong. It's kinda like giving yourself a hug and the anxiety washes away.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 days ago

I've had two root canals. One in 5th grade, and one in college. Local anesthesia only. It was a long painful process. Both teeth eventually failed anyway, and had to be pulled, and replaced with implants.

So my opinion is, if you can afford it just skip the extra misery and have them yank it out and replace it from the start.

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