I know this is not the place to seek for medical advice, but pretty much nothing scares me more than going to the dentist, so I guess I'm just looking for some encouragement.
I fell down on my bicycle a while ago and messed up my front tooth pretty badly. I've never had root canal treatment before, but now they have to do it to try and save my tooth. This honestly stresses and scares me like hell. To the point that I have trouble sleeping.
To the people that have had it done, is it painful..?
The jab of novocaine is probably the worst of it, and that itself really isn't that bad. And it's worth it because the rest of the procedure will be painless.
I just had one about a year ago (for one of my back molars). While it's not the most pleasant experience, it's a lot better than they used to be. As xanthas mentioned, they do numb you and that took awhile to get right.
Mine was actually broken into two separate appointments, both lasting around an hour (second one wasn't quite as long). It's not so much "painful" as it is "uncomfortable." They have to keep your mouth open pretty wide and it's not the most comfortable feeling (with the equipment they use). The dentist that did my root canal was excellent about asking how I was doing, how I felt, etc. One time, I started choking on some of the water that was sprayed into my mouth (It lodged in my throat and I couldn't swallow it). If you feel any discomfort, don't be afraid to raise your hand and take a break. The dentist and assistant should be fine with that).
Good luck! I don't think a root canal is nearly as bad now as they used to be. Hopefully, yours will go very well.
Thank you, I really appreciate your response. Just the idea of the treatment scares me and I'm afraid that maybe I'll loose my whole tooth. But you just made me feel a whole lot better about my situation.
I recently had a root canal treatment because one of my teeth had died due to some unknown trauma. I was also very nervous because I've never had any serious issue with my teeth before. Besides my eye tearing up and the numbness of the anesthetic, I felt absolutely no pain. I do have to say that the dentist drilled only a small hole to remove dead tissue. Not sure what your problem is and if it could be more painful.
Last week when I was at the dentist, she said to me that my thooth is dead and it needs a root canal treatment. They did a lot stuff to it then, right now I have a temporary tooth and under that they put some medicine that has to be there for awhile before they can start the treatment. To be honest I was kind of shocked with everything that was happening and I guess I still don't unterstand how serious this issue with my tooth is.
Anyway, you said that you had a dead tooth? They saved it, you still have it? Sorry if these questions are stupid.
It was completely dead, but they assured me there was no risk of me losing it. There was a small infection at the root and they had to remove the dead tissue to avoid complications.
But you say you have a temporary tooth? Do you mean they took out your whole tooth, or did part of it break off?