Asklemmy

I've had good dentists that have kept me mostly pain free. Hope you have the same. For me, it's mostly about tolerating the amount of stuff put into my mouth at once, which can be uncomfortable. But it's not too bad. You'll be fine I'm sure :)

I used to have really bad dentist anxiety, so my teeth got pretty bad before I finally saw someone. My dentist prescribed some kind of twilight drug before my procedures, so I could still respond to commands, but I'd have no memory of the event. I've had two root canals and the surgeon had me use the same drugs for both procedures. I don't know if that's a viable option, but I don't think I could have done them without.

Otherwise, when you go in for your consult, be honest about your anxiety. If you don't want to hear the details of the procedure, tell them that. They have to inform you of risks, but they don't have to go into detail about the procedure. I brought in headphones, which helped me calm down until the drugs kicked in, though, oddly, I can remember the music I woke up to and not much else. I was so scared in the days leading up to the first procedure, but the pain relief was so great that I'm glad I did it. If nothing else, focus on that.

As far as fearing pain: I got drugged up enough as I assume most did that you can’t feel a whole lot—& we aren’t talking anything beyond local anesthesia + strong paracetamol (just make sure you take something before bed or GG sleep). I will never get used to getting needles in gums tho.

If possible, seriously try to get a one-shot appointment. Mine had 5 1-hour visits every 2 weeks (not what I expected or would have signed up for) & each time they would spend like 15–20 minutes of that clearing out & reapplying a temporary resin. In this state your tooth is quite compromised state. My tooth ended up getting a fissure all along it after the penultimate visit—which ended up being irrepairable. Which meant they had to do an entire extraction for an implant wasting more money & time. I do not wish this on anyone.

Adding fuel to the shit fire was after visit 3 I had massive pain on the other side. They were going to start a root canal on that one too but I begged for a temporary filling (was supposed to hold up 2 months but has been a year) so I could still eat. Tooth 18 was under repair so I had moved all chewing to 31 as my mouth favors putting a majority of pressure on these 2 molars. I don’t think I could have reasonable eaten anything enjoyable for months if both sides were out.

Of note: the root canal isn’t like a finalized thing either. They seem to inevitably, eventually break down & will likely require an implant anyways in a few years. When my right side goes out—which it is—I may just consider doing another implant there too since it can be done in just 2 visits here.

I used to get cavities filled without numbing, until I was 22 and needed a root canal. They make you get numbed and I haven't gone back when getting work done. I don't think the tooth pain is bad, and if you feel tooth pain, let them know. It should be completely shut down. The most uncomfortable part is really having your mouth kept open if they do it right. The light in your eyes too, but you can close your eyes. Also the vibrations sometimes make my nose hairs tickle. All that should be worse than the pain.

had ones done with a local only was not that bad just be careful with that you eat as you don't feel it as much if something is stuck downstairs there like a seed or chip. years later had something stuck didn't know it and snapped the screw and lost the tooth without ever feeling it. bended up having to have the tooth pulled and getting a implant for way more money.

Even had the tooth pulled with only a local was not that bad my jaw hurt from holding my mouth open than the tooth than the tooth itself

Had one.

• it's okay to be apprehensive
• use a reputable clinic - Dr Nick will give you PTSD
• it's gonna cost a bit. Ensure you have insurance or a healthy bank situation. It's like us$2k here all-in but we can get it back from taxes.
• it's a long process and there is weird stuff going on. Listen to the practiced pros and warn them you're a noob. They'll understand and ideally warn you which ooky thing is happening next so at least it's not a surprise.
• sometimes the temporary cap pops out if you have one while waiting for the permanent one. As long as you can bring it in to the office, they'll glue it back in in 2 minutes. You want them to glue it back in.

After a period of time you will be totally unaware of it as anything other than a tooth. It's not expected to fall out, split, or receive coded messages.

Breathe.

I had one, from a tooth that got damaged with braces as a teenager. It finally got to the point in my 40s that it hurt all the time and couldn't be saved. My dentist suggested the root canal. Like you, I was scared.

I didn't need to be scared. It barely hurt after - in 48 hours it was like it never happened. During the procedure (maybe 75 minutes total?) they had really good pain blocks. My advise is to let them know your fear. Good dentists/endodontists expect it and have ways to help you.

If you've been in pain from this for a while, you have already been feeling the worst of it. It'll be so much better afterwards. Really!

They will likely fit you with a temporary crown to protect the remaining tooth until a proper crown is ready. Most of the pain will be from your irritated gums after the procedure, which will ache. Root canals terminate the damaged tooth nerves, so you may need to relearn how to chew on that tooth a bit. But did I mention it won't hurt?

I had half of one. It fixed the pain, never went back to get the other half done.

I literally had one on Friday! Long story short: mine was nowhere near as bad as I was expecting.

I had a wisdom tooth removed a couple of years ago and that sucked but it was bearable - it hurt for about two weeks, but Tylenol made it manageable. So I was expecting something along the same lines here. The actual procedure itself was fine - the scraping out of the inside of the tooth is a weird sensation, but not painful 'cause they freeze you up. Then afterwards, once the freezing wore off it hurt for about three hours and I was expecting it to suck for a while. But I had a Tylenol and a nap, and when I woke up it wasn't hurting at all and it's been fine ever since.

Other people have told me that they had pain for a week or so, so your mileage may vary, but yeah for me it was literally just a few hours of discomfort and then back to normal. Nowhere near as big a deal as I thought it was going to be.

I've had two. If there's an infection and the dentist get's a person on antibiotics several days beforehand, then the procedure has a pretty limited amount of pain. Usually less pain than a typical filling. As others have pointed out, the local anesthetic shots are often the gardest parts which aren't that bad. Don't avoid the local anesthetic. If you need more, speak up. Basically, if you can handle a few seconds of being pinched then a root canal is no problem. There are also bad dentists out there.

It's not all that bad. Ever done body work on a car with bondo fill, grinding, drilling, and sanding? It smells, sounds, and vibrates just like that, but in your mouth. The drugs will work, unless you take drugs like weed recreationally. Go ahead and tell the dentist this because you will need more than normal. Follow all the dentist instructions, especially about icing afterwards and taking ibuprofen (not for the pain, but to reduce inflammation), even if you feel okay. The worst part for me was always how sore my jaw was just from holding it open so long. Don't try to go to work afterwards, it'll just interfere with your aftercare of ice to the jaw. Besides, you'll just end up drooling on yourself. It's not so bad really. You'll be fine.

My nerves were dead in that tooth. They died before the appointment date. All the pain from the toothache disappeared. The doctor did the root canal without anesthesia and i didn't feel a thing. Also because i went to a specialist it was far more professional than a cavity at my main doctor. Two thumbs up

My dentist had to break apart a wisdom tooth and remove it in pieces. They also had to drill and fill cavities in nearby teeth.

They gave me a shots in that area to numb. They did a bit of testing before doing to work to make sure I was sufficiently numb. It didn’t hurt much, but there was some pinching that didn’t feel awesome.

The worst part for me was the pushing, pulling, and vibration of the tools in your mouth. It doesn’t feel natural and it made my skin crawl. I didn’t like the sound either. I recommend earbuds.

Afterwards, I had no pain at all. They gave me hydrocodone to take but I honestly didn’t even need ibuprofen. That isn’t the experience of most people, I’m told. I’m very lucky.

Aside from the headphones, my best tip is to visit a dentist that you feel comfortable with. Tell them up front, that you’re feeling anxious and any worries you have. A good dentist will do their best to explain the process clearly and do what they can to ease the pain.

The worst thing of the root canal for me was that they had a hard time getting the numbing agent where it needed to go, so they used a lot, so half my face was numb for the rest of the day. So I looked really weird when eating/drinking/speaking/smiling.

Yep