Do I really need a root canal? Or can I just extract it?

[Sugah Ray]

I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you get better.

You really need to talk to your dentist. I would also suggest maybe posting this question in one of those dental websites where dentists can probably inform you better.

I had one of my nerves messed up when I removed one of my wisdom teeth. It's been already six years so I don't expect it to go away. The dentist say it could go away even after all these years. I did feel a lot of pain after the procedure but I don't recall lasting a month.

I was told by the dentist that anesthesia can damage your nerves. I wish I would have known that, I would have put up with the procedure without anesthesia. Seriously.

I'm not saying you had nerve damage but I guess it could be a possibility.

This seems to be related to that
Injury of the Inferior Alveolar Nerve during Implant Placement: a Literature Review

And I know this might not be the right time but take care of your teeth. There are plenty of tips out there and you are right about not washing your teeth with water after brushing. You can also wash them with a fluoride mouthwash.

I heard that you have to brush your teeth when you go to sleep and also before you eat anything in the morning because that's when your teeth are the weakest as we don't produce much saliva while we sleep. Limit sugars and sodas if you eat them and floss daily.

[jaminhealth]

Consider making your own Coconut Oil Toothpaste which I do now for a few yrs. I've had plenty of dental work in my 78 yrs and enough dental visits and root canals...but so far with CO toothpaste have not been to a dental office in over 5 yrs. I've posted about how I take care of my mouth hygeine. I also add drops of clove oil and oil of oregano to my homemade TP.

If I only woke up YEARS AGO and also cut out the loads of sugars/carbs.

[pet1984]

Originally Posted by jaminhealth

Consider making your own Coconut Oil Toothpaste which I do now for a few yrs. I've had plenty of dental work in my 78 yrs and enough dental visits and root canals...but so far with CO toothpaste have not been to a dental office in over 5 yrs. I've posted about how I take care of my mouth hygeine. I also add drops of clove oil and oil of oregano to my homemade TP.

If I only woke up YEARS AGO and also cut out the loads of sugars/carbs.

I've seen this message repeated in many posts. I don't see how it's even helpful to my current situation. Also, you say you haven't been to a dental office in 5 years. You could still have dental problems without feeling any pain or seeing any visible signs of it. I didn't know I had cavities till I went to the dentist. And periodontal disease can happen quietly.

I heard that you have to brush your teeth when you go to sleep and also before you eat anything in the morning because that's when your teeth are the weakest as we don't produce much saliva while we sleep. Limit sugars and sodas if you eat them and floss daily.

I've actually heard people say you're supposed to brush before you eat breakfast because eating can put the enamel in a temporarily vulnerable state so brushing right after eating could damage it more. Plus if you wake up and eat immediately, you're consuming all the residual bacteria in your mouth from when you were sleeping till you woke up. Like it's best to brush, eat, then floss after. Brushing excessively can also lead to enamel erosion, too.

Anyway.

Today is Monday. I did not go to my dentist as I thought I would, and they said to wait till Tuesday. I'm apprehensive about getting more fillings done by this guy.

I've tried to reassess everything that's happened so far.

• Within a month, I've been to the dentist at least 6-7 times.
• 3 sessions of fillings, 2 quads worth of deep cleaning, 1 root canal.
• 2 adjustments on 3 upper amalgam fillings that have been giving me problems.
• I use an electric toothbrush (Oral B Vitality).
• I use a water flosser (H2ofloss, 5-110 PSI with 1200 pulses per minute).
• I gargle with various mouthwashes (one Natural Dentist fluoride rise, one Listerine naturals without fluoride, sometimes Plax) 2x per day.

I thought that maybe I was hurting my teeth with the water flosser. Like I was being careless and spraying my teeth directly and the water pressure was causing the filled teeth to be more sensitive. My teeth with fillings seemed to "ache" more after water flossing, too. So after Friday night, I stopped using the water flosser and switched to interdental sticks and flossing picks for flossing after meals. I'm limiting my gargling now, too, and have gone back to my manual toothbrush. Yet... the filled teeth in question still ache?

My jaw is very tired (especially after appointments with the dentist), and I get headaches when my jaw becomes fatigued. I figured it could be my TMJ being exhausted from all this work within the time frame of just one month.

The dentist broke my procedures up into 5-6 sessions. I imagine my jaw could recuperate better if everything was done in 1-2 sessions. And it'd be less stressful. I think my dentist sets shorter sessions to fit in more patients per day.

At this point, I'm about to give up. I faced my fear, went in to the dentist to get work done, and am now stuck with this pain in my three upper teeth that won't seem to ebb no matter what I do. I asked for a bitewing on the fillings tomorrow to ensure there isn't some issue there. The previous bitewing did not suggest root canals on those teeth so if I need root canals now on those teeth, I will be both sad and angry.