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The original was posted on /r/tifu by /u/tek9cb on 2025-07-02 15:54:36+00:00.
I had been going to a local dentist for years, and was getting increasingly dissatisfied with the level of care. Like, having to return multiple times for incorrectly done fillings, having to fight to get the excess compound removed from between my teeth and from where it was impacting my bite, temperature sensitivity that only appeared after fillings were done, etc. And on top of all that, they stopped accepting my insurance.
So when I moved, I was more than happy to switch dentists and got a great recommendation from a coworker. New dentist uncovers just how badly the old one screwed me.
There was some other stuff, but the worst example was a filling drilled deeper than it should have been and the cavity not adequately cleaned out before the compound was applied, which was causing the temperature sensitivity I had been complaining about. She drilled the old filling out, took some photos of the nastiness under the filling, cleaned me up and refilled, but said long term solution was unfortunately going to be a root canal.
I say unfortunate because it kills the tooth and makes it very prone to cracking or worse down the line, and I'm pretty young to need one (31). She was very open about the risks but still said it was the best option and got the paperwork going for a pre-authorization while I made up my mind.
Skip forward about 5 months of just putting up with the temperature sensitivity as my new normal. Suddenly about a week and a half ago, temperature sensitivity upgrades to constant pain. I start slamming advil, and a tube of orajel is my best friend. It doesn't get better for long enough that I call the dentist and make an emergency appointment, but between calling and actually seeing the doctor, my cheek starts looking suspiciously puffy.
Sure enough, root canal is now critical and I've got an infection. The words "drain" and "abscess" were used.
Well. I was 31 years old when I found out that having an infection makes local anaesthetic less effective.... The area being more acidic than normal messes with the function, apparently. Dentist didn't want to wait for the infection to clear before operating because I was in so much pain.
Topical benzocaine and 3 shots of lidocaine latter, I could still feel a lot of the drilling going on. The feeling of the nerve getting cleaned out is probably the worst pain I've ever experienced in my life. My legs were shaking the whole time and my cheek swelled up to the size of a tennis ball after. It's still (slightly less) swollen two days later and I'm on mega antibiotics for another week.
So yeah, when the insurance company actually agrees with your dentist that something is medically necessary, you should probably just do it.
TL;DR: I needed a root canal but didn't want one, ended up really really needing it 5 months later and having to get it basically without anesthesia :(