Tell me your experiences having a root canal (teeth, pulled, pain)

[kibblesandbits]

I am probably going to need one soon--my dentist says I have irreversible pulpitis, even though I don't have any major symptoms except occasional pain on chewing on a cracked tooth. I am really scared about having a root canal.

Is it as bad as everyone says? Can you comment specifically about:

-having to keep your mouth open that long
-can you swallow throughout the procedure
-pain
-rubber dam--is this scary
-the use of bleach to irrigate the canals--did you taste this?
-x-rays taken during procedure
-how long did it take (mine will be lower molar)
-are some teeth worse than others in terms of pain, time, etc.

[averagejoe76]

Its not too bad i had one a few years back.Not as bad as you think.
If you really have issues with it some places will sedate you.

[Rottnboys]

Originally Posted by kibblesandbits

Is it as bad as everyone says? Can you comment specifically about:

-having to keep your mouth open that long
-can you swallow throughout the procedure
-pain
-rubber dam--is this scary
-the use of bleach to irrigate the canals--did you taste this?
-x-rays taken during procedure
-how long did it take (mine will be lower molar)
-are some teeth worse than others in terms of pain, time, etc.

I wish I couldn't comment - but alas I have several of these in my mouth

My endodontist uses a 'rubber wedge' that is placed in the back of my mouth to help with the fatigue of keeping my mouth open that long......it REALLY helps....

I can swallow - although it is odd with that rubber dam on your face and rubber wedge in the back of your mouth (the assistant can also place that sucking wand beneath the dam if needed to help remove saliva from your mouth during the procedure)

The rubber dam is necessary and while odd feeling, you get use to it quickly - but if a part of your mouth, cheek, or lip get 'caught' in it, let the dentist know - because it's a long procedure and being nice and keeping quiet will mean you have a 'crease' on your face afterward. My dentist uses a lip balm on my lips before he places this on me - and that helps a lot - because the rubber dam can dry you out....

The bleach solution is routed right out of your mouth properly by the rubber dam - I think that's the reason for that, along with providing a germ free zone for the dentist to work in, since he's opening your tooth deeply. You 'might' get a taste, simply because our tongues are working all the time - but it's not awful or worthy of yakking over....just not something you are use to having in your mouth.

X-rays are taken during the procedure so the dentist can be sure he has properly removed the root pulp to the right 'depth' - the pins he inserts show up on the x-ray and he uses that to be sure he's done his job!

How long will it take - I think some dentists use 2 or 3 procedures that are 1 hour long.......to keep you from being in the chair so long - but my last root canal was done start to finish in about 2 hours - and it was GREAT!

I don't think one tooth is any worse than the other......it's a long procedure - with multiple injections to properly numb the area, where you keep your mouth open a long time....but after it is over, the tooth becomes your best friend, because if you brush/floss and see your dentist twice a year - chances are - that tooth will not cause you any problems again. Mine are all crowned - so that is a separate appointment to seat the final permanent crown.

Good luck - and try not to worry - it's not an 'average' dental experience - but it's not awful either (and I HATE going to the dentist).......

[karuna95]

I had a root canal a few years back. I'm the biggest chicken in the world. Don't believe in pain or discomfort. As with any kind of surgery, the strategy for best outcome is to select a specialist who performs a lot of the procedures. Of course, this is easier if you live in a big city, where there are many options for care.

The specialist I selected does root canals almost exclusively. Thousands and thousands of them. The most painful part of the procedure was the anesthetic injection. He was very very good. Yes, keeping your mouth open that long is tiresome. The entire procedure took about 2 hours for me. No pain afterwards either. Make sure you put some chapstick on your lips right before. My lips got very dry, and uncomfortable. The asst put a dab of petroleum jelly on them, and it really helped.

Good luck - it's not so bad! Focus on your breath when you get nervous.

[Oildog]

I've had two...the first about 15-18 years ago was one of the worst experiences of my life. I dont think they used enough novocaine or something. I shook in my car for 20 minutes after the procedure. The second a had two years ago, different dentist was just a bit longer than a regular filling, I think a two procedure process. No problems. Not sure if it was the dentist or improvements in techniques in last 15-20 years.

[dsh1127]

I have had a few of them. They really aren't a big deal. Before my first one, I had all kinds of people telling me they were awful, and they had me terrified! Needless to say, by the time they were done, I was like "Okay, that's it?" I will say that mine were done 20 years ago and that they were done by an endodontist. He also did them in 2-3 visits at approximately 45 minutes each. He gave me an RX for pain medication for later, but I didn't even need it. Some of the things that you are mentioning, I don't think they used back then! I do remember him trying a dam once, and the clip that held it in kept popping out and hitting him in the face!! He quickly gave up on that idea!

The best advice I can give is to relax and not worry

[macmeal]

I agree with others. While in the past, it may have been a gruesome experience, I've had two or three in the past 5 years. With a good dentist, the trauma is minimal....well worth the minor discomfort, and FAR preferable to losing the tooth. You should have a quick experience, and I'm sure you'll be happy with the results.

[movingtohouston]

Root canal was definitely easier than getting a tooth pulled or having a cavity filled. My endo guy gave me headphones that I could crank up as loud as I wanted so no drilling noises. I like the fact that you could swallow during the procedure.

[TouchOfWhimsy]

I worked for an endodontist for six years, and I recently had my very first root canal. I would say that out of ALL of the patients that I have seen, approximately 5% have pain during the procedure. In almost all cases, these are the patients who come in in severe pain in the first place, or the ones who have VERY infected teeth. I would suggest not putting it off. My other suggestion is to have a specialist (endodontist) do the root canal, as we had to re-treat many root canals that were done by general dentists.

To answer your questions:

-having to keep your mouth open that long yes, this is probably the worst part of it... you can ask for a bite block to help you, but that makes it harder to swallow. There are points where you can relax your jaw somewhat.
-can you swallow throughout the procedure I had no problem with this, but some patients do. The assistant will have a suction tip to help with this, and you can ask for a saliva ejector that you can hold yourself if you are not able to swallow.
-pain I had one tiny twinge during the whole thing, and a few drops of carbocaine dripped right on the nerve eliminated it immediately. The most discomfort that I had came from having to keep my mouth open... my jaw was sore for a day or two afterwards.
-rubber dam--is this scary no, you have plenty of room to breathe around the dam. The most annoying part was that saliva built up under one part of it and I felt like I was drooling!
-the use of bleach to irrigate the canals--did you taste this? absolutely not; the rubber dam keeps everything out of the mouth. You can smell it a bit, though.
-x-rays taken during procedure One before the procedure, one or two during, and one afterwards. No big deal.
-how long did it take (mine will be lower molar) Mine was also on a lower molar and took about an hour and 15 minutes. I had four canals... most lower molars only have three, and would take less time. When we booked appointments, we started off booking an hour for molars ,and many patients took a bit longer. I believe they now schedule an hour and a half. Again, this is with a specialist, who does these all day long... it might take longer with a general dentist.
-are some teeth worse than others in terms of pain, time, etc. Yes, everyone is different.

I hope that helped. Chances are excellent that you will have no pain, and if you do have some, speak up right away so that they can do an intrapulpal injection. Endodontists are often booked up for several weeks for non-emergency cases, so I'd advise calling to make an appointment soon. Good luck!

[tcrackly]

I've had two root canals and I have to say they were easier to take than some of the filling procedures I've had. the hardest part was having my mouth open for one particularly long one--45 min. I have TMJ so that makes it very uncomfortable.