Root canal

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Geese

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#557301 13-Dec-2011 09:36

I have only been to dentist once since leaving school, and during that visit got 2 wisdom teeth pulled and some drilled. I found the drilling excruciating and yet the 2 wisdom teeth no pain at all during or after. In fact, when he took the first one out he said "done" and I hadn't even felt it come out.

I find just getting a tooth drilled the most painful experience in my life, worse than broken nose, worse than motorcycle accident, worse than being in hit and run, worse than falling off a building onto concrete, worse than falling off back of a truck, worse than being hit in the face with the metal part of a belt swung at high speed, worse than getting hunks of skin cut out here and there from molemap, and the many other accidents I have had.

While at the dentist, he did bag my previous dentist's work. Saying that the crown the previous guy did was a crap job, and was direct cause of 3 fillings I needed that day. Yet that dentist thought that all mouths should have gaps between each tooth and the next, so DRILLED gaps between my teeth! I'm not a dentist or know anything about dentistry, but that to me seemed very strange as it removes the outside layer of the teeth. As a result, within no time my teeth all closed back together as they were, and now my teeth have all gone mangy exactly where he did all the drilling in between. Sigh.

gjm

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#557303 13-Dec-2011 09:38

get that man life insurance ASAP!!!

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crackrdbycracku

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#557319 13-Dec-2011 10:14

I have broken my arm, had my heart broken, ruptured an ear drum diving, had stitches in my face several times without anesthetic but nothing comes close to the pain of tooth ache.

Better to call it tooth excruciating pain from which death would be a sweet release.

Compared to that the actual root canal is nothing.

Also soup is good but you wouldn't want to live on it, take care of the teeth.

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alasta

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#557552 13-Dec-2011 18:07

IlDuce: I find just getting a tooth drilled the most painful experience in my life, worse than broken nose, worse than motorcycle accident, worse than being in hit and run, worse than falling off a building onto concrete, worse than falling off back of a truck, worse than being hit in the face with the metal part of a belt swung at high speed, worse than getting hunks of skin cut out here and there from molemap, and the many other accidents I have had.

That's what local anaesthetic is for. I hope they offered that to you!

To the OP : If you're only 17 then you need to deal with the immediate problem, and then determine what you can do to prevent a recurrence. Previous generations used to regard fillings and other related treatment as a fact of life, but these days with regular dental checks, a good diet and good oral hygiene over the long term you will find that you stand a very good chance of avoiding the cost and aggravation of such treatment.

Klipspringer

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#557893 14-Dec-2011 14:12

Setup a recuring appointment with the hygenist every 6 months, brush and floss twice daily and you will never need fillings or root canal treatments.

AGarry

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#563573 1-Jan-2012 19:27

Hi just wondering SBiddle if you can give the name of your endodontist. I am in Wellington. I have to have my root canals redone and the price I was quoted seemed very high - 2500. The only reason I am having them re done is because they are my front teeth and I had them bleached but it did not take. Apparently it may be because the root canals need redoing. They are 20 years old! Would appreciate any advice/feedback from others who may now about this.

sbiddle

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#563578 1-Jan-2012 19:41

I had mine done by Scott Turner http://www.endodontist.co.nz/

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Technofreak

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#563580 1-Jan-2012 19:55

I had a root canal done as few year ago the biggest pain was in my wallet, I think it cost a little under $1000. In hindsight it was a waste of money as the tooth broke apart a couple of years later and had to be pulled out, though I don't think this would be a normal experience. Fortunately it was a molar so it isn't obvious, just need to plan how I chew some things, not into soup mode yet!

I know a dentist who has great pride in saying that the only pain you experience when you visit him is the pain in your wallet.

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surfisup1000

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#563599 1-Jan-2012 21:39

I had one done around 9 years ago.

It didn't hurt, they put me on some strong drugs.

But , they cut a nerve and the left side of my tongue is permanently semi-numb.

Lizard1977

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#563660 2-Jan-2012 09:40

Technofreak: I had a root canal done as few year ago the biggest pain was in my wallet, I think it cost a little under $1000. In hindsight it was a waste of money as the tooth broke apart a couple of years later and had to be pulled out, though I don't think this would be a normal experience. Fortunately it was a molar so it isn't obvious, just need to plan how I chew some things, not into soup mode yet!

I know a dentist who has great pride in saying that the only pain you experience when you visit him is the pain in your wallet.

I had a root canal done three days before christmas, my third so far. This one, and the last one, were relatively painless (apart from the wallet, though the first one was covered under ACC as it related to an accident). However, I'm interested by your comment about the tooth breaking after a couple of years after the root canal. My dentist explained that when a root canal is performed, they drill deep into the root of the tooth, drilling out the pulp and cleaning it with files, and then fill it up. It's done in several stages though. The first stage involves drilling out the decaying part of the tooth and root, filling it with sterilising agents to clean it, and putting in a temporary filling. A few weeks later, they drill out the temporary filling, check the tooth, and if it's clean, put in a permanent filling. The final stage is to fit a crown. My dentist said this is the most important step, but one that most people ignore because of the cost. The crown, he said, holds the tooth together. The depth of the root canal means that the tooth is weakened and is very easy to split. By putting a crown on the top, it holds the two sides of the tooth together, and means that the tooth has a better chance of lasting a long while. I can testify to this, as the first root canal I had done when I was 12 years old never got capped, and I had endless problems with it. I had to have the tooth repaired in my 20s, and since the crown was fitted, it's been fine.

Back at the start, he explained after he took an X-Ray that it might just need a filling, but once he started drilling, if it needed more, I would need to choose whether to go for a root canal or have it extracted. Extraction is cheaper than a root canal (see cost breakdown below) but he explained that when you extract one of the molars, it loses it's "mate" on the opposite side, which makes it harder to eat, and over time makes the other tooth weaker (as it has nothing to work against). I chose to go for root canal, as the cost in the short term is worth the benefit of being able to eat properly in the long term.

My dentist broke down the costs, which was helpful. The first step, drilling out the root and sterilising it, cost $200. The second step, permanently filling it, costs $550. The third and final step, making and fitting the crown, costs $1200. Total cost = $1950. That's the real pain, but the dentist said a lot people choose to stop at the second stage, which is why they often complain about root canals "not working".

Technofreak

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#563678 2-Jan-2012 10:42

The crown was mentioned but never done, nor was it ever explained what the purpose of the crown was so I never followed up on it. At the time it seemed that it was an extra unnecessary expense.

At the time the root canal was done the option of extraction was discussed but I elected to go with the root canal and the extra cost as I wanted to keep the tooth. So far as I understood the root canal and the crown were two separate things and that one was not required as a consequence of the other. To find this out now is a little annoyinhg to say the least.

Why don't dentists explain what it is they are doing with your teeth?

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Lizard1977

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#563685 2-Jan-2012 11:05

I feel your frustration. The dentist I had when I was younger never really explained anything. My current dentist gets a little preachy because I only ever go when I've got a problem, but he's very good and makes a point of explaining what he's doing and why.

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