ProudGrandma Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 remember when I asked here about my daughter's tooth that she bonked...well, the tooth is starting to turn grey and the dentist said that means she will probably need a root canal...but having not had the procedure done myself, I know NOTHING about it. Can someone here tell me what we can expect....things that I need to know about...pros or cons...etc. THANKS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osmosis Mom Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 How old is the child and is it a permanent tooth? Otherwise I would probably pull it instead of trying to salvage it with a certain amount of pain and discomfort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted January 7, 2012 Author Share Posted January 7, 2012 she is 11 and the tooth is a permanent tooth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osmosis Mom Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 I have had a root canal done a couple of times. It was a longish procedure, but I don't recall it being painful actually. I think these days there are pediatric dentist who are really good at working with kids so I would do it and not worry too much for her. They will numb her up and she will probably be watching tv or something during the procedure. You have to go back for a follow up visit, but is was not too bad. I would not worry or stress. My dd 18 months recently had a front tooth removed and I was just thankful that we got it dome and that her pain would be done with. I held her for tthose five ten minutes, screaming her head off. I think the root canal would be less traumatizing by far, if that gives you comfort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 (edited) 2dd had to have a root canal when she was four. baby teeth have SHORT roots, so it is actually much easier for a young child than an adult. I don't remember many details, but it wasn't a big deal for her. eta: we did the canal because it was going to be so long before the permanent tooth came in, and the dentist was very worried about how pulling it would affect spacing. she did have to have it pulled when she was six (new abscess), and it was two more years before the permanent tooth came in. which tooth is it, and what are your options? I personally, don't consider it a big deal - especially compared to going to an oral surgeon and having impacted wisdom teeth extracted. (btdt X3 - or X4 if I count myself. 2dd had hers in when she was told they had to come out - so the dentist just pulled them.) Edited January 7, 2012 by gardenmom5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted January 7, 2012 Author Share Posted January 7, 2012 it is one of the front top teeth. I guess maybe the sound of the procedure is worse than the actual procedure, huh?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tressa Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 My son was 10 when he fell off his bike and broke his front tooth. He had to have a root canal because his nerve was exposed. He was very brave and I did not go back with him. I think he had a good endodontist, but he did cry a bit at the injection and then was fine. Root canals are uncomfortable because you have to keep your mouth open a long time, but the procedure itself doesn't hurt after the initial numbing. She will be sore for a few days after too. She will have to have a crown some day if you do opt for the root canal. They put a veneer on my son's tooth to hold him over until after braces and after he was done growing. He is 17 now and will be getting his crown this year. My son had to walk around for a couple of weeks with a broken tooth. He had several people tell him that their front teeth were fake. It surprised me how many people have broken their front teeth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennsmile Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 I have had 2 root canals. They numb the area and drill a hole then take fine little files and scrape out the tooth inside. Then a temporary filling is placed to give the tooth time to heal and make sure all the infection has been removed. The follow up care is usually a crown, within a year months. It was nice as I was able to wait on the one crown till insurance flipped as I had 2 root canals in year. The other thing is some dentists refer out. My first one did. When I called the recommended place they couldn't give me an estimate over the phone but wanted to charge me to come in and get an evaluation. I called my children's dentist and she was more than than happy to get me in and take care of it. (She is general dentist and does all ages while my prior dentist only took adults.) I got the estimates upfront so I knew my part. Often insurance covers a portion, mine was 50%. So it can be pricey. Then you have the crown which costs about as much. But once it is in place it is like a regular tooth you floss and take care of it the same. I found out after wards that you can get decorations imbeded in the crown and that might be fun for your daughter as they put it tooth side so only she would know it is there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Both of my older two boys have banged front teeth that subsequently turned gray, and in both cases the dentists (different ones) said that a root canal was not yet necessary and that we should wait but watch carefully. My DS6's tooth actually turned back to white, which according to the dentist is not unheard of but very unusual; DS3's tooth has remained gray but not caused any problems, and it has been nearly a year. I would ask why, specifically, the dentist thinks that something has to be done to the tooth right now instead of just leaving it alone. There may well be a good answer (I'm certainly no dentist) but just IME, gray baby tooth does not necessarily = having to do anything about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted January 7, 2012 Author Share Posted January 7, 2012 Both of my older two boys have banged front teeth that subsequently turned gray, and in both cases the dentists (different ones) said that a root canal was not yet necessary and that we should wait but watch carefully. My DS6's tooth actually turned back to white, which according to the dentist is not unheard of but very unusual; DS3's tooth has remained gray but not caused any problems, and it has been nearly a year. I would ask why, specifically, the dentist thinks that something has to be done to the tooth right now instead of just leaving it alone. There may well be a good answer (I'm certainly no dentist) but just IME, gray baby tooth does not necessarily = having to do anything about it. it is NOT a baby tooth. The dentist said they will look at it and probably x-ray it to see what is going on, but that a root canal is probably in the near future. If it was a baby tooth, I wouldn't be worried and I would just leave it alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tressa Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 I would definitely have it looked at to see how the nerve is fairing. Sometimes nerves can be fine for a long, long time and other times they get cranky and have to be removed. An endodontist can x-ray it and see if the nerve is angry. You really do not want to deal with a nerve that decides to get belligerent. There are also noninvasive tests they can do to see if the nerve is dead or alive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauracolumbus Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 I would definitely have it looked at to see how the nerve is fairing. Sometimes nerves can be fine for a long, long time and other times they get cranky and have to be removed. An endodontist can x-ray it and see if the nerve is angry. You really do not want to deal with a nerve that decides to get belligerent. There are also noninvasive tests they can do to see if the nerve is dead or alive. DD just broke her two front teeth at a waterpark this summer and we're still dealing with it. They are her permanent teeth and she's in the middle of a root canal with them (her earlier baby tooth got bumped, turned grey, then turned back to white). This is a different story. At first they wanted to try an experimental treatment where they can regrow the root (we're at our children's hospital and attached to a large research university hospital). However, it involved an extra step and dd hasn't been dealing well with it. She had a reaction to the local anesthetic and had to get an IV. The hardest part has been her severe fear of needles--she had to get stitches on her forehead and that was just plain awful--I almost passed out. I think the actual root canal would not be that difficult if your ds is ok w/shots. Like a pp remarked that is typically the hardest part--the other difficulty is sitting w/your mouth clamped open for an extended time. This part didn't phase my dd at all. Just the shot. Good luck. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 I've had several root canals. It's not painful....just long and boring. And my jaw does ache a bit from keeping my mouth open for so long. And it will probably be easier since it is a front tooth. The dentist is not having to reach into the back of the mouth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamakim Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 I'm glad you asked about this - an older daughter's front tooth is supposedly dying/dead, too, and they're recommending a root canal, BUT I'm so freaked out about the connection between root canals and later breast cancer :-(. Don't know what to do about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 I'm glad you asked about this - an older daughter's front tooth is supposedly dying/dead, too, and they're recommending a root canal, BUT I'm so freaked out about the connection between root canals and later breast cancer :-(. Don't know what to do about it. This is the first I've ever heard about there possibly being a link between root canals and breast cancer. Have any links I can check out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennsmile Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 This is the first I've ever heard about there possibly being a link between root canals and breast cancer. Have any links I can check out? :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamakim Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 This is the first I've ever heard about there possibly being a link between root canals and breast cancer. Have any links I can check out? Yeah, I'd heard about it some time back but ignored this until dd's tooth started discoloring and I looked it up. Still researching, but this is where I'm starting (and really not finding much on either side): http://naturaldentistry.us/1224/can-root-canals-cause-breast-cancer/ http://www.new-cancer-treatments.org/Articles/RootCanals.html How I would love to read evidence to the contrary! There don't seem to be very good alternatives to root canal :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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