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Talk to me about root canals
11-18-2012, 03:08 PM
#1
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Talk to me about root canals
My dentist is saying I need one. One a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being very painful, what am I in for? Is this something that I can be knocked out for? I forgot to ask him about that. I have very sensitive teeth and gums and the dentist is my biggest fear. I take care of my teeth by brushing and flossing every day. I can barely even handle 6 month cleanings. If they dont knock you out for it and only use novocaine, I dont think I'll be able to go through with it.
11-19-2012, 10:15 PM
#3
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I had 2, and the worst part of the whole thing was the $$$$ bill, followed by a distant second-worst getting shots in your jaw from a needle big enough to get down to your roots.
I wrote a long article about it, because I didn't find where anyone else had done the same. Grab some lukewarm coffee and have a read: http://votefordavid.blogspot.com/201...irst-hand.html
I wrote a long article about it, because I didn't find where anyone else had done the same. Grab some lukewarm coffee and have a read: http://votefordavid.blogspot.com/201...irst-hand.html
My mouth feels better now than it has in YEARS, the day of my second root canal in the space of a week. I am surprised.
11-19-2012, 10:40 PM
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i got one a few years back, sh*t sucked and my mouth swelled up pretty good
but after the pain i was goin through pre-canal, id do it again in a heartbeat
but after the pain i was goin through pre-canal, id do it again in a heartbeat
11-19-2012, 10:48 PM
#5
Senior Member
I did lots of research on root canals. Dentist said I needed one. They were correct, something did need to be done. BUT, they NEVER, NEVER, EVER tell you that pulling the tooth is actually an option! Why? Because pulling a tooth is about 200 bucks and some root canals can be over 1500.00!!!
Here's the thing. They all guarantee root canals and claim they are 100%. But, most studies only report on root canals for a period of 3-5 years. Most folks I talked to all had to have 2nd root canals performed on the same tooth!! So......to save 1 tooth now has cost you 3000.00!! For that kind of money you can have it pulled an an implant put in and your would be money AHEAD!!!
Another thing to think about is this. A root canal kills the tooth. Yes, you have a DEAD tooth in your mouth. In essence, a dead ORGAN. That really did not sound like something I wanted to keep in my body and in my mouth.
I also considered my family history with Root Canals. Some folks do well with them. I asked all the members of my family and they ALL had bad luck with root canals, all performed in various stages in life, ALL from different dentists. So, its quite easy to ascertain that its not the doctor or time of procedure that doesnt work in my family, but simply the procedure itself. Root canals just dont take in my family, most being done 2-3 times and in the end the tooth is pulled anyway.
So, with all that considered, I told the doctor to shoot me up with Novocaine and pull the damn thing. It was a molar, cant be seen, and honestly doesnt affect my eating one bit. I have not had an implant in because I see no point in spending money to make some dentist rich and fulfill his/her opinion that my self esteem will somehow be better if I have all my teeth.
Last thing to consdier: Root canal can be an hour or more in the chair, lots of drilling, can be very painful, and still not solve your problem 5 years down the road. Getting my tooth pulled took literally about 3 min and cost me about 237.00 out the door.
My .02
Good luck with your decision.
Here's the thing. They all guarantee root canals and claim they are 100%. But, most studies only report on root canals for a period of 3-5 years. Most folks I talked to all had to have 2nd root canals performed on the same tooth!! So......to save 1 tooth now has cost you 3000.00!! For that kind of money you can have it pulled an an implant put in and your would be money AHEAD!!!
Another thing to think about is this. A root canal kills the tooth. Yes, you have a DEAD tooth in your mouth. In essence, a dead ORGAN. That really did not sound like something I wanted to keep in my body and in my mouth.
I also considered my family history with Root Canals. Some folks do well with them. I asked all the members of my family and they ALL had bad luck with root canals, all performed in various stages in life, ALL from different dentists. So, its quite easy to ascertain that its not the doctor or time of procedure that doesnt work in my family, but simply the procedure itself. Root canals just dont take in my family, most being done 2-3 times and in the end the tooth is pulled anyway.
So, with all that considered, I told the doctor to shoot me up with Novocaine and pull the damn thing. It was a molar, cant be seen, and honestly doesnt affect my eating one bit. I have not had an implant in because I see no point in spending money to make some dentist rich and fulfill his/her opinion that my self esteem will somehow be better if I have all my teeth.
Last thing to consdier: Root canal can be an hour or more in the chair, lots of drilling, can be very painful, and still not solve your problem 5 years down the road. Getting my tooth pulled took literally about 3 min and cost me about 237.00 out the door.
My .02
Good luck with your decision.
11-21-2012, 10:56 PM
#6
Super Moderator
A properly done root canal filling in the mouth of a person with a healthy diet and otherwise-healthy mouth should last forever. Having a full crown installed is the more-durable repair (vs. a filling) after the root canal work but is more costly.
Any subsequent infection is either a soft tissue problem in the gums, or your doctor missed something (extra roots, fracture, etc) when they did the root canal. Pulling a tooth, especially a lower tooth, is a bad idea unless you plan on getting an implant or a bridge (more expensive than root canal/crown) because the teeth can migrate and f*ck up the occlusion. Trust me when I tell you, malocclusion is a cause of constant pain.
If you have ANY hesitation, ask your dentist what endodontist they use for difficult root canal jobs and go straight to that endodontist. If they won't tell you, get another dentist. This is what I consider to be high-skilled specialty work, and I was content paying $$$$ to have a gen-u-wine expert endodontist do my root canal fillings, followed by crowns from my regular dentist.
http://www.sharecare.com/question/te...anal-last-life
http://drkam.wordpress.com/2010/07/0...reatment-last/
Any subsequent infection is either a soft tissue problem in the gums, or your doctor missed something (extra roots, fracture, etc) when they did the root canal. Pulling a tooth, especially a lower tooth, is a bad idea unless you plan on getting an implant or a bridge (more expensive than root canal/crown) because the teeth can migrate and f*ck up the occlusion. Trust me when I tell you, malocclusion is a cause of constant pain.
If you have ANY hesitation, ask your dentist what endodontist they use for difficult root canal jobs and go straight to that endodontist. If they won't tell you, get another dentist. This is what I consider to be high-skilled specialty work, and I was content paying $$$$ to have a gen-u-wine expert endodontist do my root canal fillings, followed by crowns from my regular dentist.
http://www.sharecare.com/question/te...anal-last-life
http://drkam.wordpress.com/2010/07/0...reatment-last/