May have to get an emergency root canal today

glitch · Apr 28, 2008

Ohh I hate root canals, Im glad yours is over, I had one in october and he didn't even put in a temporary filling or anything! He kept getting a bigger drill to take the root out and there was tons of blood! Didn't help that he was 3 sheets to the wind either, but I turned him in for that! Now I have a big gapinng whole in my front tooth on the back and I wont go to him again, so the new dentist is going to give me some kind of medicine to take before I go to get it fixed, even with the gas I bawl like a baby! Its terrible! I hate the dentist... And the drunken dude that did my root canal root canaled the wrong tooth also... grrr! Benefits of living in po dunk south dakota... At least theres a different dentist to fix it though.

Im glad yours went so nicely! I would make sure to stay on top of the pain and not let it become over powering! I hope you heal swiftly and am sure you will since you have such an awesome dentist!

strange_wings · Apr 28, 2008

I bet the dry mouth is the problem.

There is other stuff for that, it's a common problem so obviously other companies will try to make money marketing stuff for it. You need the saliva in your mouth at night because it actually has some antibacterial properties - so brushing and rinsing more won't help with that issue.

My dry mouth really only happens if I get too cold or too warm in my sleep, it makes my nose stuff up (which I recently learned is another vasomotor issue...interesting) so I open my mouth to breathe.

Originally Posted by glitch

Ohh I hate root canals, Im glad yours is over, I had one in october and he didn't even put in a temporary filling or anything! He kept getting a bigger drill to take the root out and there was tons of blood! Didn't help that he was 3 sheets to the wind either, but I turned him in for that! Now I have a big gapinng whole in my front tooth on the back and I wont go to him again, so the new dentist is going to give me some kind of medicine to take before I go to get it fixed, even with the gas I bawl like a baby! Its terrible! I hate the dentist... And the drunken dude that did my root canal root canaled the wrong tooth also... grrr! Benefits of living in po dunk south dakota... At least theres a different dentist to fix it though.

OMG!

Was there any disciplinary action taken against him at all? I would be out to get his license taken away... and depending on how long it's been since your tooth was ruined like that - sue.

theimp98 · Apr 28, 2008

glad you are during better nikki

catsknowme · Apr 28, 2008

Glad that all went well and that the endodontist found the problem

marianjela · Apr 28, 2008

I've had a root canal done before, and dont remember much pain from the actual procedure. They numb you up pretty well. I do remember the sensitivity test they gave me to try and figure out where the pain was stemming from. Ice, hot water, etc.

My problems with root canals are with the crowns that follow. They end up breaking off and you end up with a hole in your mouth until (if) you get it fixed again.

I recently had a crown break eating popcorn (broke in a movie theater). It didnt hurt or anything because there is no nerve there anymore, but I didnt go to the dentist to to have it fixed right away - which I ended up paying for.

My gum was getting agitated and ended up swelling through the hole in my tooth. I had a HUGE bubble of gum in the middle of my tooth. Took 3 days on antibiotics for it to go down.

I used to have strong teeth when I was younger, but 5 kids and 10 years of depression meds later and my teeth are not what they used to be.

I have heard of pain in your mouth traveling and not stemming from where you think. It is really strange!

Glad your RC went well and you have your soft food to help you recover!

natalie_ca · Apr 28, 2008

Originally Posted by Marianjela

I recently had a crown break eating popcorn

Wow! What material did they make your crown out of? Mine are made out of gold with a porcelin overlay.

My very back molar on the upper right has a very deep cavity. So deep in fact that there is no tooth on the outside at all. However, the nerve and root are healthy.

When I went to the dentist to have it pulled, he refused because the internal tooth below the gum was still good. So he built me a whole new tooth out of filling. I've had to have it replaced once because it worsened. Then I had it replaced again to get rid of the mercury fillings and have white ones put in.

The tooth does need to have a crown, but I'm not working and while I have dental coverage that will pay 50% of the cost, I can't afford my 50% of it right now. So my dentist and I have been nursing it. I now chew on the left side so I don't put undue stress on the tooth/filling. Hopefully later this year I'll be able to get the crown.

I go for a cleaning next month. So hopefully the checkup will be good and show "no cavities" again...well no cavities beyond what I have that are filled.

marianjela · Apr 28, 2008

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

Wow! What material did they make your crown out of? Mine are made out of gold with a porcelain overlay.

I actually dont know what it was made out of, but it wasnt the actual crown that broke - it was the bond between my the crown and my tooth that failed. The crown and stem holding my crown in came out in one piece!

rubsluts'mommy · Apr 28, 2008

Originally Posted by StarryEyedTiGeR

Weird thing is he said that the tooth there needed a root canal, not the bottom one

He explained that even though i didn't feel any pain on the top tooth- the nerve was causing pain on the bottom tooth. (he explained it a lot better than i'm doing

) Anyways- once he did the root canal on the top tooth- the pain on the bottom one is essentially gone at the moment! How weird/cool is that!

(i mainly HATE the drilling noises, so that kinda made me crazy, but other than that- it didn't really hurt.)

I've had a few RC's done... and this is what my dentist at the time explained: there's a root ball in your jaw, where it hinges, and the pain signal from one tooth goes right to that root ball and travels... it can even travel further up and cause some nasty headaches... which is what happened to be before my first RC.

As for the sounds... I cna handle the drill... what makes me cringe is the cracking sound... of course, maybe that was from them removing material for the crowns... I've had sooooo much dental work done on my mouth... including one summer (yes, I said one) where I had 17 fillings done... in batches... they did my left side, then my right side, then the front. I'd just returned to the family dentist from a kids dentist (his predecessor sent me to a kids dentist because I bit him... he deserved it

). That kids dentist had essentially ignored a LOT of problems in my mouth... grrrr.

My dental problems stem from thin enamel. I brush, I do all that (except flossing, I use a waterpik... after the braces, my teeth are now crammed together, so it's hard to get floss in between)... but I still have problems. My current dentist (whom I LOVE... she's awesome) told me about the enamel thing... I'd love normal enamel...

I'd ask about the density of your enamel...

Glad things went well... I'm overdue for a visit... and I see at least one RC in my near future... at least my meager dental insurance will cover it now that I'm in my second year of coverage...

Amanda

starryeyedtiger · Apr 28, 2008

Ok so quick question for you guys with crowns. How bad to they hurt

I think i'm traumatized enough today after the emergency root canal....i'm totally not looking foward to getting a filling/crown on that tooth! (and getting 3 other fillings soon too). How much do the crowns hurt when they fix them? I heard that they fill the tooth then file down the tooth to a taper and put a temporary crown on while they make the real crown. Is it painful? Is the root canal worse than the crown pain wise?

natalie_ca · Apr 28, 2008

Originally Posted by StarryEyedTiGeR

Ok so quick question for you guys with crowns. How bad to they hurt

They don't hurt at all. You probably won't even get any freezing when it's done because they've removed the nerve from the tooth and the nerve is what allows the sensation of pain.

Did the Endondist take a mould of your teeth? If not then your dentist will do that. That's yucky but not painful. They just stick some plaster/rubber goop in a tray and stick it in your mouth for a minute or two until it firms up and then remove it. That mould is sent to a lab where they create the crown tooth so that they can get the same shape as your original one.

Then the next visit you go and he grinds down your tooth and then cements the crown into the socket.

KittenKrazy · Apr 29, 2008

Glad to hear that it went well! As far as crowns go, they're not too bad, just the yukky stuff when you get the impression made......especially if they gas you, mind you, I think I'm addicted to that blasted gas, I even make them give it to me when they clean mine.....it actually cuts down on both my nerves and my gag reflex.

Every once in a blue moon, the adhesive will fail (it is just glue, you know) but all that you have to do is get it stuck back on by your dentist .....knock on wood, I"ve never knocked one off like that, but my mom did.

gailc · Apr 29, 2008

I concur on the crown. They whole procedure goes pretty easy but I am one of those extreme people who don't mind dental visits and if a filling needs to be replaced I don't have any novacaine either. (I mentally talk to myself during the procedures!!)
You just have to be a bit carefully when the temp crown is put on as it can come off pretty easy.

starryeyedtiger · Apr 29, 2008

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

They don't hurt at all. You probably won't even get any freezing when it's done because they've removed the nerve from the tooth and the nerve is what allows the sensation of pain.

Did the Endondist take a mould of your teeth? If not then your dentist will do that. That's yucky but not painful. They just stick some plaster/rubber goop in a tray and stick it in your mouth for a minute or two until it firms up and then remove it. That mould is sent to a lab where they create the crown tooth so that they can get the same shape as your original one.

Then the next visit you go and he grinds down your tooth and then cements the crown into the socket.

Thank you Linda

I appreciate the details so i know what to expect!

The endodonist didn't take a mold yesterday, so i'm guessing my regular dentist will do that at my next appointment. I just got off the phone with the office- i'm all set to go in and get the first part of my crown done on the 13th. Then 2-3 weeks after that i'll have my perm. crown put on. I've had molds done before when i've gone through braces and retainers and night guards- so yucky as it tastes, i'm ok with it for a little while so that won't bother me too much i don't think.

From what i understand, they will grind my tooth down into a taper shape? Is that right? That will likely be the part i like the least (just for me the sound is AWEFUL) i'll definitely bring my ipod with me to try and distract myself lol

Found out a bit more bad news this morning though when i talked with the dentist office- my new dental insurance only covers $1000 970 something yesterday to get my root canal (but i paid several hundred towards it - about 20% plus extra out of pocket for the gas) so i've got about $272 left of dental insurance for the entire year -so after that little amount is used up- i'm stuck paying the rest of the crown and my other 3 fillings out of pocket! Yikes! It's managable though- i'm just glad they covered the root canal though- that's soo pricy!

Looks like the dentist is going to be getting my paychecks for the next few weeks

Originally Posted by KittenKrazy

Glad to hear that it went well! As far as crowns go, they're not too bad, just the yukky stuff when you get the impression made......especially if they gas you, mind you, I think I'm addicted to that blasted gas, I even make them give it to me when they clean mine.....it actually cuts down on both my nerves and my gag reflex.

Every once in a blue moon, the adhesive will fail (it is just glue, you know) but all that you have to do is get it stuck back on by your dentist .....knock on wood, I"ve never knocked one off like that, but my mom did.

The adhesive from the root canal's temp. filling or the adhesive from the temp crown?

Originally Posted by GailC

I concur on the crown. They whole procedure goes pretty easy but I am one of those extreme people who don't mind dental visits and if a filling needs to be replaced I don't have any novacaine either. (I mentally talk to myself during the procedures!!)
You just have to be a bit carefully when the temp crown is put on as it can come off pretty easy.

Oh man, i'm not! I feel EVERYTHING. My teeth are normally super sensative - they have to put the topical numbing stuff on all my teeth just to clean them without them hurting most times and i scrub up with the Sensodyne toothpaste 2x a day to help with the sensitivity.

I'll definitely be careful with the temp crown. I went last night to the grocery store to stock up on soft foods.

natalie_ca · Apr 29, 2008

Your tooth is essentially dead. They've removed the nerve, so you have no pain sensation in that tooth.

If you were to leave it as it is and not get the crown, the tooth would eventually turn a dark grey colour. That's the reason for a crown.

They grind the tooth into a post-like shape and then cement the crown to your tooth. The crown goes in below the gum line and looks just like your own tooth.

I do recommend that if you want your teeth to be "white", that you whiten them before you go for a crown, because they base the crown colour on the colour of your teeth at the time they take the mould. And crowns don't bleach, so if you bleach after, your crown will remain the same colour as it was when it was put in.

starryeyedtiger · Apr 29, 2008

Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

Your tooth is essentially dead. They've removed the nerve, so you have no pain sensation in that tooth.

If you were to leave it as it is and not get the crown, the tooth would eventually turn a dark grey colour. That's the reason for a crown.

They grind the tooth into a post-like shape and then cement the crown to your tooth. The crown goes in below the gum line and looks just like your own tooth.

I do recommend that if you want your teeth to be "white", that you whiten them before you go for a crown, because they base the crown colour on the colour of your teeth at the time they take the mould. And crowns don't bleach, so if you bleach after, your crown will remain the same colour as it was when it was put in.

Thank you Linda!

I appreciate the tip on the whitening! I will definitely use a few crest white strips before i go in in for the crown then!

Today i'm still pretty sore in the gum area and if i accidently press my tooth down it's aweful, but the dull throbbing pain i had before the root canal is gone (since the nerve is taken care of now) and that is just SOOO awesome! I appreciate the description on what they'll do to my tooth when i go in- it helps my nerves a bit when i know what they're going to do ahead of time.

This afternoon my best friend picked me up and took me to get some soup for lunch and then tonight my mom stopped by with some homemade veggie soup so i think i'm all souped out

They're too sweet though! I've just been resting up today and trying not to talk too much and keep ice on my face (it's a little swollen.)

starryeyedtiger · May 5, 2008

Well, i think i have an infection in the tooth i had a root canal on last week

My dentist is getting me in tomorrow so i guess i'll know then. He said that the endodonist should have given me an antibiotic, so chances are i probably do have an infection with the kind of pain/etc at the moment in that area of my mouth (it shouldn't be hurting). My regular dentist had a cancellation tomorrow so he was able to get me in earlier than the appointment they had origionally scheduled me for- so he's going to cheek the tooth i had a root canal on tomorrow and go ahead and fit me for a temp crown and take impressions for the permanent one. I'm totally freaked out about tomorrow.

I'm thinking i need a break from all this dental stuff!

laureen227 · May 5, 2008

Originally Posted by KittenKrazy

Every once in a blue moon, the adhesive will fail (it is just glue, you know) but all that you have to do is get it stuck back on by your dentist .....knock on wood, I"ve never knocked one off like that, but my mom did.

i currently have 2 crowns. one [the oldest] is stainless steel. it's way back in the molar area, lower jaw - so it doesn't show. i've pulled it off twice - once w/a jolly rancher & once w/a candy apple. i'm careful, now!

the other is nearer the front, & is porcelain. it was matched at the time, & is now whiter than the surrounding teeth. i wanted another stainless one [after all, i've had the 1st for over 20 years] but they said those were only for deciduous teeth

anyway, i've had little other problems... but i rarely mind dental visits, anyway.

starryeyedtiger · May 6, 2008

I think i've decided on titanium with a porcelin overlay. I'm allergic to gold and nickle and palladium and a few other materials have too much negative feedback for my comfort level, so titanum it is most likely.

In the mean time though my mouth is still hurting a bit (in the surrounding area) so i go my dentist is going to get me started on antibiotics as well because he thinks i might have an infection.

I was going to whiten my teeth before i get the crown matched and all- but they're just sooo darn sensitive right now (they're sensitive anyways, but i've got 3 other teeth that need to be repaired) i can't even be bothered to bleach them.

starryeyedtiger · May 6, 2008

Well, i'm back from the dentist. I've got the temp. crown on now and i'll be going back for my permanent one in a few weeks. It wasn't as bad as i thought it would be- but it was a bit uncomfortable though.

I'm going back to the dentist tomorrow for two fillings that i need. Geesh, i can't catch a break this month

I'm really sick of going to the dentist lol! (so is my wallet

) Thankfully though i do have a really nice dentist that i feel comfortable around.

And funny though too- my dental hygenist/assistant (not sure what she is) adopted a dog from our shelter a few weeks ago! I recognized her when i saw her- she actually took one of my favorite pups! So that made me feel great knowing she got a good home with a really nice family!

natalie_ca · May 6, 2008

Glad it wasn't so bad!

I absolutely love to go to the dentist!! I have an appointment on the 27th to get a cleaning, and I simply can't wait!

I've had the majority of my fillings done without freezeing actually.

My front top tooth was so damaged that the nerve was essentially dead so the root canal and crown were down without freezing. There was no pain of any kind.

I needed a small filling behind each of my eye teeth, and those were done without freezing. It took less than 1 minute to drill each cavity, and the pain was no more than what you feel if you have a tooth sensitive to cold. The pain stopped immediately when the drilling stopped. And it was a whole lot less painful than having spending the rest of the day with freezing working it's way out.

I had 2 smaller cavities on a back tooth filled. The dentist that I have now caters to cowards, and looked at me like I was from Mars when I asked him how long it would take to drill and he said about 1 to 2 minutes, and I said "Then don't bother to freeze it".

I just told him to be on the look out for my foot to wiggle which was a signal to stop and give me a break. So it took about 2 minutes. I wiggled my foot 2 or 3 times. And it was done.

I've had a couple of large fillings on back teeth that were deep and required lots of drilling, so I had freezing for those.

My dentist loves when I go because I'm one of his few clients that actually likes to go there. I tend to fall asleep in the chair, regardless of what is being done...cleaning, drilling, filling...it doesn't matter

May have to get an emergency root canal today

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