this post was submitted on 10 Oct 2024
91 points (100.0% liked)

Asklemmy

43614 readers
1173 users here now

A loosely moderated place to ask open-ended questions

Search asklemmy πŸ”

If your post meets the following criteria, it's welcome here!

  1. Open-ended question
  2. Not offensive: at this point, we do not have the bandwidth to moderate overtly political discussions. Assume best intent and be excellent to each other.
  3. Not regarding using or support for Lemmy: context, see the list of support communities and tools for finding communities below
  4. Not ad nauseam inducing: please make sure it is a question that would be new to most members
  5. An actual topic of discussion

Looking for support?

Looking for a community?

~Icon~ ~by~ ~@Double_A@discuss.tchncs.de~

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 

I just learnt a sore tooth of mine is caused by my tooth root never fully closing (due to getting braces and shifting my teeth around). Now at 30 I need a root canal.

I’ve never even had a cavity before. I’m legit terrified. Teeth are the one thing that are much worse than nails on chalkboard for me.

How was your experience been? Any words of advice or words of encouragement? I could use it :(

(page 2) 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] Boomkop3@reddthat.com 4 points 1 week ago (5 children)

Yep, mine got infected on a trip the usa, food hygiene there isn't what I'm used to. I was considering ripping my own teeth out, over the counter pain killers didn't help one bit.

It was a horrible experience

[–] PerogiBoi@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

That sounds horrible! How did you resolve it?

[–] Boomkop3@reddthat.com 3 points 1 week ago

I called my dentist, and got my appointment scheduled to the next morning

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] 2ugly2live@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

I've had one and I am straight up terrified of needles in general. The only thing that hurt me was the initial needle. I won't lie, getting a shot in the roof of the mouth is not a good time, but literally everywhere else is on par, if not less than a regular needle. I don't know how to explain it, but it's less resistance, and a good dentist will numb along the way. Also, let your dentist know. You're not the only one who finds it scary. They'll do what they can to make it comfortable. And if it's long, they usually let you wear headphones. It's not a spa by any means, but once you get the injection (which I promise is not bad), that's it. Hard parts done. And you'll sleep great that night because it'll be all over. πŸ‘ŒπŸΎ

[–] over_clox@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

As long as its done by a qualified professional with proper anesthesia, you should be fine.

Do consult a professional though, every situation is different, and we're generally not professionals around here.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] BrokenGlepnir@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago (3 children)

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.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] Alice@beehaw.org 3 points 1 week ago

The worst part in my experience was actually getting numbed. You can't see the needle going in so a lot of people with needle phobias won't have any problem, but for me the feeling of a needle is repulsive. After that it was smooth sailing, just a bit boring.

The pop culture reputation of dentists as literal torturers is pretty outdated. Medicine has improved a lot in a short amount of time. Just look up reviews before picking your dentist, and don't cheap out if you can help it.

[–] Dorkyd68@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Just get the gas! It's very affordable and very relaxing i did mine without the gas and it still wasn't too bad

[–] PerogiBoi@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Where I live doesn’t have a lot of specialists so I’ll probably need to rent an Airbnb or something in the next major city to be able to get gas.

[–] Dorkyd68@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Bummer. Good luck!!

[–] SorteKanin@feddit.dk 3 points 1 week ago

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 :)

[–] INHALE_VEGETABLES@aussie.zone 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Good luck kid your gonna need it

[–] PerogiBoi@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 week ago
[–] ta_leadran_orm@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

I've had two in the past, had my third just three days ago, my gums are still a little raw. My most recent root canal was on a hyper-sensitive tooth, so there was initially some pain, but once the dentist applied another couple of doses of anesthetic, it was painless, basically a more prolonged filling. The only thing I'd add is that my dentist recommended ibuprofen for after the anesthetic wears off, since there may be some pain, I'd second that recommendation since your gums will be sore for a few days

[–] CrabAndBroom@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

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.

[–] PerogiBoi@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 week ago

I had 4 wisdom teeth extracted at the same time when I was younger so I’m really relieved to know it won’t be anywhere like that. πŸ₯²

[–] POTOOOOOOOO@reddthat.com 2 points 1 week ago (5 children)

Had some. Not bad. The worst part is the numbing. It doesn't hurt, it just feels strange and tastes bitter. Some advice, don't take laxatives before the procedure. You'll be fine.

load more comments (5 replies)
[–] Nemo@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 week ago

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

[–] Elorie@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (2 children)

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?

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 week ago

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.

[–] lordnikon@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

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

[–] PerogiBoi@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Gosh that sounds horrible. It’s my front tooth and I don’t need a cap apparently. Lucky that the facilities were close by.

[–] lordnikon@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (4 children)

mine was a root canal after i had my crown but still its not bad if you find a good dentist its mostly their sound and vibration you feel. Get a dentist that has TV is a plus they give you headphones and you can just zone out. Three episodes of star trek ds9 and I was done.

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] NauticalNoodle@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

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.

load more comments
view more: β€Ή prev next β€Ί