Have you had a root canal?

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AMaro215
AMaro215 Posts: 78 Member
in Chit-Chat
So 2.5 weeks ago I had to go to the dentist because I had a filling chip a very tiny bit in my molar on the bottom left side. It didnt bother me at all except for food getting stuck in between the teeth where the chip was. Well the dentist wanted to replace the entire filling which disrupted the nerve. So I went back in last week because the filling was a little too high so he drilled it down and took an xray. The nerve was inflamed/infected so he said if him drilling it down didnt make it feel better( its sensitive to chew hard foods and to hot and cold) that I would need a root canal. Well its not any better so I scheduled the root canal for Tuesday next week and Im terrified! I have had a very bad experience before so Im so scared to have this done. The pain is not unbearable, just annoying and uncomfortable. They said it may take a a few months to a year for it to become extremely painful but here is the downfall.... I just turned 26 so I lose my parents health insurance the last day of this month so thats why I think I should probably get it done now... Then a month or two after the root canal I have to get a crown without dental insurance which will be around $1000 :(. My insurance now will cover 80% of the root canal which is also $1000. Did you get a crown over the tooth after the root canal? The said ot will turn black if I dont?Im terrified to have this done.... I dont care about the pain after just dont want to feel anything during because I had that experience with my wisdom teeth getting pulled...I didnt even have my first cavity until I was 24...my teeth are healthy, kind of makes me mad this happen because it didnt bother me until he refilled the entire thing
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Replies

  • EmCarroll1990
    EmCarroll1990 Posts: 2,849 Member
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    I had one done when I was younger, broke my front right tooth in half and the root was exposed. I can't really comment on the pain or anything as I had it done over a long period of time in tiny increments. I wish you the best of luck though!
  • AirCircleI
    AirCircleI Posts: 334 Member
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    I had my first root canal a few months ago and I was terrified, but it was genuinely FINE. They gave me an injection of anesthetic at the start and I didn't feel anything. The only uncomfortable thing was having to hold my mouth open for so long. Don't worry, it is better to get it done sooner rather than later and it will be AOK.
  • angied80
    angied80 Posts: 749
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    I have had two root canals. It was cake. Easy peasy! Not saying someone else didnt have a bad expierence (just putting that in there incase anyone wants to bash me or call me a liar) but I think you will find it will be fine!
  • LilRedRooster
    LilRedRooster Posts: 1,421 Member
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    I had one a few months ago, because one of my molars had chipped and broken when I was pregnant, then got infected a few months after. Honestly, I felt a THOUSAND times better once it was done, because there wasn't any more pain. I had radiating pain all the way down my jaw for a week, and it was worse than being in labor. I just wanted to feel better. They did it in two sections, and the first day, when she cleaned most of the tooth out and removed the root, I wanted to cry from happiness. No joke, I was ready to kiss her, haha.

    I wouldn't worry too much about it, really. Once it's done, you'll be so glad you did it. And at least your insurance covers it! I'm one of the millions of awesomely uninsured Americans, and I had to pay $1200 out of pocket for mine.. Yeah, that was great. But I'm still happy I did it, because I did want to keep that tooth.
  • AMaro215
    AMaro215 Posts: 78 Member
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    The dentist said its a 50/50 chance of needing one so I have no clue what to do. Im not in pain unless im chewing something hard or drinking cold water!!! I really wish I wasnt losing my insurance!
  • MissedStar
    MissedStar Posts: 19
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    I've had 2 root canals done and they all went fine as everyone else has said
    they will give you so much anesethic its great
    the only wierd thing i would warn you about is that you get a feeling when the root is being removed and its uncomfortable not painful
    but yeah it'll be great
    good luck
  • mb236707
    mb236707 Posts: 13 Member
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    I just recently had a root canal and I was SO scared, especially after reading horror stories online haha...but when I went in it was absolutely fine, I didn't have any pain and they give you anesthetic as well as pain medication. Don't worry!
  • lisaslim1976
    lisaslim1976 Posts: 145
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    Hi there (i am a dental nurse with 15 years experience).
    NO dental procedure should be painful, if you feel anything the dentist will give you more LA.( Up to 6 cartridges of 2.2ml)
    You generally need a crown after a root filling as the tooth becomes brittle when it is root filled due to there being no blood supply/ nerve in the tooth. However... I would wait at least 1/2 months after the root filling to ensure it has settled, as not all root fillings are succesful. Would be silly to pay that much for a crown and then have to extract the tooth if it doesnt settle. If you have faith in your dentist then you will be fine!!!!
  • Paige_me
    Paige_me Posts: 59 Member
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    I had one in high school and I put a cap on it, instead of a crown. Next week I am going to get the cap removed and putting a crown on it because it does get dirty. They can't seal it perfectly and this is why behind the cap you can see dirt when it gets close to my 6 months in between cleanings. I would go for the crown so you don't have to worry about it later.
  • olee67
    olee67 Posts: 208 Member
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    Had one done, no pain, no cap, enamal filling, and all set.. No issues to this day... LUCKY!
  • tiffanyvc
    tiffanyvc Posts: 99
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    I had two root canals, both went just fine. The pain was terrible before hand, but once I was numb, the pain was gone forever. The only pain I had afterwards was a little jaw soreness from holding my mouth open for the procedure.

    I do recommend getting a crown for the reason previously posted - that the tooth gets brittle. A coworker of mine had a root canal done about ten years ago and didn't get a crown. Everything was fine, until she was eating like normal one day and the tooth totally fell apart. The crowns are expensive, but worth it in my opinion.
  • lisaslim1976
    lisaslim1976 Posts: 145
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    I had one in high school and I put a cap on it, instead of a crown. Next week I am going to get the cap removed and putting a crown on it because it does get dirty. They can't seal it perfectly and this is why behind the cap you can see dirt when it gets close to my 6 months in between cleanings. I would go for the crown so you don't have to worry about it later.
    A cap and a crown are the same thing. Maybe you mean you had a white (composite) filling???
  • ahsongbird
    ahsongbird Posts: 712 Member
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    I had a root canal and couldnt afford the crown, it didnt turn black but bc it is hollow the tooth then broke very easily without the crown. As for the pain, for me there was NONE , I didnt feel anything but pressure when they were pushing into the tooth, it is uncomfortable but it wasnt painful at all.
  • AntShanny
    AntShanny Posts: 366 Member
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    Definitely get it done before it gets worse, especially of you are still covered under your parent's insurance. Even with insurance it's expensive...I'm going next week to get my temp crown and have been spreading my appointments out because of the cost!
  • blink1021
    blink1021 Posts: 1,118 Member
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    Had a root canal in August of last year aside from it being expensive with insurance it wasn't bad or painful I was sore for a few days from having my mouth open for 3hrs straight. I was the lucky one who had 4 roots instead of 3 (its a back tooth). I was supposed to wait 3 months and go back for a crown well the tooth broke on me and here it is February and I have to have it removed so $1500.00 for nothing. Thank god it was a back tooth now I will be looking into having the gap filled.

    My root canal started because of a filling when the dentist drilled it cracked the tooth further and not visible till x rayed. I ended up with a swollen jaw and was in pain for 1 month, but since they could not see an abcess on the xray they left it alone. They kept saying that they did not want to do the root canal until necessary. Went through a year of using anbesol and vicodin before they did the root canal.
  • linda1243
    linda1243 Posts: 166
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    i had one and it wasn't bad at all. i told the dentist i was terrified and i think he went out of his way to be gentle. he said that tv makes it so much worse than it is.

    kudos on being smart enough to get this done while you are insured, it is very expensive if you don't have insurance. insurance may or may not cover the crown. mine did because my tooth is cracked and the crown is the only way to prevent further damage to the tooth. Make sure that if the crown is necessary that your dentist bills the insurance that way or they think it is cosmetic and try not to cover it.
  • ThatDollSally
    ThatDollSally Posts: 473 Member
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    I had a root canal a couple weeks ago. It's a lot like getting a filling, it just takes longer. The worst part is the sound that the tools make, but that makes it seem worse than it is. Since they numb you up you should be fine. You might be a bit sore afterwards, but your dentist should give you a prescription for pain meds that'll take care of that.
  • kashleyh5077
    kashleyh5077 Posts: 4
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    When are you having the root canal procedure done? My advice (based on a really bad experience) is to make sure you take a round of amoxicillin for at least a week before you have the procedure. This is why... I went in with a painful tooth and the dentist suggested a root canal and also suggested I do it that day b/c he had an opening. They gave me the normal injectable numbing agent in my gums and it seemed to work. As soon as they opened up the tooth, they immediately realized the infection was worse than they had thought and the infected tissue wouldn't respond to the novacaine. SO - there I was having a root canal on an extemely infected tooth with little to no response to the novaine for 5 hours... this was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life... so the moral of this story - take amoxicillin to beat down the infection before the procedure AND get general anesthesia (or more than injectable novacaine and laughing gas) next time. I know this sounds extreme, but I will pay more for "general" so not to have to go through this pain ever again.
  • KRFinLeth
    KRFinLeth Posts: 22
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    When I was a kid I fell and partially knocked out my front tooth. It was put back in but the nerve died. I had a root canal but left the original tooth and it did slowly darken. Years later I had it replaced with a crown. Much better decision.
  • rmsrws
    rmsrws Posts: 639 Member
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    I have a front tooth that had a root canal done about 7 years ago. Because of the position of the tooth a crown was not an option. The front of my tooth is natural, the back side is filled with some resin compound. My tooth has not discolored in any way.

    If it is a back molar that no one can see have you considered just having it pulled? If it is not going to show when you smile, I'd seriously considered having it yanked! If you don't have a crown done but still opt for the root canal, if they fill it, it is not going to turn black black like you are thinking. It will turn a greyish color. If it's in the back of your mouth and doesn't show when you smile, then you have a few options!

    Good Luck!

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