Lets Talk Root Canals!

I had to get a root canal last year. The worst part was the huge needle for the anesthetic. Once that was done (and there were two, so gross) it was easy-peasy. Except for how she rubbed sores onto my upper and lower lip. But I had so much pain before the root canal, afterwards was easy, didn't feel anything once the numbness wore off. I went back to work afterwards.

The tooth that I had it on had a crown already, so I just had to go in a week later to my real dentist and have him put some kind of crown filling in it.

Have had several. Walked out of the office and resumed what I was doing
I never had any pain with mine. Just takes time. I would do one at a time though. Good luck n try to relax. Really not bad at all.

I had one done and like you, was very scared! It's not that bad. Not fun, but not the nightmare I've heard people say it is. I think with anything it depends on the dentist, get a crappy dentist have a crappy experience; good dentist good experience. I suggest researching to make sure you go to a good one.

I was fine later that day. I had pain meds but by the second or third day I just used otc. I didn't miss any extra days of work, only the day of.

I have a big fear of the dentist. So when I heard i was going to have to have a root canal, I too freaked like you are. Afterwards, I wondered what all the fuss is about. Root canals are really no different that a filling except for the fact that they take longer, theres a lot more tools in and out of your mouth and they use a device that holds your mouth open, but thats not horrible just makes your jaw tired after a while. I didn't need anything but Novocain and felt no pain. Afterwards, you don't have any more discomfort than you would if you got a regular filling. If you're really anxious about the procedure, you could take music with you so you don't have to listen to the drills, etc. I think you should do both at the same time and just get it over with. That way you're done and don't have to think about it any longer. You won't need any special pain meds. Good luck and relax. you'll be just fine :)

I had one last year and no ill effects. The only place my mouth hurt was at the injection site.

I can't see anyone's answers for some reason, so sorry if this is a repeat! Most important thing to remember: TAKE IBUPROFEN. Pain pills do nothing to help the pain. Absolutely NOTHING. I tried Percocet and Vicodin and it did zero; Ibuprofen every 4-6 hrs and the pain was completely gone. I had my root canal last year and it was a drag. 7 long appointments. My dentist broke off part of his metal appliance in my tooth and I had to go to an endodontist to try to get it out, which he couldn't. So now I have a metal appliance tip permanently cemented in the canal. I remember the first part you have had done was a snap for me, and the rest not so much. But I don't know if my experience was typical because of the appliance debacle. Just remember to ask for lots of Novocain if you need it (sometimes it would start to wear off on me in the middle of things) and ask your dentist if it's ok to take some of your ibuprofen at the beginning of the procedure. Believe me, you will need it. Do NOT do both root canals at once. They probably wouldn't even let you if they have any sense in their head. I remember my dentist though telling me that a root canal was far worse if you came in already in pain. I didn't even know I had an issue until I had my teeth cleaned and he did a set of full x-rays.It wasn't bad in some ways, but awful in others (like I am claustrophobic so I hate the little rubber dam they use to cover your face!) I wish you good luck!!

Pain killers...use them!

As long as you have a good dentist, it shouldn't be too bad. I've had 2 done and recovery was barely 24 hrs.

I just had my 1st one last month. It wasn't horrible, I was scared too. It took 2 separate visits of about 1.5 to 2 hours each. Not sure if that is normal or excessive. Even though it would be a long time in the chair...I would probably try to do both at once just minimize the # of visits.

For me the worst part was the holding my jaw open that long. My mouth is small and the rubber piece they used to hold my mouth open was big. My jaw ached quite a bit after a while. I had to ask to give my jaw a rest a couple of times. There was some tooth pain after the 1st visit and the numbing wore off BUT I had a bad tooth ache when I went in and attributed the pain to that. The pain subsided significantly within 24 hours and all is well now.

There is only one way to go with root canals, in my opinion. General anesthesia. I am a total coward with teeth pain. I had one root canal while I was pregnant so had to do it with only novocaine. NEVER AGAIN. I had my second done a couple of months ago with general and I will never do anything else. It is expensive, but frankly it's the only way my butt gets in that chair for a root canal! Seriously, if there is any way you can afford it, get the drugs.
Afterwards is sore, but not bad at all, and they will give you pain meds.

Yes but it was over 10 years ago and I'm sure things have changed some. I was there maybe 2 hours and wasn't sore at all the next day nor did my mouth hurt once I was given novacaine. I did feel a little pain when he first started so I told him to stop and give me more novacaine, which he did. I have sensitive teeth as well.

I would trust your dentist, get started and see how it goes, you may feel fine to do both at the same time. If he offers pain medication, take it whether you think you'll need it or not, so you're prepared if it is painful the next day.

Good choice on deciding to keep the teeth! You'll be fine!

I've had two.
They're not that bad-honestly.
It's more the time involved.
Each of mine was 2 visits the return for the crown.
If you can block out a lot of time, why not?
Definitely get the molars crowned. Root canals weaken the tooth & you could end up losing them in the end. And THAT would be a Shane after investing all of that time & money!
Good luck!

If your two molars are right next to each other, then the dentist will be able to do both at the same time. If they are on two different quadrants (i.e top or bottom, or left and right) he will not numb two separate quads in the same appointment. At the time it doesn't hurt, obviously the injection hurts a little, but not too bad. The worst thing about a root canal, is the amount of time you need to keep your mouth open, and that is where I get most of my pain after one - in my TMJ. For a root canal they will drill out all the decay, then they use tiny files to file out the actual roots of your teeth, accurate radiographs are needed so that they use the correct length of file, so they don't punch through the apex of your tooth into the bone. A lot of the time the dentist will take a radiograph during the procedure to make sure he is in the right place. the roots are then filled with gutta percha, which is a rubbery substance and this will fill the empty space in your root. A crown is then put on, usually a temporary for the time being, then a permanent later on after everything has settled down. There is usually not too much pain, but my dentist always prescribes a few hydrocodeine pills to be safe.

I've had a few root canals. The longest time I was there (for only 1 of them) was 3 hours long! I can't imagine doing more than one at a time. Yes, it was pretty painful. I did take some motrin before the numbness wore off and I was sore for a few days, but after that I was fine. Good luck!

I've had two of them, although one was done in two parts, so it seemed like three. It wasn't nearly as bad as I expected it to be. I had my husband take me to the first one and that turned out to be unneccessary. They were annoying and inconvenient, but not painful. I think it's really important to go to a specialist and not a regular dentist. I think that really made mine much easier. One of mine was tricky and my regular dentist didn't even want to try. I don't think I would want to do two at once.

I have had 2, not at the same time. I think the shot for the numbing hurts more than the root canal itself. It's uncomfortable, not so much painful. 2 done at the same time on different sides of your mouth, sounds like it will be hard to eat, since they will be sensitive. I would do them at different times but I go to the dentist quite often and am quite good as far as pain goes. Good luck, better to get it done then lose the teeth!

The dentist can perscribe xanex for you to take before the procedure. I highly recommend it. Will help keep you calmer. Can't do 2 root canals in one sitting. Each is a long procedure and your jaw gets really sore just from keeping your mouth open that long. They have things they put in mouth to help with that step. The person can also perscribe pain pills for after. I also highly recommend those. Get them and if you don't need them, great. But if you do, its good to have them there.
Good luck!

I had three root canal done before and with one tooth I had it done twice over the years. Ask your dentist if you can have both done at the same time but that means you will be there for a while. It needs two visits per root canal, they can't finish it in one appointment. You don't feel pain since you will be numbed but it's just tiring you have prop your mouth open for a long time. I don't remember being in pain after and I don't think I took any painkillers after either.

Good luck.

I just read through your responses and some people said NO you can't do more than one at a time, well, I'm hear to say YES, you can because I had FIVE done at once....yes, FIVE....I don't recommend it, however....they are done in two appointments, as has been mentioned...it's a two-part deal...because you have to come back...the first appointment they prep the tooth...then put a temporary on and do a "mold, or impression" of your tooth" then the second appointment they put the crown on the tooth. My mouth was very sore having that many done at once. I don't think dentists in the USA would do that many at once, but I had them done in Mexico and they'll do them that way there. They gave me a prescription to take for infection (just in case) and for pain but all was fine, I just had a sore mouth having had five done at once! lol :) I'd never do that many again, but I just wanted to get it all done and taken care of so I didn't have to drag out the whole thing...ha

They're not as bad as you have heard. Had one a year ago, and it was sore for a day, and that's it. Dr. gave me a prescription for the pain and I only had to take 1 pill. In my case, I went in for the initial procedure, then went back to finish. Two visits. Make sure they numb you good. My doctor kept asking constantly if I could feel anything and he waited awhile before he began to make sure it was all good. My mouth was swollen afterward for several hours, so it made it hard to drink or eat. Other than that, it wasn't bad at all.

Good luck!

Typically, the dentist only likes to work on one side of the mouth at a time because of the numbing. You don't want your whole mouth numb at the same time.
I've had them, it's not that big of a deal. You're numb, so you don't feel it. And no pain afterwards.
Good luck.

I've had a couple. They need to get into the roots and pull out all the stuff from inside there. One of them took longer than the other. They had to do X-rays in the middle to see if they got all the stuff out. Once done, they will have to fill back in the tooth. See if you can get a white (porcelain) filling if you want it to look like regular teeth.

They numb you up so that shot kind of hurts although nowadays they will put a topical numbing agent on your gums to help with the shot part.

I don't recall having terrible pain but there was some discomfort afterwards. I tend to chew on the other side for a few days after any dental procedure (fillings, crowns, root canals) so I couldn't say exactly when it come better.

I have TMJ issues so my jaw was sore from keeping it open for so long. Ibuprofin or something similar will help.

They may optionally offer to put something in your mouth to help keep it open during the procedure. I usually decline because I have a strong gag reflex.

On one of mine they ended up putting this thing in my mouth around the tooth they were working on to help keep my tongue out of the way. It was both good and annoying. Annoying because there is this extra thing in your mouth. Good because I felt more comfortable about being able to swallow whenever I wanted because I knew my tongue wouldn't be bothering the work area.

I had one take long enough that they needed to give me another novacaine shot midway through the procedure. The other time that didn't happen.

I recommend hitting the restroom before you start. I tense up during the procedure even though it doesn't hurt with the novacaine so by the end, I really have to pee.

Good Luck.