[Off Topic]: Root Canals

Checkerboard · 12-22-06, 07:02 PM

I had one. There was no pain during the process, just the discomfort of sitting there for four hours, like you say, with jaw wide open. My jaw hurt afterwards for a day. Watch what you eat between now and the crown . . . if you crack the tooth before the crown it'll more than likely have to be extracted and then you have to get a bridge. That;s what happened to me . . . GL with the recovery from the first one and the next one . . .

flyingillini · 12-22-06, 07:23 PM

had 2 of them and both were not fun it will get better the only advice i will give to you is please be careful with the pain meds.. i know a lot of people that use them for fun and recreational or even for surgery related issues.. etc etc... just be cool with them ya know but other than that your jaw and mouth will get better!

tacomax · 12-22-06, 07:39 PM

Originally posted by onlòóker

The worst part about them is, the shot they give you on the inner part of your mouth.

That is the most excruciating pain I've ever had in my life. I don't particularly mind the drilling or whatnot, but the pain of that injection puts me off going.

onlooker · 12-22-06, 07:52 PM

Originally posted by flyingillini

the only advice i will give to you is please be careful with the pain meds.. i know a lot of people that use them for fun and recreational or even for surgery related issues.. etc etc... just be cool with them ya know but other than that your jaw and mouth will get better!

I havent took a pain med yet. I may just throw them out, or something.

bigboydan · 12-22-06, 07:57 PM

What type of pain killers did he end up giving you anyways looker?

onlooker · 12-22-06, 08:19 PM

Originally posted by bigboydan

What type of pain killers did he end up giving you anyways looker?

Hydrocodone. The generic for Lortab.

punchmaster · 12-22-06, 08:32 PM

Originally posted by flyingillini

had 2 of them and both were not fun it will get better the only advice i will give to you is please be careful with the pain meds.. i know a lot of people that use them for fun and recreational or even for surgery related issues.. etc etc... just be cool with them ya know but other than that your jaw and mouth will get better!

Leave it to a wagering forum, loaded with addictive personalities to have to say something about not getting addicted to meds

Mudcat · 12-23-06, 08:49 AM

Timely thread for me. I just had a root canal begun on Wednesday. It was an "emergency" deal so I couldn't schedule ahead and get the whole procedure done in one shot. The tooth now has a gaping hole in it and won't be filled and capped until early January.

I agree that it is no big deal and people over-dramatize these things. The endodontist did not scrimp on the freezing and I didn't feel a thing. I could have slept through it. He had a TV in his office so I watched sports highlites the whole time (when I wasn't eyeballing his hot blonde hygienist whom I would guess is either Russian or Czech.)

jjgold · 12-23-06, 08:51 AM

Pain is not bad now a days, if you can get your hand on opium too it helps but smoke it and do not shoot it.

Thanks

onlooker · 01-12-07, 06:02 PM

Just had the second one done today, I had to reschedule it for today because I was sick and couldnt make it last Friday.

This one today went even smoother and was faster. Or it seemed like it anyway. I still need to get the crown put on the other one (still have a temporary) and get this one today prepared for its crown. So I still have a few visits left for these two Canals/Crowns.

What fun.

ourbet · 01-12-07, 06:39 PM

I had my first root canal in Honolulu, HI in 1993. Just like you onlòóker, I was warned by “everyone telling me how bad they are” and I can tell you, this was REALLY bad. No matter how much anaesthetic I was given, the nerve would not go completely numb, so I felt every excruciating procedure as ever decreasing files were poked inside the tooth in order to rip out the pulp.

Moving forward 10-years, I was involved in a hit-and-run "accident" in Pattaya, Thailand. I got mangled on a moped and got bashed-up pretty bad. You can imagine my alarm then when I was wheeled into Endodontics and told I would need FOUR root canals.

To cut to the chase I was scared shitless. But at the end of the 6-hour ‘ordeal’, the Thai endodontist performed a completely pain-free procedure; she even sang to me sweetly as she drilled, removed pulp and filed away at my teeth.

So what have I learned from this, well…before I went in for my root canal in Honolulu I was told “NEVER have a Chinese endodontist perform a root canal”. After my experience in Thailand 10-years later I’d have to say, there may be a valid point here.

ourbet · 01-12-07, 06:54 PM

Originally posted by onlòóker

Just had the second one done today, I had to reschedule it for today because I was sick and couldnt make it last Friday.

This one today went even smoother and was faster. Or it seemed like it anyway. I still need to get the crown put on the other one (still have a temporary) and get this one today prepared for its crown. So I still have a few visits left for these two Canals/Crowns.

What fun.

As a postscript, how much does it cost now in the US to get a root canal? I remember being charged something in the order of $1,500 for the procedure and crown back in 1993.

FWIW the entire endodontic surgery for my four root canals in Thailand came to $600, excluding crowns.

onlooker · 01-12-07, 10:28 PM

Originally posted by ourbet

As a postscript, how much does it cost now in the US to get a root canal? I remember being charged something in the order of $1,500 for the procedure and crown back in 1993.

FWIW the entire endodontic surgery for my four root canals in Thailand came to $600, excluding crowns.

It was about $1800 for each Canal and Crown. Somewhere in that range. Thank god for insurance, or I would have no teeth.

I didnt have to pay a penny on either one.

CA_Bettor06 · 01-13-07, 02:34 AM

Wow. You guys are scaring me. My dentist told me last week that he wants me to get a root canal (my first) in a molar. But my tooth doesn't bother me at all. It's only a little bit sensative to cold but barely noticable. He quoted $200 for the root canal and $500 for the crown. I have insurance, so the price quote is my part only. I wish my insurance would cover 100%, but that's rare with a PPO here in CA. He said the whole procedure will take 1.5 hours max. Seems like you guys here have experienced much longer procedures.

So being a chicken and not feeling like there's anything wrong with my tooth I went for a second oppinion with an endodontist. He did agree that my tooth should have a root canal but it wasn't all that urgent since there's no pain. But he said that if I wait until there is pain, the procedure would be more uncomfortable because a flare up changes the PH in the root tissue and makes it harder to numb you up. That's why most people complain about root canals; they wait until they have a major infection before getting one. He also said that root canals have about a 90% success rate, so about 10% may get reinfected and need extraction or re-treatment.

I've decided to wait a little bit and see what happens with the tooth. It really doesn't bother me at all right now. I might even save up more money and get "sleep" dentistry where they put you out. It's $1,000 more. But the endodontist feels that's unneccessary in my case. He doesn't know how much of a chicken I am. However...I went through childbirth with my son, so a root canal should be a piece of cake compared to that.

707782 · 01-13-07, 06:54 AM

I Had 6 Shots Inside My Mouth Within An Hour, Can You Imagine?

onlooker · 01-13-07, 02:30 PM

Originally posted by 707782

I Had 6 Shots Inside My Mouth Within An Hour, Can You Imagine?

I have to get re-numbed after about 2 hours. I do not want to feel a thing, and as soon as I do, I tell them to hit me again. Id rather put up with the little pressure from the shot then the pain of the tooth being drilled and what not. Makes things go a little smoother.