Root Canal: As fun as it sounds?

I’ve only had one, and really it wasn’t bad at all. I think the fear from stories and the anxiety were the worst part! Maybe it’s just me, but I didn’t experience much more pain than having a cavity filled and had some soreness for the next couple of days. Anyone else?

I have had it done and in my experience it was not painful. Having said that it was uncomfortable holding my mouth open wide (it was a molar) for the length of time it took and I ended up a little sore in the angle of my mouth from the instruments.

I had one about 14 years ago. It hurt. But it really didn’t hurt nearly as badly as some people claim. You’ll get some pain killers and for a day or two you might be in a bit of pain. Not so terrible.

In the wrong hands it can be a drag. I wouldn’t let a student do it, but an old pro is fine.

The worst part is having to keep your mouth open that long. Though for some here I gather that wouldn’t be a big deal.

They don’t hurt unless you have a crappy dentist.

Not fun, but not as bad as those two unfortunately-paired words imply.

Just take care for a few days after your appointment. Excessive pain may signal a dry socket (not a pleasant combination of words, either) or infection, in which case get back to the dentist.

I have had some root canals that were very painful while others were less eventful than getting a cavity filled.

Molars have several roots and are less accessible. One time I had a molar done and the instant the novocaine wore off I was in unbearable agony. I had to have someone else drive me back to the dentist as I was shaking so much I couldn’t even drive. The dentist apologized and told me that he had left one of the three roots for the next time. Needless to say, I found another dentist. Just make certain yours cleans out ALL the roots first time around.

Also helpful. Regardless of which painkillers they give you, take a few Ibuprofen also. It really reduces swelling and calms things down.

Secondly, don’t go running around as usual afterward. Just lie down or be as inactive as possible for several hours. This is when everything is most inflamed. No sense aggravating it needlessly till everything calms down.

Hopefully, your experience will be as benign as some of the less memorable of mine were.

Btw. Your description of what the procedure entails is basically accurate. One additional little tidbit. When they are cleaning out the empty canals, they are using instrument which are abrasive and designed to remove absolutely every trace of leftover infected root as possible. Sort of like a mini mini roto-rooter procedure. Hence, the swelling and irritation afterwards.

That’s how one dentist chose to explain it to me anyhow :)

I had one done a couple of weeks ago and the procedure itself didn’t hurt at all (due to the anaesthetic, obviously), but after some one and a half hour it did hurt.
A sore pain, which i fought with some painkillers.
All and all, it’s not the big (painful) deal that spme people want you to believe it is.
Being greatful for having the luxury of having dentestry in the first place helped me a bit too.
And an advice: take some precautionary painkillers right after you leave the treatment (ask him/her if that’s okay).

I have had 3 (on the same tooth!) and let me give you the best advice I can possibly give: go to a specialist. Someone who does nothing but root canals. They know how to numb you much better than a general dentist, and they can also make the procedure MUCH faster. Not kidding. Compare: I had a SIX hour (2 part) procedure with my general dentist, to be followed by a 45 minute procedure with a specialist.

I had a particularly bad experience with the regular dentist (which I don’t need to share, really), but still, it’s a fact: endodontists are the best bet for a root canal.

Good luck!

@CyanoticWasp Would not be a problem for some on Fox News, either…

I have had a few. Two weren’t so bad. One was horrendous. The difference? The horrendous one was because I had an abscessed tooth. The doctor couldn’t get me numb no matter what, and eventually had to put the anesthetic directly into the abscessed root. Having said that – that doesn’t have to happen often!

If you are scheduled to have one – then I would think you would have no worries ,aside from what others have said – holding your mouth open. It is the unscheduled, ‘I think I’m going to die’ pain that sends you to the dentist, who then will send you off to the endodontist.

I have a family member who is an endodontist (who did not do my root canals – was in dental school at the time) and my children have had to have some done (tsk, tsk….) and they can’t believe how painless and quick they are. With all the new technology available and the skill that is used by the specialist, it does seem like it is a breeze now compared to when I have had them done in the past.

Good luck!

I had no pain, thanks to the shots in my gum beforehand and the pills afterward, but the noise was excruciating. My dentist likes her patients to be slightly head down so I often felt as if I couldn’t breathe. Otherwise, while it isn’t something I would do for fun, it wasn’t much worse than having several cavities repaired at once.

go to an endodontist. they can do them much faster, they have equipment specific to doing root canals- and do them all the time and have it down. I am a dentist and here’s the process – you take out the decay or old filling or whatever, you take out the nerve with a tiny file, you prepare and file the nerve canal, you take an xray with a file in there to measure it, then you dry it with tiny paper points, then you stuff tiny rubber points in there, melt it so that it fills perfectly, then you put a build up – (like a filling on ) then you crown the tooth. They need to be crowned because when you remove the nerve that’s removing the nutrients to the tooth and they become dry and brittle. Don’t be scared because nowadays it’s not painful and as fast as having a filling done. I’ve only done a couple on the very front teeth (the easiest) and always sent them to a specialist- I have a friend who does them (not a specialist) not a good idea IMO

One more thing: be prepared for lots of pain after (not usually during) the procedure. If you happen to have some prescription pain killers on hand, leftover from something else (I always keep mine), it’s a good idea to use them. The reason is that the dentist gives you the prescription for meds after you’re finished, so you have to go to the store and stand in line before you get it. That’s usually fine because you stay numb for a while, but sometimes it’s another stressful obstacle to recovery.

Also, your jaw is going to be sore afterwards for a few days. That’s normal. Go really easy on it for the next week. Soft foods and maybe some light massage.

I should also tell you that when I had mine done by an endodontist, I felt ZERO pain during the root canal! It was awesome and easy! (So don’t worry!) It was just after that sucked. If you can do it on a friday and get the weekend off from school/work, that’s a bonus. But some people are hardcore and are fine the next day.

My dentist is a godlike being. If he can’t do it, no one can. I have had one very difficult 6-hour root canal, one easy one that didn’t take more than about an hour and a quarter, and a few in between. Same dentist, so the difference was not in his level of care and expertise but in the particulars of the case. There are too many variables to predict a specific experience for you. But it can be done with minimal trauma. Relax and trust your dentist, but first pick a dentist that you can trust in and relax with.

I survived! Thanks everyone for the comments as you were right on (as usual)! The doc did give me a script for percocet (hence my delay in responding with the report of how things went) and one for an antibiotic.

I have to agree with the “holding your mouth open so long” comments offered as that seemed to be the worst of it. The lidocaine wore off after about 2 hours, but by then I had the percocet on-board.

Now I have a temporary filling and he is going to do the impressions and crown prep at the next appointment. After an hour and 40 minutes for the appointment, I am glad to have the rest done separately——I don’t think I could have held out a whole lot longer today.

I’m glad to hear it basically went well for you.

As mentioned previously, there are so many variables, it’s difficult to describe what anyone’s experience will be beforehand.