Dental work sucks!!!!

[LyraM45 0]

So, to avoid making this a long story I'll try to sum it up: Didn't really have insurance growing up and through college, and I'm now dealing with fixing years and years of neglect on my teeth. I had the scaling/root planning done on all 4 quadrants the other day, and now I am heading in on the 23rd for a root canal on a dead/abscessed lower molar that got wrecked from the impacted wisdom tooth pushing forward against it. Once the abscessed is clear and the root canal/crown done, I get to have all 4 wisdoms out-- yyyaaaayyyy!!!!

Anybody ever have any trouble with a root canal on an abscessed tooth? I know it won't hurt too much during, but is it really painful afterwards?

Temporary crowns-- I will be stuck with temps on both sides of my mouth, making eating a little difficult, so I am expecting to be on soft foods. Can you chew lightly on them or do they fall apart right away? On top of it being xmas I'll also be on vacation in San Fran while I have the temp.

So... spill all of your root canal and crown experiences. I am afraid of the dentist, but I have some valume to take before hand and I"ll be OK. But I am still afraid of the pain afterwards as I hear it can be REALLY painful if the tooth was already abscessed and hurt really bad before the root canal.

Hopefull you guys will tell me it will be all roses

Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

[LuckyMcSwervy 0]

I haven't been through any of that stuff except having my wisdom teeth out in 2003. All I can say is TAKE ALL THE PAIN MEDS ON TIME, AS PRESCRIBED.

Seriously, I wasn't in a lot of pain (at all) until I missed a dose of Percocet (or something like that) because I thought I could get up and drive to work a couple of days after the surgery. That was the beginning of the pain and I couldn't get rid of it for at least a week.

That's the only advice I can give... I hope it goes well for you!!








TAKE ALL OF THE PAIN MEDS AS PRESCRIBED!! DON'T MISS A DOSE!!

Always be kinder than you feel.

[LyraM45 0]

Hopefully they give me stuff. I've heard horror stories about doc's saying go just go home and take advil. I've never taken a pain pill in my life (mostly because I have trouble swallowing pills period... yes, I admit that I'm a puss about that!) but if I need them I definitely want them. The pain with this abscess has been the worst pain in my life. No amount of advil helps it, and now my jaw is puffy and sore to the touch and I also have an ear ache. I never thought I would say something like this but I almost can't wait to have a root canal!!

Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

[LuckyMcSwervy 0]

Oh chica.... that sucks so bad!! Maybe if you "warn" them you're going to need a pain med script they'll have it ready for you, or maybe you can get it early & have it filled for when you go right home after the surgery?? I don't know... I'm a wuss so I would probably try anything to make that day as easy as possible.

Oh yeah, I also kept those sinus masks in the freezer and kept them on my cheeks so I wouldn't swell too much. It kinda helped.

Always be kinder than you feel.

[nerdgirl 0]

I had an abscessed upper right molar a few years ago due to lack of enamal that required a root canal.

I found -- and others may have differing experiences -- that a root canal was less painful and less annoying in general than just having a cavity filled. It's long. I don't remember any pain afterwards ... other than the cost.

/Marg

Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters.
Tibetan Buddhist saying

[karenmeal 0]

Never had a cavity or anything like that so no clue there.

But- I did have all 4 wisdom teeth extracted at once and it turned out to be a lot of fun!

"Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

[topdocker 0]

Dental work really sucks!!!

I could be out jumping all day, but I gotta deal with some patient who only comes in when they are seriously hurting, brushes with a doughnut, smokes unfiltered Camels nonstop, and had an onion sandwich on his way to get his tooth fixed on Saturday after paging me at the airport. Then complains that it costs so much....

Am I reading this thread wrong??!!

Actually, I really enjoy doing dentistry, even after twenty plus years, I still enjoy the days.

Hope you have a good experience, and remember that you can do more good with a brush and floss than I can do with a drill and scaler!

top

Jump more, post less!

[DrewEckhardt 0]

I can't stand going to dentists.

That causes me more anxiety than free fall jumps from 280', 212' PCA jumps, 5000 square foot landing areas with no outs, and bone transplants from my hip to my tibia.

I feel like I can't breath with all the tools and hands in my mouth, it always hurts, often makes me feel like puking, and it takes hours to be over.

3 times in 18 years is way too often (It'd be zero if I didn't get married and get talked into it by my wife talked me into going). I got gas last time and it sucked less apart from the $150 for 30 minutes.

[MakeItHappen 15]

Quote

So, to avoid making this a long story I'll try to sum it up: Didn't really have insurance growing up and through college, and I'm now dealing with fixing years and years of neglect on my teeth. I had the scaling/root planning done on all 4 quadrants the other day, and now I am heading in on the 23rd for a root canal on a dead/abscessed lower molar that got wrecked from the impacted wisdom tooth pushing forward against it. Once the abscessed is clear and the root canal/crown done, I get to have all 4 wisdoms out-- yyyaaaayyyy!!!!

Anybody ever have any trouble with a root canal on an abscessed tooth? I know it won't hurt too much during, but is it really painful afterwards?

Temporary crowns-- I will be stuck with temps on both sides of my mouth, making eating a little difficult, so I am expecting to be on soft foods. Can you chew lightly on them or do they fall apart right away? On top of it being xmas I'll also be on vacation in San Fran while I have the temp.

So... spill all of your root canal and crown experiences. I am afraid of the dentist, but I have some valume to take before hand and I"ll be OK. But I am still afraid of the pain afterwards as I hear it can be REALLY painful if the tooth was already abscessed and hurt really bad before the root canal.

Hopefull you guys will tell me it will be all roses

You have it backwards. Life without teeth sucks. The dental work makes your life better.
I used to ask for 2 dentist visits for my birthday present when I was a kid.
That was long before all the trauma of teeth being knocked out over and over again.

I have LOTS of experience with dental work.

First, novacaine comes in two flavors nowadays. One is the regular novacaine and the other is spiked with ephnephrine(sp?).
The spiked one acts better and is more localized. I have a sensitivity to it - it keeps me awake for 12 hours.
I always ask for the unspiked version.

Second, pain after root canals is minimal - at least for the ones I've had. I never filled the pain prescriptions. Only took one generic aspirin about once every 12 hours.

Wisdom teeth pulled is mild too, unless it's impacted. I've only had two of them pulled and that was back in college. The dentist kinda OD me w/ novacaine and I fainted when I stood up after he said I could leave. About a half hour later I was fine.

I had a lower molar root canal in 04. It was actually one of TopDock's fillings that cracked during the high altitude jumps in Thailand for the 257-way WR. That one was pretty straightforward. The only pain was during the jumps and the extra time I waited until I got back home to get it fixed.

Another root canal was on a front tooth that was knocked out & re-implanted when I was in 6th grade. I don't remember it being painful - just really weird sensations during the root canal.

My most recent root canal was last Dec on a tooth that holds my 6 tooth bridge in. It was the tooth between the front tooth and incisor. It is a very important tooth because it holds the bridge in. I went to an endodontist for that one, same guy for the 04 RC. It was not painful, scripts not filled or taken. But about 3 months later, it started tingling again. He redid the RC (for free). It still seemed to be infected, but I ate lots of garlic and it became better. Garlic is a natural antibiotic. Today it's fine.

My 3 RC were all related to trauma that the teeth experienced. Teeth that are re-implanted, capped or have broken fillings have a greater chance of needing a RC later on.

The only time I took the pain killers was when my 3-tooth bridge was knocked out. The two good teeth that held the bridge in were broken off and my lower lip was split open by a bad hop softball down third base. That was an ER trip too. I also got my plane ticket to nationals refunded when I went to the travel agent and showed her my mouth without front teeth. I had to go about a month without front teeth. That was not fun. Grocery shopping was a challenge to self-esteem. I finally got a 3 tooth flipper hours before an interview for a teaching position. Since my speech had not corrected itself, I told them that in a day or two I would be able to speak normally. I got the job too.

Temp crowns are not all that bad. In 6th grade I had a cast on my front teeth after they reimplanted the front tooth that was knocked out. I ate cheese sandwiches that were cut into thin slices for a month or so. There were many foods I could not eat when I had the 1-tooth or 3 tooth flipper. To this day I don't eat corn nuts, corn on the cob or apples. I really miss corn on the cob.

.
Make It Happen
Parachute History
DiveMaker

[Misternatural 0]

Dayam!!

thats all I got to say

Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires.
D S #3.1415

[usedtajump 1]

I just finished having a root canal done on a tooth that had to be crowned which makes three root canal/crown jobs i've had total. My experience was the only thing that was painful was the numbing out process because they have to go soooo deep with the injections but it really wasn't unbearable. Afterward, my jaw was sore for a few days, kind'a like if feels after getting a right cross to the jaw. Anyway, the week's worth of oxycodine they gave me afterward made things just about right.

As far as temp. crowns go, you can do pretty much what you do normally but do avoid hard, sticky candy and you might want to avoid eating ice.

The older I get the less I care who I piss off.

[skybytch 259]

Until I got talked into going to see a skydiver who is also a dentist, I hated them and therefore refused to go. Skydiver dentists are cool (if you're anywhere near Reno, Dr Nick Furchner is the MAN - hands down the best dentist ever for those of us who are dentist-phobic!). I'm even looking forward to my next appointment (weird!).

Root canals suck, especially on back molars (too much keeping the mouth open), but the post-op pain probably won't be nearly as bad as what you've already been dealing with from the abscess, and even if it is, it will go away in a few days instead of being a constant issue.

Hot tip - Make someone else drive you there and home so you can take a pain pill before the novacaine wears off (before you leave the dentist office if you can), and take them even if you think you don't need them for the first few days.

Oh yeah, since this is the dorkzone, I must say - did you ask your dentist these questions? Seriously though, if you did and they didn't answer them, or if they don't have time to answer them, find another dentist.

Good on ya for getting it done; I hope your dentist is as slow, patient, careful and awesome as mine!

[LyraM45 0]

Quote

Dental work really sucks!!!

I could be out jumping all day, but I gotta deal with some patient who only comes in when they are seriously hurting, brushes with a doughnut, smokes unfiltered Camels nonstop, and had an onion sandwich on his way to get his tooth fixed on Saturday after paging me at the airport. Then complains that it costs so much....

Am I reading this thread wrong??!!

Actually, I really enjoy doing dentistry, even after twenty plus years, I still enjoy the days.

Hope you have a good experience, and remember that you can do more good with a brush and floss than I can do with a drill and scaler!

top

No... I definitely wasn't that bad with the "brushing with a doughnut and smoking a pack of camels." I did my fare share of partying in college and like I said I didn't have insurance growing up and unless you were about to die, you didn't see a doctor in my family. Now that am out of school and have a grown up job with insurance I am tending to my teeth. So, I'm taking the right steps but unfortunately I have to repair the years of damage first before I get on a normal recall schedule.

Definitely more I can do with a brush and floss. I'm the dental police now! I'm trying to convince everybody to buy the Sonicare Flexcare I just got, and I have a new regiment of flossing every night followed by swish of peroxide. Hopefully I can fight the good fight at home so I am not stuck doing all the painful stuff like I am now!

Definitely take care of your chompers people! Not worth the negatives effects on your overall general health (not just your mouth... whole body effects!) when you can do so much to prevent it!

Edited to add: I DEFINITELY wouldn't eat an onion sandwhich before the dentist..... or smoke camels, or drink sugary stuff (I don't like soda and I eat organic!) I can't leave the house without brushing my teeth, and I even carry those colgate whisps mini tooth brushes with me as well as listerine strips because I would never want to bring the stink on to anybody-- especially the dentist!!

Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

[LyraM45 0]

Quote

Until I got talked into going to see a skydiver who is also a dentist, I hated them and therefore refused to go. Skydiver dentists are cool (if you're anywhere near Reno, Dr Nick Furchner is the MAN - hands down the best dentist ever for those of us who are dentist-phobic!). I'm even looking forward to my next appointment (weird!).

Root canals suck, especially on back molars (too much keeping the mouth open), but the post-op pain probably won't be nearly as bad as what you've already been dealing with from the abscess, and even if it is, it will go away in a few days instead of being a constant issue.

Hot tip - Make someone else drive you there and home so you can take a pain pill before the novacaine wears off (before you leave the dentist office if you can), and take them even if you think you don't need them for the first few days.

Oh yeah, since this is the dorkzone, I must say - did you ask your dentist these questions? Seriously though, if you did and they didn't answer them, or if they don't have time to answer them, find another dentist.

Good on ya for getting it done; I hope your dentist is as slow, patient, careful and awesome as mine!

I've been a dentist-phobe all my life. Well, I'm scared of doctors in general, but after finding this dentist I am seeing now I am TONS better. He's great and very soothing. He numbed my entire mouth, all 4 quadrants, the other day to do the scaling/deep clean and I didn't feel ANY of the needles-- not a one! I am not seeing him for the root canal, so I haven't talked to the specialist yet in person to get the low down and get all these questions answered. I'm mostly just curious of other peoples experiences with root canal/crown because it seems like it varies from what I've read online.

I'm already having somebody drive me to/from the endodontist for the root canal because I'm taking valume before hand.

MakeItHappen: DAMN!!! Hot damn!! OK... anything I have to be nervous or complain about is minute compared to what you have been through. It's just unknown territory to me, but once I go through it I'm sure I'll look back on it and think it wasn't that bad. And you're right-- the dentist doesn't suck compared to not having teeth. That's why I am glad I'm with a good dentist right now and on a 3 month recall schedule to take extra good care of the teeth I have. I'm so sorry you've had to experience all the stuff with your mouth.

Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

[ryoder 1,390]

Oh swell; I went in for a routine 6-month cleaning/checkup at the dentist today;
Came out with a referral to an endodontic specialist.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[hungarianchick 0]

Sorry, I can't relate.
I get my fillings done w/o Novocain and the only thing I took after my wisdom tooth extraction is Advil liqui-gels as needed.
I also had two root canals done which I was prescribed Penicillin only. I got braces at age 24 which were adjusted every two weeks for two and half years. Pain is pain. Narcotics are narcotics. I wouldn't touch them unless I really feel there is a reason to. Dental work is not one of them.

"I love cooking with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food."

[DavidB 0]

Root canals are pretty much painless procedures. I think someone said the worst part was the first shots. That's what my two were: The worst part was the shots to get started. The rest of the procedure was easy enough.

There were no issues with temporary caps either except to stay away from sticky foods/candies. Don't think they will feel "funny" or anything, either. If they're done correctly, after a couple days you'll feel perfectly normal, & when the permanent cap is attached (provided it fits correctly) you shouldn't notice any difference.

Worst part of my first root canal was the specialist, both hands in my mouth, the drill going, looking at his assistant while giving her instructions. Made sure my regular dentist knew how unhappy I was about that, & that I wouldn't go back to that specialist again. Second was done by my dentist's partner, just as painless as before. Full recovery in a couple days, just as before.

Now, wisdom teeth... That's another matter. First one came out while in "the service" so it was a fairly painful procedure with little in the way of pain meds afterward. The other 3 came out about 5 years later. The procedure was less painful, but breaking the one impacted tooth out was "interesting." I didn't follow the after surgery procedures very well & ended up with a "dry socket." All I'll say about that is this: FOLLOW DIRECTIONS TO THE LETTER!!!!!!! If you think an abscess or a cavity hurts...

When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

[guppie01 0]

Dentist's are a necessary evil.

I have a severe phobia of dentist's - my childhood dentist suffocated me.

I can't tolerate the gas - it makes me sick.

I'm terrified of needles - have even had fillings done sans novocain if I see the needle.

5 teeth have had root canals and crowns (3 from trauma) - Endo's are GREAT! Experienced jaw pain afterwards from holding the mouth open. I don't ever recall having any problems with eating on the temporary crowns.

Braces for 5 years... had 8 teeth pulled in the process (shots in front HURT). Adjustments were uncomfortable.

Wisdom teeth pulled - FUCKING HELL! If ya need it, get knocked out!

I have such anxiety when visiting the dentist that I actually take a day off, or schedule the appointment in the afternoon and go home afterwards to relax.

Good luck!
g

"Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?"
Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU
OMG, is she okay?

[skybill 19]

Hi M45,
Like Jan said,"Dental work doesn't suck, not having teeth is what sucks!!" I concur. 'Got a few crowns, a couple of fillings and one bridge. Love em'!! Don't even notice the difference and have had several crowns for 10+ years!!!! I do try to stay away from sweets and "soft drinks!!!" I see my dentist every 6 mos.!!! What gets me is I've heard people say they want to have their "Good Teeth pulled and get Dentures!!!" WTF!!!??! If you gotem' FLOSS EM'!!! GOT TEETH!!

SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

[LyraM45 0]

I wanted to bump this and say thanks to every one who gave me a heads up on what all of my work was going to be like. I'm still waiting on one more permanent crown to come in and my wisdom teeth are coming out on Tuesday. After the suggestions here and from a few other friends I am getting put out, so hopefully that all goes well.

Anywho-- thanks again guys!!

Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)