Root Canals, share your experience

I had one four years ago. It wasn't painful because of the lidocaine. The noise from drilling annoyed me the most and the dental dam set up was uncomfortable at first.

Had one two months ago. Piece of cake. It’s only awkward with the dental damn thing and the plastic block they shove in your mouth to keep it open. The bitch did pinch me three times with her drill. I was thinking “bitch, you juiced me up, wtf?” But when it was all done, my first thought was That was it? I was shaking my ass like normal the next day. Hardly any pain. You’ll be fine. Trust.

It's mostly painful while it's happening.

No blowjobs until the permanent crown is firmly in place.

The smell during the procedure of the tooth being drilled itself is one of the nastier parts of the experience to me.

R3, bullshit. They juice your ass up. The two bitches that worked on me were talking about Panera Bread and salads while they drilled my tooth. No pain. Just weird with the dental damn and plastic block and being leaned all the way back.

First one I had, decades ago, was a much bigger deal than the last one I had a couple years ago. The process is much quicker and easier on the patient now. First one I had, I was trembling in fear and terrified from all the horror stories I'd been told of the pain afterward. Last one I had, once the lidocaine wore off I was fine.

[quote][R3], bullshit.

He could've had a shitty dentist. They exist. Trust me.

I had one a few years ago and it was, surprisingly, no big deal.

The description of pain is way overblown OP. I have had like 5 in my life, I'm no spring chicken, and the only part I hate is how long they take. The good part is that you will get a few good pills at the end of the procedure. Just e sure to inform the dentist/endodontist that you cannot take pain.

yes, it's no biggie. how much did yours cost just curious? you don't feel any pain. he was scraping the nerves away...i didn't like that part even though it didn't hurt at all. he gave me script for antibiotics just in case but i didn't need it at all coz there was no pain afterwards.

Not bad at all, except for having to keep your jaw open for so long.

First rule of root canals: DO NOT LET A DENTIST do the procedure. Go to an Endodontist. A honest dentist will fess up to the fact that root canals are easy to screw up and average dentists don't do enough of them to be completely proficient. Endodontists perform root canals all day long and you're much more likely to have a successful procedure under their care.

It hurt like hell. They hit a " hot nerve" and could not numb it.

I was terrified before I went, OP, but trust me---it's not bad at all as you won't feel a thing. It's just the noises, smells, and sounds of them scraping away, sucking out the shit with your mouth pried open, doing whatever they have to do. It'll be over before you know it and you'll feel so much better--especially with the painkillers they will give you. I only took a couple pills as I didn't need any more the next day; I was just careful not to chew on that side of my mouth.

As they say, keep your pecker up---it's easy peasy.

I was terrified to get a root canal having heard all the horror stories about them so I out my off for awhile.

Then when I finally got it I actually fell asleep during the procedure and the dentist had to wake me up. It was actually easier than getting a filling put in a cavity. No sweat.

The dentist and his assistant physically restrained me, actually tied my arms down......without a doubt the most intense pain I've ever experienced. I also need stitches on my check because they slipped with the drill and tore my cheek up. I was not billed for the entire procedure, I think they feared a lawsuit.

[quote]It hurt like hell. They hit a " hot nerve" and could not numb it.

Same. A dentist did it the first time but a year later that the same tooth began to hurt and a new dentist told me this sometimes happens - a root canal isn’t done properly and it gets infected and has to be redone. So she referred me to an endodontist. There it was ok until the endo hit a nerve that apparently couldn’t be numbed. I nearly levitated right out of the chair at the most intense part of the procedure. It hurt. But not after - after was just fine.

An ***AMEN*** from me R12!

Without going into the incredibly gory details, I eventually lost one tooth entirely, and nearly lost another when a dentist did it himself. Moreover, when I described a treatment of his involving leaving a soaked cord (antibiotic disinfectant) wedged in my gumline for several days to treat an infection, a later dentist was shocked, saying he had never heard of this in his entire life!

Had my first one last year. Piece Of Cake. Dr put in the needle and injected slowly. She said you have to go slow, or the sudden pressure is what hurts. After the painless needle, I felt ZERO. Easiest dentist visit ever.

Little to no time to heal, they are just rather unpleasant while you're in the chair.

Three thumbs up for going to an endodontist. They can do root canals in their sleep.

As for sucking cock after, are you having a crown put on the tooth, or are you keeping the whole tooth? There's a big difference in healing times. If you're getting a crown, it will take a few days to a few weeks for the crown to be made. If so, wait until a few days after your new crown is glued on. If you're keeping the tooth, just wait a few days after the root canal. The mouth heals unbelievably fast, provided you're otherwise in good health.

I've had a couple and for me the worst part was the initial numbing shot. Once I waited almost an hour after getting the shot because an emergency came in, but still no pain. The dental dam clamped around the tooth is awkward. What I thought was cool was this depth finder thing they use to determine the length of the canal. It beeped faster and at a higher pitch as it got close to the end.

When you're getting the posts and crown done, the worst was the relatively slow drill making a big enough hole for the post. Also, if the dentist asks if you want to look at it, don't. It is neat to see the finished product on an X-ray. You can see the threads on the posts.

My dentist does IV sedation, so I requested that for my root canal on my front teeth last year. I don’t remember a thing, but my dentist told me I had a good time.

I was told by a dentist that it’s never good to have a root canal when an infection is present. Best to take an antibiotic for a week to let the infection heal. This way you are guaranteed to have a pain free root canal.

Second the recommendation to go to an endodontist. I actually fell asleep during the procedure. The office was state of the art, including the chair which was heated, fully reclining, and had non-vibrating massage. They wrapped me in a blanket and I fell asleep soon into the procedure. It's not bad at all, OP, you'll do great.

Had one 15 years ago and it was awful. Had another last year and wow, has the technology and techniques improved. Did not feel anything. In this age of specialization, make sure you do not let your regular dentist do the procedure.

R24

I'm not disputing that that may be true in theory, but often the infection ends up affecting the nerve so that the patient is in considerable pain.

What everyone else said. And I went to a cheap sketchy guy in Williamsburg. I have nerve damage from that shit. The crown fell off, too.

It was unpleasant. Not painful or awful, but I don’t want to do it ever again. Didn’t even need an Advil after the Novocain wore off.

^^ And I floss every fucking night now. Every night.

[quote]First rule of root canals: DO NOT LET A DENTIST do the procedure. Go to an Endodontist. A honest dentist will fess up to the fact that root canals are easy to screw up and average dentists don't do enough of them to be completely proficient. Endodontists perform root canals all day long and you're much more likely to have a successful procedure under their care.

I had an abcessed tooth and my regular dentist said that he didn't feel comfortable doing root canals and he referred me to a friend of his who is an endodntist. The endodontist did a good job of describing what would be happening during the procedure. He did a follow up a call a few hours after the procedure to make sure everything was going ok.

Get the laughing gas as well as the lidocaine. They get you to a nice floaty place and when it gets to the tricky part of the canal, you'll be floating because they tend to kick up the laughing juice.

Not bad at all. Worst part was the antibiotic I had to take for two weeks.

Another vote for endodentists. Like r30, my regular dentist refuses to do them and has a few endodentists on file as referrals. I ended up with one in the same building right after my dentist's appointment. He prescribed codeine and saw me 4 days later to install the post.

As others have said, the worst pain was before the procedure. That was 14 years ago. I have to get it looked at again because it feels loose. It's a molar.

I wonder what this hot Jewish guy looks like 14 years later. Not short but not tall either, about 5'11", brown curly hair, a bit stocky, hairy arms and chest, wore scrubs and showed big bulge, beautiful light blue eyes with glasses that had silver wire frames, great sense of humor, pressed his most interesting parts against me ...

Yes, I think I have several other teeth that need his attention.

The endodontist that performed my root canal was a super hunky young guy - I was mainly focused on that during the procedure

He gave me an Rx for Percocet and told me to take that and ibuprofen

I stupidly only took the Percocet - woke up in the middle of the night with intense stabbing pain in my tooth

Took double Percocet AND. ibuprofen that time - took about 45 minutes to kick in

I paced around the house until it did

Had 2 done. Fell asleep during each. No pain during or after.

Like a few people have said, there are dentists who will give you full sedation. Mine gave me a cocktail of pills, had me lie in the chair for a half hour, and it was done when I woke up. No pain, but a lot of swelling and numbness for the rest of the day.

The only pain I felt was in my pocket. The final crown cost a mint. Otherwise not painful at all for me. I will need another one next year once my employer loads up my HSA in January.

Go to an endodontist. The most painful part is the bill.

Easy, there's sometimes pain from the swelling especially from the nerve block injections, smells like cloves. I use noise cancelling headphones for any oral procedures, done in no time and was unaware of the 'work ' aside from the smell...crown lengthenings are a thorough bitch though.

Endodentists are only slightly more expensive. The hourly rate I believe. And my insurance plan offers more generous coverage if the work was done by an endodentists.

the most important thing is to get any minor dental problem sorted before it becomes a big problem.

Not painful at all. It was uncomfortable definitely but over quickly. Waited one day to give oral

A friend of mine got a root canal and died.

I was cheap and got my dentist to do expensive Root Canal and NOT place a crown on top.

I was eating almonds 3 weeks later and the whole tooth split in two and had to be removed.

Painless took all of 20 minutes chair time. Port Charlotte, FL

More good advice: Stay on the prescribed painkillers (prescriptions and OTCs) for at least 48 hours.

You may think you're OK because it doesn't hurt -- then the pain comes back and it's agony until the next pill kicks in, which can take hours.

Pull the tooth and get an implant.

I had one ten years ago. I was terrified but after they gave me the nitrous I didn't care what happened. I've had scaling and root planing done which was a lot more painful.

Everyone here gives good advice OP.

The only thi g that I’d add is that it’s kinda boring sitting there with your mouth wide open and the dental dam(s) in. And the drilling noise/vibration bugs me -

So if your dentist is amenable - I suggest you plug in some earphones and listen to a podcast or jack some music up. It helps pass the time and distracts from the drilling.

Let’s us know how you go! Best of luck :)

[quote]I was told by a dentist that it’s never good to have a root canal when an infection is present. Best to take an antibiotic for a week to let the infection heal. This way you are guaranteed to have a pain free root canal.

This was what I had to do with my first root canal, as the tooth was badly infected - the dentist gave me an antibiotic and my endodontist appointment was just over a week later. Unfortunately the antibiotic trashed my gut and landed me in the emergency room before the appointment, but that's another story...

The endodontist was VERY generous with all the numbing and painkilling stuff at his disposal, and although the procedure went smoothly for the most part, there were still a couple of jolts of pain during it because they had to go so deep due to the severity of the infection. So 'pain-free' is not guaranteed. But it was bearable because the endodontist responded to any sign of pain immediately.

My one piece of advice for the OP is for when it's time to get your permanent crown put on - make sure you've flossed/used a waterpik around the area as thoroughly as you can before the appointment. When I had my second crown installed, I evidently had not flossed well enough and my dentist was sort of doing it as she went along in an area that was already pretty traumatized, and there was far more blood than the first time, between the deep flossing and the already pulled-down gum line and the dental dam around the tooth. It could have been avoided if I'd done more myself beforehand.

Total sensory deprivation and backup drugs!

I had a root canal on a dead tooth with an abscess. As far as the dentist could tell I must have injured the tooth at some point. It was incredibly painful prior to the root canal. I lived in a state with cold winters. Changes in temperature caused the pain to get worse. Expanding and contracting of the infection. For the days leading up to my dentist appointment I wold sit outside after walking home from work in the cold dreading go inside where I knew my already painful would become so much worse.

I went to the dentist where he did some tests on my teeth. Touching the teeth on either side of the abscessed tooth with something that generated a small electrical current. Then touching the abscessed tooth with the device. I couldn't feel anything in the abscessed tooth. At that point the dentist determined I needed a root canal but since I didn't feel the electrical current I didn't need anesthesia.

Turns out he was right. Couldn't feel a damn thing - except that dental damn. It was the best dentist appointment I ever had. Once the dental damn was in place he drilled a hole in the back of my tooth and the abscess drained right away. Two things happened. The drained abscess really stank. But the pain went away as soon as it drained. One moment agony the next pain free. It was like a dentist miracle.

The dentist warned me I might need to replace the tooth in twenty or thirty years. Now that time is here.

[quote]he gave me script for antibiotics just in case but i didn't need it at all coz there was no pain afterwards.

Antibiotics have nothing to do with pain, dummy!

Absolutely do not go to anyone who is not an endodonist.

I had two nightmare experiences with dentists. One dentist (a Polish woman on Central Park South) was unable to properly anesthetize me (it was like something out of Marathon Man) and the other did not use proper hygiene. I got a post-operation infection the size of a golfball underneath my lower gum and had to spend 5 hours in the hospital on an antibiotic drip..

I'm horrified to read a lot of these accounts and to know the pain my fellow DL-ers have been through! A root canal is usually done because the tooth is dead, but you want to save it and put a crown on it. Sometimes, as others have noted, there is an infection in the dead tooth. That has to be killed with antibiotics, or, yes, there's a good chance you'll be in agony! But once the tooth is dead and there is no infection, the root canal should not be a problem if done by an endodontist who knows what s/he is doing. A temporary crown should be put on immediately afterwards until the real crown is ready. It's a long business, but it should not hurt. I worry about the butchers out there causing all this pain to so many of you.

R55 - not all root canals require a crown.

I saw an endodontist for a root canal and he found two roots in a one root tooth. Glad I saw a specialist.

Great advice from R49 above — earphones with music, podcast, audiobook etc make long dental procedures much more bearable. My oral surgeon’s office suggested it and I was very grateful.

NB, if you're a ginger, you are less sensitive to the "-caines" for anesthetization, i.e. it will be harder to numb you up. A good DDS or endo will know this ahead of time, but if you're seeing someone new and this is you, request more. And it be throbby once the numbing wears off and for the next day or so, but usually manageable with ibuprofen.

I had to unfollow her twitter because of her incessant, whiny navel gazing.

Oops ^^ wrong thread

OP Here , NO PAIN ZERO! The most painful thing was the lidocaine pinch . The enndo dentist was hot and clearly gay. Too bad I am an eldergay :C . Thank you all for the feedback!!! I am off to floss now !!!

Just had one yesterday (the first part, anyway.) The worst part was removing the old crown that had been put on over a filled tooth (not a previous root canal.) And the only pain afterword was some soreness where the anesthetic was injected. During the procedure, he had to inject some additional anesthetic directly into the nerve; that hurt a bit, but only briefly.

Can old crowns made of gold be re-used?

(My gold crown is a grey gold colour)

R56

I have two older root canal teeth. I went to a dentist later where the know-it-all hygienist try to say that they should be crowned, but the dentist quickly countermanded that saying that they didn't need it.

I'm halfway through one right now. He started earlier this week and will finish on Monday. Later, I will have to crown recapped by my regular dentist. I've had more than one before and each time seems to get more and more painless. There's been a lot of improvements in dental technology over the years.

Glad it went well, OP!

OP, my first, 10 years ago, was painless, IIRC. One visit to dentist, then specialist, then dentist, is all I remember now.

My second, last year, was more painful but not at all bad. No pain meds required, not even aspirin. One visit to dentist, specialist, then seemingly endlist visits to the dentist. He said it was a particularly tough job. He also gave me to his daughter who was right out of dental school. I sort-of don’t mind helping her learn. She was cute. A little insecure. So, maybe six visits required. I had minor, residual pain that lasted a year and a half. It is mostly all gone now.

Had one about 12 years ago. Very easy, literally did it in my lunch hour. Unfortunately, I was still getting the toothache afterward. He then wanted to do a second root canal. I was like WTF! He was a money man and gave me root canal I probably didn't need. I have another one right now that is painful. Every night it starts hurting when I try to go to sleep. For me, wisdom tooth extraction was 100x worse.

[quote]Did you wait a long time to give oral?

See, this is why I love DL. Priorities, people!

The cost?

Not too bad at all. I have had a couple. Usually pricey though. Like a couple thousand in NYC.

My first root canal was with an endodontist who had a horrible case of halitosis. The second one - much better and a woman to boot. She's the one who told me that they were re-generating teeth back 30 years ago. I asked why it hadn't reached the clinical level yet - she didn't know.

55 yr-old here. I had my first one ever a year ago and it was no big deal at all. No pain whatsoever. On a side note, it was kind of cool when he pulled the nerve out and showed it to me.

I had one this week and it was nothing. But even if you are a nervous patient or very sensitive to pain not getting the root canal is probably going to be much worse than getting it.

I've had 2 in my lifetime. The first one worked fine although when he touched the nerve to extract it, even with Novocain, it was like someone had administered an electric shock. After almost 40 years I still have the crown the Endodontist put in. The 2nd one, done about 30 years ago was a horror. I went in for the initial procedure. The doctor drilled the tooth out, went in to remove the nerve, plugged it up and I went home. By the time the Novocain wore off I was in absolute agony. I called and they told me to come on back down. Went back to the office and he went back in and said he found more nerve, that he removed. Went on back home and the same thing happened. Absolute agony after the Novocain wore off. I didn't even call this time, but went back to the office in agony. By then I was beside myself with pain and I demanded he just pull the tooth. It was one of the molars on the bottom way back in the back, just before the wisdom tooth. He was very anti tooth pulling I'm sure because he preferred submitting the big bills for root canals. But he knew I meant business and he relented. I've never been so relieved to have a tooth pulled in my life.

It was not terribly painful. The biggest issue is that there were many multiple visits. Only one to the periodontist, but maybe 6 to the dentist. I do have some residual pain that isn’t extreme, it’s simply bothersome. My dentist says it’s common. I wonder about that! It’s now 18 months later, and the pain is almost faded now.

Good luck, OP!

Six months?

I've had several and, until the last one, I couldn't understand what the big deal was. The difference was that the tooth was infected the last time and anesthesia doesn't work when the tooth is severely infected. I have an extremely high tolerance for pain and I screamed and begged him to stop. I was so loud I disturbed the whole dental practice. But, what's the procedure was done, the pain and judge. If your tooth is infected, try to get some antibiotics first.

Because of the way my teeth are spaced, there was a tooth on either side of my mouth (same spot on both sides in the center) that was super close to the adjacent tooth. I could barely get floss in that one spot on both sides. After about 30 years, finally, I needed a root canal in both teeth. They actually started bothering me within a week of each other.

I was out of town and went to a dentist I didn't know (one was really killing me) and he did such a horrible job on one tooth that it felt twelve times worse. I went back home, went to my normal dentist and found out that out of town one apparently put the rod that they stick into the core of the tooth (to hold it together) right up into a nerve. My regular dentist was horrified.

He immediately undid what they did, gave me antibiotics and did both teeth that day. Afterwards I was in absolutely no pain at all and it was smooth sailing from then on (including when I got my crowns.) I would have kissed that man's feet if I could have.

If it's done correctly there's no problem at all.

I have only had one quite a few years ago, was really dreading it because of all the horror stories, but other than seeming like it took forever, the pain wasn't much worse than any filling near the gum line for me. Don't understand what all the fuss is about.

My root canal was fine actually

I have had 4 done on my molars. One was by an endodontist and three by my dentist. All of them were painless.

I just had two done. I didn’t feel any pain after the initial prick of the Novocaine Needles. The only problem is having your mouth open for so long and not choking on your spit. I also was afraid my tongue would wonder over into the path of the instruments. Afterwards, I felt some soreness after the numbness wore off, but my cheeks haven’t swelled. I have to be careful not to eat on the side of the surgery, and I only am eating soft foods. I go back Monday for temporary crowns.

I was very fearful of this procedure. My dentist gave me some valium to take the morning of the root canal. Plus I paid extra for laughing gas. And add in the shot or two of whiskey I had - I couldn't remember the procedure. Plus I got some opiates to take afterwards.

I have a mouthful of bridgework since I fell on my face when I was 7. 50 something years later, I still suffer from that fall. I have had numerous root canals on the death that died. It was mostly unpleasant since I can't stand the sound of the drill and that's what there is plenty of with a RC...drilling.

Otherwise its uncomputable, not really painful

I know this is an older thread but I have a current problem. Had a root canal for an abcess done by an endodondist before Thanksgiving and told her at the end I was still feeling pain. She did a scan and told me the root canal was perfect. On Christmas Eve I was in agonizing pain and had swelling. My regular dentist was kind enough to see me on Saturday. She said the swelling was severe and prescribed antibiotics and vicodin and contacted the endodonist office this morning. She advised me to request another dentist in their office to evaluate and do a 4D scan to find out if the root was cracked and why my jaw is so painful. When I called they tried to schedule with the same doc who did the root canal and I asked for another for a second opinion. Oh, BTW it took that dentist one hour to find the root after a lot of digging around. So the person on the phone said she would have to talk to another dentist in the practice and get back to me. That was three hours ago do you think they have a problem with this?