root canal?

Amanda · 11-19-2006, 11:20 AM

Hi - I am pretty much out of it right now... I'm on 2 codeines and penicillin. Yesterday I had horrible pain in my tooth and couldn't stand it. I paged my dentist and she said based on my description of the pain I will most likely need a root canal. I am scared- can anyone tell me about this procedure (not too much detail please).

I am also very pissed b/c I never had teeth probs until I started going to this dentist. Last year they said I had to get my fillings replaced b/c they were old, even though I had no probs. After they refilled them is when I started to have severe sensitivity to cold foods/bevs, and the filling itseld didn't feel good in my top left molar. I had to go back to the office (and miss work) to get the filling filed down. I think I should sue!!!

Thanks for letting me vent. Sorry if there are weird spelling/grammar errors. The pain meds are pretty strong!
A

UPSwife · 11-19-2006, 12:04 PM

I had to have one the year before last on the day before Thanksgiving. I was really worried about it and thought I would not even be able to eat on Thanksgiving, but I managed. The procedure itself is kind of wearing, but the relief afterwards was worth it. Make sure you let them numb it and if you start to feel any pain, let your dentist know. My metabolism is pretty fast, so the anaesthetic started to wear off.

lucky81698 · 11-19-2006, 01:07 PM

My DH had one recently. It took him 6 weeks to have it done! He had a sinus infection so the dentist would do some, then he took antibiotics then if the swelling was gone he would do more. We have a crazy dentist, he hates doing them because they are so tedious. They have to stick a file in the root and move it up and down to get it all out. He said it wasn't too painful because they numbed him up but if it started to wear off, it hurt, so tell your dentist if you can feel anything. He said the worst parts were keeping his mouth open for so long and then they put this bleach-like stuff up there and in between appointments he could taste it seeping out, so that was gross. He didn't miss any work due to it, which I thought would bother him with the pressure changes and everything. He said it wasn't nearly as bad as he thought it would be. It just ended up being such a long drawn out thing because of the sinus infection, his schedule, and the dentist hating to do them. We don't have dental insurance because it is so expensive and our dentist is so cheap. He told my DH he could go to someone that does those on a regular basis and it would be around $1200, but he only ended up charging him $450. (Half the time the guy never charges anything when we go there!)

Hope that's not too much information, but from what I've heard from other people too, it's not as bad as you expect it to be!

TheWife · 11-19-2006, 01:21 PM

Oh ouch!! I'm sorry! I have a conspiracy theory about some dentists lol. I know a lot of people who have gone to a dentist, been told they had 2-3 cavaties, and then they go get a second opinion, only they don't tell the new one that it's a second opinion, and the new one also says they have 2-3 cavaties, but in totally different places. I even know of a person who was told she had 8 cavaties, and at her second opinion that dentist couldn't find a single one. Makes me wonder how many of my little cavaties were "real" ones, because I have very good oral hygeine, yet I seem to get a few cavaties every time I go. That's why I haven't gone for 3 years, which isn't good, but I just want to find someone who really knows a dentist and can really vouch for them. I hope if you do need a root canal it isn't as bad as it sounds! Feel better soon!

Kimberly · 11-19-2006, 04:11 PM

Yep to all of the above posts. I just had one completely finished about 2 weeks ago. It definitely is a process. And although not very fun, the relief you feel afterwards is worth it for a little bit of inconveneience and discomfort.
Sorry you have to have one done though. I definitely did not enjoy it.

Amanda · 11-20-2006, 08:40 PM

Thanks for the replies! I am still out of it. I have an appointment tomorrow morning and if I need a root canal they are going to refer me to an endodontist.

What really sucks is that I was supposed to have an interview for a PA position on Wednesday but need to reschedule it b/c the pain meds aren't helping with my communication skills!

Amanda · 11-21-2006, 04:54 PM

I got back from the dentist then the endodontist earlier today. I also got the root canal done. They gave me extra novacaine so I didn't feel a thing. Everything was actually good until it was time to pay. I have
excellent insurance so I thought most of it would be covered- WRONG!

My regular dentist ate up all my benfits with x-rays, etc. It was
$945!!!! And that's not the worst part- I still need to get a crown put on from the regular dentist. When I called to make an appt and get an
estimate, I was told the crown will be $1100!!!! OMG I am bankrupt
becasue of this dental nightmare! I don't even wish this upon my
worst enemy!
Then the novacaine wore off and I was in serious PAIN!!!! The doc had to call in a script for Vicodan!
Amanda

lucky81698 · 11-21-2006, 06:23 PM

It seems from what I have heard from people is that if you need a crown then you will be in pain afterwards. No idea why that would be. My DH did not need a crown so he wasn't in pain. Hope the Vicodan is working...just seeing the bill would make me need it!!! Hope you are feeling better.

Amanda · 11-21-2006, 07:38 PM

I hope I'm not in more pain after the crown!!
I hate mouth pain! Thanks goodness for the pain meds!

UPSwife · 11-21-2006, 08:36 PM

When I got mine a few years ago, it was much like many of you have described. I went to the dentist for the first time in several years. I only had one cavity. Shortly thereafter, I got another cavity that got really bad all of the sudden. My doctor determined that I needed a crown and "maybe a root canal." But, I ended up not getting the root canal. Well, the pain got really bad after that and I had the root canal a couple of weeks later. I can't believe how expensive that was for you! I think mine was about half that and I didn't think I had too great of a plan. In fact, I thought what I paid was highway robbery (about 400 for the crown and 500 for the root canal)!

11-19-2006, 11:20 AM	#1 (permalink)
Amanda Jetgirls Plus Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PHL suburbs Posts: 2,136 Recipes: Thanks: 12 Thanked 11 Times in 11 Posts	root canal? Hi - I am pretty much out of it right now... I'm on 2 codeines and penicillin. Yesterday I had horrible pain in my tooth and couldn't stand it. I paged my dentist and she said based on my description of the pain I will most likely need a root canal. I am scared- can anyone tell me about this procedure (not too much detail please). I am also very pissed b/c I never had teeth probs until I started going to this dentist. Last year they said I had to get my fillings replaced b/c they were old, even though I had no probs. After they refilled them is when I started to have severe sensitivity to cold foods/bevs, and the filling itseld didn't feel good in my top left molar. I had to go back to the office (and miss work) to get the filling filed down. I think I should sue!!! Thanks for letting me vent. Sorry if there are weird spelling/grammar errors. The pain meds are pretty strong! A

11-19-2006, 12:04 PM	#2 (permalink)
UPSwife Jetgirls Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 315 Recipes: Thanks: 1 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Re: root canal? I had to have one the year before last on the day before Thanksgiving. I was really worried about it and thought I would not even be able to eat on Thanksgiving, but I managed. The procedure itself is kind of wearing, but the relief afterwards was worth it. Make sure you let them numb it and if you start to feel any pain, let your dentist know. My metabolism is pretty fast, so the anaesthetic started to wear off.

11-19-2006, 01:07 PM	#3 (permalink)
lucky81698 Jetgirls Ol' School Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: 1 Posts: 868 Recipes: Thanks: 1 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Re: root canal? My DH had one recently. It took him 6 weeks to have it done! He had a sinus infection so the dentist would do some, then he took antibiotics then if the swelling was gone he would do more. We have a crazy dentist, he hates doing them because they are so tedious. They have to stick a file in the root and move it up and down to get it all out. He said it wasn't too painful because they numbed him up but if it started to wear off, it hurt, so tell your dentist if you can feel anything. He said the worst parts were keeping his mouth open for so long and then they put this bleach-like stuff up there and in between appointments he could taste it seeping out, so that was gross. He didn't miss any work due to it, which I thought would bother him with the pressure changes and everything. He said it wasn't nearly as bad as he thought it would be. It just ended up being such a long drawn out thing because of the sinus infection, his schedule, and the dentist hating to do them. We don't have dental insurance because it is so expensive and our dentist is so cheap. He told my DH he could go to someone that does those on a regular basis and it would be around $1200, but he only ended up charging him $450. (Half the time the guy never charges anything when we go there!) Hope that's not too much information, but from what I've heard from other people too, it's not as bad as you expect it to be!

11-19-2006, 01:21 PM	#4 (permalink)
TheWife Jetgirls Ol' School Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Utah Posts: 1,264 Recipes: Thanks: 1 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Re: root canal? Oh ouch!! I'm sorry! I have a conspiracy theory about some dentists lol. I know a lot of people who have gone to a dentist, been told they had 2-3 cavaties, and then they go get a second opinion, only they don't tell the new one that it's a second opinion, and the new one also says they have 2-3 cavaties, but in totally different places. I even know of a person who was told she had 8 cavaties, and at her second opinion that dentist couldn't find a single one. Makes me wonder how many of my little cavaties were "real" ones, because I have very good oral hygeine, yet I seem to get a few cavaties every time I go. That's why I haven't gone for 3 years, which isn't good, but I just want to find someone who really knows a dentist and can really vouch for them. I hope if you do need a root canal it isn't as bad as it sounds! Feel better soon! __________________ Michelle~Wife to Corbin 09/09/1999 and Mom to Caleb 05/18/02~Kyla 01/03/05~Bryton 02/03/08

11-19-2006, 04:11 PM	#5 (permalink)
Kimberly Jetgirls Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Garland (Dallas Area) TX Posts: 282 Recipes: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: root canal? Yep to all of the above posts. I just had one completely finished about 2 weeks ago. It definitely is a process. And although not very fun, the relief you feel afterwards is worth it for a little bit of inconveneience and discomfort. Sorry you have to have one done though. I definitely did not enjoy it. __________________

11-20-2006, 08:40 PM	#6 (permalink)
Amanda Jetgirls Plus Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PHL suburbs Posts: 2,136 Recipes: Thanks: 12 Thanked 11 Times in 11 Posts	Re: root canal? Thanks for the replies! I am still out of it. I have an appointment tomorrow morning and if I need a root canal they are going to refer me to an endodontist. What really sucks is that I was supposed to have an interview for a PA position on Wednesday but need to reschedule it b/c the pain meds aren't helping with my communication skills!

11-21-2006, 04:54 PM	#7 (permalink)
Amanda Jetgirls Plus Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PHL suburbs Posts: 2,136 Recipes: Thanks: 12 Thanked 11 Times in 11 Posts	Re: root canal? I got back from the dentist then the endodontist earlier today. I also got the root canal done. They gave me extra novacaine so I didn't feel a thing. Everything was actually good until it was time to pay. I have excellent insurance so I thought most of it would be covered- WRONG! My regular dentist ate up all my benfits with x-rays, etc. It was $945!!!! And that's not the worst part- I still need to get a crown put on from the regular dentist. When I called to make an appt and get an estimate, I was told the crown will be $1100!!!! OMG I am bankrupt becasue of this dental nightmare! I don't even wish this upon my worst enemy! Then the novacaine wore off and I was in serious PAIN!!!! The doc had to call in a script for Vicodan! Amanda

11-21-2006, 06:23 PM	#8 (permalink)
lucky81698 Jetgirls Ol' School Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: 1 Posts: 868 Recipes: Thanks: 1 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Re: root canal? It seems from what I have heard from people is that if you need a crown then you will be in pain afterwards. No idea why that would be. My DH did not need a crown so he wasn't in pain. Hope the Vicodan is working...just seeing the bill would make me need it!!! Hope you are feeling better.

11-21-2006, 07:38 PM	#9 (permalink)
Amanda Jetgirls Plus Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: PHL suburbs Posts: 2,136 Recipes: Thanks: 12 Thanked 11 Times in 11 Posts	Re: root canal? I hope I'm not in more pain after the crown!! I hate mouth pain! Thanks goodness for the pain meds!

11-21-2006, 08:36 PM	#10 (permalink)
UPSwife Jetgirls Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 315 Recipes: Thanks: 1 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Re: root canal? When I got mine a few years ago, it was much like many of you have described. I went to the dentist for the first time in several years. I only had one cavity. Shortly thereafter, I got another cavity that got really bad all of the sudden. My doctor determined that I needed a crown and "maybe a root canal." But, I ended up not getting the root canal. Well, the pain got really bad after that and I had the root canal a couple of weeks later. I can't believe how expensive that was for you! I think mine was about half that and I didn't think I had too great of a plan. In fact, I thought what I paid was highway robbery (about 400 for the crown and 500 for the root canal)!

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