I got my braces off a few weeks ago. I am wearing a hawley retainer on top and bottom. I have a tooth that has been giving me a horrible fit, it's tooth number 31. (On the bottom right hand side, last tooth)
I went to the dentist yesterday, he said that I needed a root canal, they told me the cost, and because I was in so much pain, I asked him to go ahead and proceed with the root canal hoping for some relief. Well he was not able to get me numb at all, I could feel everything that he did. After trying to drill 3 times and giving me about 8 shots, he told me that I needed to take antibiotics & pain meds and he referred me to an endodontist.
I have an appointment with the endodontist tomorrow at 2:30PM to do the root canal, they will give me gas to do it. However, I just talked with a dental assistant from their office this morning and she says that there's a good possibility that I could feel everything that I felt yesterday if the infection has not cleared up. I don't want to go thru that again, it was terrible. I have been in pain since Friday of last week.
My debate now is, should I call the oral surgeon who removed my wisdom teeth and have him pull this tooth and get me out of pain, or should I go ahead with the root canal tomorrow (that will take two appointments) and have a crown put on my tooth?
Any help is REALLY appreciated!!
Not really a treatment question, but I need help!
Moderator: bbsadmin
I agree with KK. Pulled is permanent. Gone is gone. Then you get to deal with the gapping hole.
Try to survive and get the infection down. I'd doubt if the oral surgeon would want to pull it if you had an infection going on.
Mike
Try to survive and get the infection down. I'd doubt if the oral surgeon would want to pull it if you had an infection going on.
Mike
I wore braces (this time) for 1294 days or 3 years, 6 months and 17 days.
But who's counting?
Jaw Surgery June 1, 2009
Thanks for praying for me and thinking happy thoughts.
But who's counting?
Jaw Surgery June 1, 2009
Thanks for praying for me and thinking happy thoughts.
Hi Tasha,
I had a root canal done by my dentist about 1 year ago and it did not go well and I ended up going to an endodontist to get it redone. The first time I went to the endodontist, he did some xrays and put me on an antibotic to clear up the infection. The next appt he packed the canal with medication gave me more antibiotics and told me do not chew anything on that side. That was left there for about 5 weeks then I went back and he finished the root canal, put in a temporary filling in my crown and told me to go as soon as I could to my dentist to get a permanent filling. For me I was willing to try everything to save the tooth. The infection was very hard to clear and I was on pain meds for a long time since the pain was so bad. My endodontist was very good about talking with me. I called him several times and he was very good at listening to my concerns/complaints. You should call and ask to talk to him. Mine was very good about explaining things to me, even going so far to explain that there was the possibility that he would not be able to get everything and I would need to see an oral surgeon to have the roots cut.
Good luck getting it fixed.
C.
I had a root canal done by my dentist about 1 year ago and it did not go well and I ended up going to an endodontist to get it redone. The first time I went to the endodontist, he did some xrays and put me on an antibotic to clear up the infection. The next appt he packed the canal with medication gave me more antibiotics and told me do not chew anything on that side. That was left there for about 5 weeks then I went back and he finished the root canal, put in a temporary filling in my crown and told me to go as soon as I could to my dentist to get a permanent filling. For me I was willing to try everything to save the tooth. The infection was very hard to clear and I was on pain meds for a long time since the pain was so bad. My endodontist was very good about talking with me. I called him several times and he was very good at listening to my concerns/complaints. You should call and ask to talk to him. Mine was very good about explaining things to me, even going so far to explain that there was the possibility that he would not be able to get everything and I would need to see an oral surgeon to have the roots cut.
Good luck getting it fixed.
C.
When infection is present it creates an acidic environment. Local Anesthetic is useless in a case like this for profound anesthesia. Thus the reason you were feeling pain. Often times you can drill slowly and in the case of a "hot tooth" you can slowly access the pulp chamber. Once you do there is an instant pressure relief as the infection has a place to go. Then you can usually get the patient comfortable enough to get them out of pain. But then there of cases where you just cannot get a patient comfortable so proceeding with treatment is useless. That is when you prescribe pain medication and antibiotics if there is an infection present. I typically like the patient to take AB's for a week before retrying anything and it is important that you take all AB's. Are you still in pain? If you decide to have the tooth extracted, realize that the OS will also need to get you numb in order to extract a tooth. I wouldn't go that route, but that is my opinion.
So in conclusion, if you are not out of pain after taking AB and pain meds then you need to go back asap to get the infection under control (whether that is different meds or an I&D who knows). But there is a good chance that if you are out of pain now you will be able to achieve profound anesthesia later this week. Good Luck.
Best,
Rory
So in conclusion, if you are not out of pain after taking AB and pain meds then you need to go back asap to get the infection under control (whether that is different meds or an I&D who knows). But there is a good chance that if you are out of pain now you will be able to achieve profound anesthesia later this week. Good Luck.
Best,
Rory
I had a root canal that was started by dentist (on a back upper molar). Turned out 2 of the roots were calcified so I had to go to an endodontist. I found the endondontist to be a much better experience. It seems to me they have slightly different tools and they deal with "bad" root canal problems all the time. I was numb for both so I can't speak to whether you'd would feel anything but I can say, I was much more comfortable with the endodontist (except my portion of the bill was higher because his cost was higher....hahaha). I would agree, don't pull the tooth!!!!
Gooooooooood morning guys. So I have been on antibiotics since Monday. I take two tablespoons daily (I can't swallow big pills). I am taking Amoxicillin 250MG and I'm also taking Tylenol 3 with Codine. I'd have to say that I am not in as much pain as I was over the weekend so I am hopeful that today will go okay.
My appointment with the endodontist is at 2:30PM. I hope that he will do x-rays to see if the infection has cleared up and then proceed very cautiously. I will express my concerns to him before hand though. They have also decided to give me gas because I tend to be a little high strung as my ex likes to say. I get nervous and shakey when it comes to dental procedures. I remember being the same way when I had my wisdom teeth removed. I have never had gas before, will I be able to tell them if it hurts or will I even feel the pain??
My jaw hurts a little, I haven't had to take any pain medicine this morning. I think my jaw hurts because the dentist ended up giving me several shots to try and numb the area.
I'm a little apprehensive because I don't feel like 2 days if enough time for the infection to clear up, however, I'm really not in much pain. As a matter of fact, I went to work yesterday half a day, my jaw was pretty sore afterwards because I talk on the phone constantly and I am also going to work today up until 1:30 or so.
Thanks yall for the help. I am really really scared if you can't tell. I feel like a 23 year old (big) baby because I'm just really that scared, but hopefully it will all be over with today!
My appointment with the endodontist is at 2:30PM. I hope that he will do x-rays to see if the infection has cleared up and then proceed very cautiously. I will express my concerns to him before hand though. They have also decided to give me gas because I tend to be a little high strung as my ex likes to say. I get nervous and shakey when it comes to dental procedures. I remember being the same way when I had my wisdom teeth removed. I have never had gas before, will I be able to tell them if it hurts or will I even feel the pain??
My jaw hurts a little, I haven't had to take any pain medicine this morning. I think my jaw hurts because the dentist ended up giving me several shots to try and numb the area.
I'm a little apprehensive because I don't feel like 2 days if enough time for the infection to clear up, however, I'm really not in much pain. As a matter of fact, I went to work yesterday half a day, my jaw was pretty sore afterwards because I talk on the phone constantly and I am also going to work today up until 1:30 or so.
Thanks yall for the help. I am really really scared if you can't tell. I feel like a 23 year old (big) baby because I'm just really that scared, but hopefully it will all be over with today!
Tasha, the antibiotics will not clear up the infection. You have an infection in or around the tooth. Antibiotics will lower the bacterial count but will never likely clear up the infection entirely, thus the reason for the RCT. It is promising that you are feeling better and not in need of pain meds. If you are temporarily asymptomatic then you will likely be able to get numb. There is no need to take a radiograph to see if the infection is cleared because it has not. But they will likely take one as a pre-op baseline and also to get the working length and look for the number and shape of the canals (your general likely didn't send you with a radiograph). You will be fully anesthetized and comfortable so just relax, it makes everyone's job SO much easier, especially yours.
Meryaten's comment about the tooth drifting is true. Teeth tend to drift out of the socket and towards the midline. But you typically have a neighbor in front of it and opposing it to keep it in its place. If nothing opposes the tooth it will supra-erupt. There are all sorts of problems for teeth that drift and supra-erupt so just don't put yourself in that position.
Adam, a "Hot tooth" is a generic term for a tooth with an active acute infection in the area that prevents the patient from gaining profound anesthesia. In laymen's terms you don't get numb and treatment (RCT, extraction, drilling, etc) would only cause pain and duress.
Hope that helps,
Rory
Meryaten's comment about the tooth drifting is true. Teeth tend to drift out of the socket and towards the midline. But you typically have a neighbor in front of it and opposing it to keep it in its place. If nothing opposes the tooth it will supra-erupt. There are all sorts of problems for teeth that drift and supra-erupt so just don't put yourself in that position.
Adam, a "Hot tooth" is a generic term for a tooth with an active acute infection in the area that prevents the patient from gaining profound anesthesia. In laymen's terms you don't get numb and treatment (RCT, extraction, drilling, etc) would only cause pain and duress.
Hope that helps,
Rory
Thank you Rory for the encouragement. I just came home from work because I started feeling bad. I'm extremely shakey from not being able to eat. I called the office this morning to verify if it was alright for me to eat and the assistant said no, she thought it would be best if I only had liquids. I wish now that they would have made a morning appointment, but that's okay.
I'm still very apprehensive because it's my understanding that I won't be fully anesthetized, they're only planning on giving me gas which I've never had, they will not do general anesthesia which is disappointing. It will all be over soon though, or at least I hope it will.
Thanks guys for your help and if I feel up to it later on, I will let you know how it goes!
I'm still very apprehensive because it's my understanding that I won't be fully anesthetized, they're only planning on giving me gas which I've never had, they will not do general anesthesia which is disappointing. It will all be over soon though, or at least I hope it will.
Thanks guys for your help and if I feel up to it later on, I will let you know how it goes!
Try to relax. Really. It will be okay. You're just going to try again today, and it will either go painlessly or you can take some more antibiotics and try again later.
The gas is great. You can still feel pain, but it really calms you down and makes you not really care about what's happening. You sort of go tingly and feel floaty and your whole body feels numb and buzzy and sounds seem far away. If you just go with it, you can sort of close your eyes and really get lost. But you are still totally aware of everything that is going on. You can understand what people are saying and answer them. And you will be able to tell them if it hurts and have them stop. But it will totally help with the anxiety, and if there is just a little bit of discomfort that you have to get through, it will help a lot with that.
One thing to remember with the gas is that the mask only goes over your nose. So you are in control of how much you are getting. If you breathe through your mouth, you won't be getting any. So remember to breathe through your nose. Or, if you start to feel really out of it and want less, take a few breaths through your mouth.
You could also consider taking some music and headphones with you to help distract you.
Good luck. Let us know how it goes!
The gas is great. You can still feel pain, but it really calms you down and makes you not really care about what's happening. You sort of go tingly and feel floaty and your whole body feels numb and buzzy and sounds seem far away. If you just go with it, you can sort of close your eyes and really get lost. But you are still totally aware of everything that is going on. You can understand what people are saying and answer them. And you will be able to tell them if it hurts and have them stop. But it will totally help with the anxiety, and if there is just a little bit of discomfort that you have to get through, it will help a lot with that.
One thing to remember with the gas is that the mask only goes over your nose. So you are in control of how much you are getting. If you breathe through your mouth, you won't be getting any. So remember to breathe through your nose. Or, if you start to feel really out of it and want less, take a few breaths through your mouth.
You could also consider taking some music and headphones with you to help distract you.
Good luck. Let us know how it goes!
Not really a treatment question, but I need help! Update
Well I am VERY happy to say that today was wonderful. The endodontist that I went to was absolutely AWESOME. I have never had a better experience in the dental chair before, sad huh lol. They didn't even have to use the gas. I expressed my concerns about pain and he was like honey you will not feel anything, the worst part is the numbing shots and everything else is a breeze. That was the truth! It was really really easy. I had to hold my mouth open for what felt like forever, but that was okay. Come to find out, we graduated from the same high school. He graduated 21 years ago and I graduated 6 years ago this year, we had some of the same teachers.
Anyways, all in all it was great. He gave me lortab for pain, but I haven't had to take it, I feel pretty good.
Happy V-day and thanks for all the wonderful calming comments!
Anyways, all in all it was great. He gave me lortab for pain, but I haven't had to take it, I feel pretty good.
Happy V-day and thanks for all the wonderful calming comments!
