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may I just say a root canal w/o pain relief is


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)^&(*^%%^&%%*(()()!!!!!!!!!!

 

just saying.

 

got 4 shots to finally get me numb enough to tolorate things only to find that 1/2 way thru they stopped working. first was a tingle, then a cold sensation, then a zinger, then (*&*&^%^&$%^$#%! for the next hour and some. he kept giving more shots but they just weren't doing anything.

 

I've got a splitting headache, feel like someone hit me upside the head with a bat, my eyes are red from silent tears, and I'm so nauseated.

 

but hey... couldn't been worse.

 

next time I swear they are just going to have to pull the tooth, because I'm never, ever doing a root canal again.

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My endodontist did the coolest thing for my latest root canal (yeah, I have cr@p teeth...): he put a shot of anesthesia IN my tooth.

 

As in, he drilled my tooth open to the pulp, and then literally shot anesthesia into the center of the tooth.

 

I could have kissed him.

 

This was a long-term problem tooth that had had a lot of work done on it. It turned out that it had a "fourth" root branching off the regular "third" root, and the bit of nerve up there was causing all of the pain.

 

It is now completely, utterly, dead, and I am so happy.

 

As an aside, infected tissue will not anesthetize under any circumstances. If your tooth has gone to abscess, the only way to deal with it w/o pain is by being knocked out.

 

 

a

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My dd chipped a tooth about 6 months ago. The dentist filled it and said to watch it. About 2 months later, it started to hurt some. We took her back to dentist, and he sent us to a specialist. Specialist did a root canal, on my 9 year old, without any premeds or knocking her out. They gave her some gas, then shots. When they started, she could feel it and started to cry. They gave her another shot. The could still feel it after 3 or 4 shots. She gave up and just dealt with it! She said it hurt, but she just wanted to get it over with. I felt so bad for her.

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Thats horrible. I would try another dentist.

 

My dentist knows I have no dental insurance and I needed 4 root canals. I put it off until it was so bad I took every leftover prescription pain medicine in my cabinet. For the first one he could have skipped numbing my mouth I was in such a daze.

 

I never had a problem with any of them. The worst thing I could say was they were long, boring and expensive (and he gives me a discount!).

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I have a horid anxiety about dentists. I grew up with a dentist who could never get me properly numbed. I didn't know that there wasn't supposed to be pain involved.

 

At this point, I can't do anything without gas. I still have mini anxiety attacks throughout where I'll start shaking and crying. I'm almost to the point where they are going to have to start giving me a valium. If it wouldn't complicate driving to and from the dentist, I'd already be taking them.

 

And part of my dentists' routine is to say, "You're in control. Let us know if you need anything or if anything feels wrong." THAT gets me through the procedure.

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As in, he drilled my tooth open to the pulp, and then literally shot anesthesia into the center of the tooth.

 

 

yeah

did that

nada

just made me want to puke

 

ETA: I've never been even remotely scared of dentists

really barely even bothered by going

until these root canals.

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Maybe you had the dentist that did my root canal. What was supposed to take 2 trips took four or five (I've blocked it out:glare:)! He kept saying that I had the tiniest nerves/roots he had ever seen and was having trouble getting them all. Personally, I think he gave up, because I still feel sensations in that tooth. I am now terrified of dentists and all things dental.

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next time I swear they are just going to have to pull the tooth, because I'm never, ever doing a root canal again.

 

Why didn't the dentist stop and take care of the pain management? I'm just curious, because I had a root canal about 3 months ago, and my endo asked me about 100 times if I could feel anything. At one point, I could, and he stopped and gave me more shots of novacaine - I ended up with about 20 shots of novacaine -- it was the back molar on the bottom, right next to the bone, and I guess it is notoriously difficult to numb that area totally.

 

I'm SOOOO sorry. That is horrendous.

 

But seriously, find another dentist. That isn't acceptable pain management.

 

I hope they gave you instructions for ibuprofin dosing - you really need to get on it and smack it down. Did they give you follow-up care advice? Seriously, the pain is not going to ease up, it's going to get worse, and peak about day 10. You may not feel throbbing pressure, but the pain will come with any biting in that area. Keep on the ibuprofin. Viva la Motrin!

Edited by BikeBookBread
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:iagree: with Stephanie. The post root canal pain was worse than post c-section (and I'm not exaggerating!) It turned out that my dentist forgot to give me the dosing schedule for Ibuprofen and Naproxen Sodium and WOW!!! I have never felt pain that bad! Vicodin helped but not enough. I finally went back and another dentist asked if I'd been taking the OTC meds on schedule. What a difference I and NS make. You have to take much more than you normally would for a headache, but they kept the pain completely manageable.

 

Good luck with the recovery!

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he would stop when I said I could feel it and give another shot

but it just didn't seem to help

or it would briefly

the repeat the nothing, nothing, cold, zinger, oh ______ !

and I'm breastfeeding exclusively

so taking high doses of meds isn't an option

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But seriously, find another dentist. That isn't acceptable pain management.

 

Ditto that. I am world's toughest dental patient- I metabolize novocaine so fast its almost useless, so they have to use another -caine. Even that, I need shots every 15 minutes, so they have to speed drill, LOL. I have had root canals (2 and need about, oh, 4 more!!) and had a tooth not get numb. The endodontist just stopped until they could fix it. Meds in the pulp helped, but I needed it several times in the course of the root canal. Shots waaayyyy up high almsot to my darn nose, because a nerve ran up there.

 

I was in serious pain before the root canal, so the tooth was infected, but a course of antibiotics before a root canal can damper the infection and make the tooth more easily numbed. In fact, even with a root canal on a tooth that wasn't in pain yet but needed one, they also gave antibiotics first before doing it. Be sure in the future to ask about this- I thought it was standard practice because opening up an infection like that (drilling a big hole) can spread the infection. You should have had anitbiotics a week prior to the root canal!

 

I just worry that, like me, after a painful experience you will avoid the dentist! I had pain my whole childhood because my dentist never believed I wasn't numb, and it really affected my dental health as an adult. You do NOT have to be in pain, you just don't! There are alternatives, and it is so, so, so wonderful to finally find them, as an adult.

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It's very possible that you had an infection, Novacaine can't take care of that. Been there done that. Next time - if there is one and it's not an emergency ask about a round of antibiotics beforehand. Sorry about the pain, been there done that!:tongue_smilie:

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OMg....I *just* had the same experience on Tuesday! And here is the thing I don't understand...they took the nerve out, right? Then why am I *still* in pain?!? :confused:

 

Here are the 3 thing I learned that day...

 

1. Never trust a dentist when they say, "you won't feel a thing."

 

2. The word "oops" should be omitted from all dentist's vocabulary

 

3. Dental assistants are more thorough at sucking saliva than dentists are

 

 

I hope you get to feeling better soon! :grouphug:

Edited by King Alfred Academy
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I'm so sorry you had that experience! That would just about be my worst fear right there. I'm another difficult to numb patient and they give me three times as much as usual (of lidocaine). It literally wipes me out for the rest of the day (sometimes beyond) to get a dental procedure done.

 

I have had three root canals and have never had any post root canal pain beyond a dull toothache so I truly hope the worst is over for you too.

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he would stop when I said I could feel it and give another shot

but it just didn't seem to help

or it would briefly

the repeat the nothing, nothing, cold, zinger, oh ______ !

and I'm breastfeeding exclusively

so taking high doses of meds isn't an option

 

Ice packs will be your best friend for the next couple of days then. After I had my wisdom teeth out, I slept on them until the ice would melt. Then, it would turn warm, then I would wake up, refill them and go back to sleep. Then I cracked a tooth in college, that was such a nightmare, I won't talk about it, but it made me not go to the dentist for 2 years even for a cleaning (I have good teeth 4 cavities total, 2 filled yesterday :) ) I used ice packs then and it worked too. ANY tooth pain in the family, (my kids are not blessed with my teeth), I give the minimum dose of pain reliever and ice packs. They work wonders.

 

Blessings!

Dorinda

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Y'all...this thread has me in tears. My poor dh has a root canal scheduled for tomorrow morning. I am hurting for him, and want to know what to do to help him when he gets home. Imagine, to get a root canal first thing in the morning and then have to go to work all day long. Poor, poor man.

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Oh ladies I am so sorry some of you have had such terrible dental experiences. :grouphug: I will have to kiss my dentist when I go to finish my crown next month! I have terrible teeth (no matter how much I brush or what I eat) and so far there have been 4 root canals, 3 crowns, 2 apecoectomies, 3 wisdom teeth pulled and one molar pulled and countless fillings. NEVER have I felt anything during, and within 2-3 days I was fine and felt no pain. The only time I needed motrin was after the wisdom teeth were pulled, and that was becasue on got infected.

 

It really is not supposed to be that bad, find another dentist pronto! Seriously, I am a big baby who wanted an epidural BEFORE the contractions started, so this is not coming from someone with a crazy high pain tolorance!

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Oh my gosh!!!! That is horrible! I think I would have probably passed out. That's one of my biggest fears - being able to feeling some drilling or something at the dentist. I've had one root canal in my life (actually, just a few months ago) and it went fine.

 

Ginger, tell your husband not to worry, majority of root canals go just fine. I had a bit of pain after, but nothing that two Motrin could not handle. And my husband, mom, dad, and grandfather have all had root canals done with no pain afterwards. So they do not all go wrong.

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Y'all...this thread has me in tears. My poor dh has a root canal scheduled for tomorrow morning. I am hurting for him, and want to know what to do to help him when he gets home. Imagine, to get a root canal first thing in the morning and then have to go to work all day long. Poor, poor man.

 

Hopefully y'all have a great dentist! It sounds like some people don't numb up as well as others either, but your dh would probably know that by now. I usually get dental things done first thing in the morning and then go about my day just fine. Last week I had a crown prep (basically all of the drilling and the impression), and then I picked up my kids and took them to their activities and no one knew I had spent the morning being drilled on and I felt fine.

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When my sister has dental work done, the shots don't do anything for her. She always feels whatever they're doing.

 

When she had her wisdom teeth surgically removed (general anesthesia), she woke up partway through, and they had to put her back under.

 

When she had surgery on her foot (local anesthesia), she felt it all.

 

Nothing works for her, at least not for long.

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YOu need to find a dentist who will test you with other anesthetics. Novacaine and lidocaine don't work on me. I have to have other things like carbocaine or injectable benadryl. Ler me describe my experiences as a child. Having teeth pulled where they first gave mne shots that hurt and then pulled the teeth with no anesthesia. Then as a newly married wife I ripped my fingernail half off. They needed to sew it back in place. They gave me four shots and I said enough since the shots were very painful and weren't doing anything. Then for years I had cavities filled with no anesthesia even tried since it didn't work for me. Finally one blesssed dentist listened to my story and tried carbocaine. No more pain for me.

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)^&(*^%%^&%%*(()()!!!!!!!!!!

 

just saying.

 

got 4 shots to finally get me numb enough to tolorate things only to find that 1/2 way thru they stopped working. first was a tingle, then a cold sensation, then a zinger, then (*&*&^%^&$%^$#%! for the next hour and some. he kept giving more shots but they just weren't doing anything.

 

I've got a splitting headache, feel like someone hit me upside the head with a bat, my eyes are red from silent tears, and I'm so nauseated.

 

but hey... couldn't been worse.

 

next time I swear they are just going to have to pull the tooth, because I'm never, ever doing a root canal again.

 

Martha,

 

Sounds like you are one of those lucky people who have a certain nerve anatomy that is a bit different from the textbook. The place where the shots are given are not where they will work. I know, because I am like this. It has caused me a lot of trouble over the years.

 

If you can go to a dentist that will use laughing gas for anesthesia in addition to the shots, it will go a lot better. It is better to discuss your options *before* you are in the chair. There are even dentists who can use general anesthesia in a hospital if necessary (we had to do this one time for a major procedure on our toddler).

 

:grouphug:

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YOu need to find a dentist who will test you with other anesthetics. Novacaine and lidocaine don't work on me. I have to have other things like carbocaine or injectable benadryl. Ler me describe my experiences as a child. Having teeth pulled where they first gave mne shots that hurt and then pulled the teeth with no anesthesia. Then as a newly married wife I ripped my fingernail half off. They needed to sew it back in place. They gave me four shots and I said enough since the shots were very painful and weren't doing anything. Then for years I had cavities filled with no anesthesia even tried since it didn't work for me. Finally one blesssed dentist listened to my story and tried carbocaine. No more pain for me.

 

Yep, pretty much my experience, only forget the "getting cavities filled for years with no numbing" part. I just didn't go.;)I don't recommend that, by the way!!

 

MAKE a dentist listen. If they won't go to another. And so on. Seriously, it is SO WORTH IT.

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laughing gas is just annoying and does nothing except make me feel like I have a stuffy nose. a sore stuffy nose. and it's nauseating.

 

I don't have to worry about seeing another dentist.

our insruance runs out the 30th (dh is being layed off work)

so no more dentist for us

 

it wasn't as bad as epidurals and spinal blocks that don't work during back labor

 

but yeah, I'm not eager to do it again.

 

having a nice smile or no tooth pain just isn't as big a payoff as a bouncing baby.

 

advil, lots of advil, is my good friend right now.

still feel like I got hit by a bat, but at least it doesn't feel liek a homerun hit anymore

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:grouphug: Martha...I'm glad you're feeling some better. I have an update on my dh, who had a root canal this morning. Last night I had told him of my concerns and he said not to worry because he was a 'tough guy'. I did anyway. ;) His appointment was at 8:50 and he was in there until 11! He said the dentist was very thorough and explained as he went (I would faint) but that it went very well. I am so thankful.

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