Root canal tomorrow! Any advice?

[Westegg]

What bugs me is I saw my dentist 3 weeks ago. He said, Everything's fine." Yesterday the pain starts. Rush in and see him today. "Sorry, but you need a root canal." Shouldn't he have caught 3 weeks ago from the X-rays? Any dentists in the DU Lounge? D(U)entists, in other words? I'm starting to think my tooth man's a bit of a flake. An attribute I often find amusing in old friends-- but not in dentists. Damn! And tomorrow in NYC was going to be such a fine spring day. Well, it still WILL be-- except for those of us getting root canals at 10 am. Thank you for letting me vent. I feel better already. Except for this one fucking tooth.

[LeftyFingerPop]

1. Have you ever had one? n/t

[Westegg]

3. Yeah. 3 years ago. Is it weird to have another?...

...I know I inherited some lousy tooth-genes from my parents. This will be my second and I'm over 40. I certainly wouldn't be thrilled to go through this every couple of years.

[skygazer]

2. Ask for pain meds

The only good thing about root canals are the pain meds. :hi:

[Ian David]

4. Root canal isn't as bad as you may think it is. I've fallen asleep during one. n/t

[Westegg]

8. That's...amazing, frankly. Thanks!

[sarge43]

18. What IanDB1 said.

I had one about two weeks ago, first one. I didn't fall asleep, but it wasn't no worse than a cavity treatment. Toughest part was having to hold perfectly still while doc scrapped out the tissue. Would recommend you have someone take you or use a cab. You may feel whacked afterwords and in no condition to drive.

[sammythecat]

19. That actually happened to me as well.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

23. Not asleep, but

utterly relaxed, and I'm dental-phobic. There was no way your dentist could have spotted this, I think. Infections start, and that's it.

But, if you're going to an endodontist as good as mine, you'll be in and out of his chair in no time, and the most pain medication you MIGHT need will be Tylenol. I am a pain coward, and once the novocaine wore off, all I had was a slightly achy jaw.

Good luck.

[AlCzervik]

5. take some advil before you go, since your mouth will be open for awhile

it will help with jaw pain.

[Westegg]

9. Thank you! (Ouch! It hurts just typing.)

[DS1]

6. SLIDE!

[Westegg]

11. I don't suppose penguins have teeth. One more reason...

...I'd rather be a penguin.

Go Pittsburgh Penguins!

[Rabrrrrrr]

7. I had one of the best dentists in the world when I lived in NYC. I miss him.

And, so far as I know, the need for a root canal isn't necessarily something that can be detected early.

Since you've had one before, you know (hopefully) that they aren't too bad.

At least, they weren't with my World's Best Dentist. Maybe not the world's best, but he is one of the top ranked ones.

Good luck to you!

[Westegg]

13. His name, please? I'd love to check him out...

...Hey, I don't mean to put you on the spot, Rabrrrrr. I've just never heard anyone speak so highly of a dentist! Not sure why, frankly. Great dentists should be celebrated in song, their names shouted from rooftops, garlands of flowers strewn at their feet as they stroll down the boulevard. We all need dentists. We all need our teeth.

[smoogatz]

10. Ask for Vicodin when it's over.

Then give me some.

[Lil Missy]

12. Pick up some jawbreakers.

:D

[Westegg]

14. Will do. You say this helps with pain?...

...I'm also going to lay in a couple pounds of salt-water taffy, and a big bag of Brazil nuts in their shells. They say the cracking of them with your teeth builds jaw strength. When that's done, I'll start in on the three yards of barbed-wire I got at the hardware store, as I've heard that's a good floss for after root canals. Then I'll gargle with merchurochrome.

[sammythecat]

15. I've had three and each was utterly painless.

In fact, almost relaxing after a while. If you have a decent dentist you shouldn't really feel anything worse than the initial shot of novocaine (which are ALWAYS painful it seems, no matter what the procedure).

Tell him it hurts like hell afterward though. He might give you some Vicodin or Percocets. Mmm, yum.

[Westegg]

16. "Suicide is painless/It brings on many changes..."

...No, I really appreciate your feedback, sammythecat, that's just what I needed to hear.

[Jamastiene]

17. Drink heavily the night before,

have someone else drive you, and try to time passing out to when they start. I have heard those can be very very painful. I DON'T envy you. :scared:

[Mind_your_head]

20. The advice: Your pain will soon be gone and that's something to smile about!

I've only had one root canal - 20-some years ago. I was in such HORRIFIC pain that having the root canal was a total RELIEF. The root canal treatment was not painful at all (or it was nothing in comparison to the pain from the bad tooth at least).

I've have had many tooth cavities - ALL of them before I was 23. None since (and I'm pushing 50). The reason? I learned this (and it's good advice that has been confirmed by a dentist friend of mine):

There's no such thing as "bad teeth genes" (okay, occasionally there are people who are born w/o sufficient enamel coating on their teeth, but that is VERY VERY RARE) - there's only bad dental hygiene habits that get passed through families....and THAT'S mostly what causes all of the cavities, abscesses, need for root canal, etc.

So, after you have your root canal tomorrow, do yourself a BIG favor and

1) Go buy yourself an electric toothbrush. Those things are AMAZING at cleaning your teeth. You get many more brush strokes per tooth than you can possibly get with a regular toothbrush. They're great at getting the tartar and stains off your teeth. The plug in ones are pricey ~ $70 and up ~ BUT you can buy a battery operated/travel one for $10-$20 that will work just as well (and you can see how well you like it ~ you will! :-) )

2) Use the above at least twice a day - when you wake up and before you go to bed ALWAYS. Any other times you use it are really good, but just the twice a day will do a lot to reduce your dental problems (or stop potential dental problems).

3) Floss. Every day is really good, but if you only do it once or twice a week, it will make a HUGE difference to your oral health.

4) Try to avoid sticky candy/fruit roll-ups, etc. When you do eat that sticky stuff, brush soon afterwards (or if that's not possible, rinse your mouth out really well with water. Don't let that sugar stick on your teeth, b/c that is food for the bacteria whose excrement ~acid~ causes the cavities).

Phew .... sorry to be so 'preachy'....but it's the truth. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"....and all of that good stuff....

Best of luck tomorrow....don't sweat the root canal....it'll be fine! :hi:

M_Y_H

[kath]

33. Is a Water-Pic as good as an electric toothbrush?

and what brand of battery-operated toothbrush would you recommend?

[Mind_your_head]

36. I would guess 'No' it's not as good

because an electric toothbrush actually SCRUBS the tartar, food, stains, and other 'ick' off of your teeth. I wouldn't think a water pik would do as good of a job (but I'm not positive about this, as I've never owned a Water-Pic ~ I've tried one once and wasn't impressed enough to buy it).

Oral-B sells a battery-operated electric toothbrush that sells for $10-20. That's the one I use (although I did buy the more expensive plug-in model too and use the battery one for travel now), but there may be others out there. They're probably all pretty good, because the rotating brush action gives each tooth many more brush strokes than you can achieve with a standard toothbrush.

Don't push down when you're using the electric toothbrush - hold it lightly. You want the tips of the brush to get into all the little nooks and crannies of your teeth and along the gumline to flick out all of the icky stuff and stains.

You can buy a three-pack of brushheads for an Oral-B for something like $21 (or $7 per brushhead - but that brushhead will last 2 probably 3 months....it may seem expensive when you purchase it AT FIRST, but $2.33 cents per month ($7/3 months) is a pretty good and cheap investment in your health that will save you hundreds of dollars and a lot of pain and anxiety in the future.

I've given the battery operated toothbrushes as gifts MANY times to people....and they've always been "well-received" (even though initially it was a little "ackward"). Think about the benefits of such a gift:

A) You wouldn't buy it for yourself
B) You use it daily (hopefully/probably more than once daily)
C) It's good for your health
D) It says I love/care about you and
E) S M I L E

Peace,
M-Y-H

[seemunkee]

21. Eat a bag of Oreos just before you walk in the dentist office

See if he notices

[Mind_your_head]

22. LOL

That always "works" best for people with braces, wouldn't you agree?

:rofl:

[Tangerine LaBamba]

24. Once,

just because I was bored, I had a big box of chocolates sent to my dentist.

She sent me a lovely thank-you note.

[Mind_your_head]

25. She enjoyed the chocolate

and then......








wait for it.......















she brushed her teeth before she went to bed.

That is all.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

26. Once,

I showed up early for my cleaning appointment - it was still lunchtime in the all-girl dental office - they were sitting around, eating chocolate cake - it was someone's birthday - they offered me a slice, which I gratefully accepted and wolfed down.



And then............









We all went into the ladies' room to brush our teeth.

Thank you.

[Mind_your_head]

27. LOL

.....good for you (and your teeth)

:rofl:

[madrchsod]

28. drugs....and more drugs

[Amerigo Vespucci]

29. Take two of these and call me in the morning

[snailly]

30. I had my first one a couple of months ago

It really isn't that bad. The worst is when they numb you up. After that, just relax and let the doc do what he needs to do. Relaxation is the key.

[Juche]

31. They aren't that bad

I had one once, it isn't that bad. I was able to drive myself home and ending the tooth pain was far better than the discomfort of the canal. The smell is the worst part, the smell of them drilling into your teeth is horrible. If you feel pain just ask for another shot of novacaine.

[begin_within]

32. My 3 suggestions:

1. Bring a good book, or an iPod, or something to pass the time. They will leave and come back and leave and come back, and most of the time you are just sitting there waiting.

2. Ask for more shots of Novocaine if you need them. I have had as many as 5 shots of it during a root canal. You should not feel anything in the area they are working. If you feel even the tiniest twinge of pain, raise your hand and ask for another shot. You won't even feel the extra shot.

3. You probably won't be able to eat any solid food for the rest of the day. Treat yourself to a chai milkshake (but not from Starbucks, their chai is horrible).

[eauclaireliberal]

34. If Vicodin doesn't work, ask for Percoset

Vicodin tends to lose it's effect after two, maybe three days-tolerance is low, even at a therapeutic level.

[quakerboy]

35. Go back in time

and change things so you don't need it.