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How bad is a root canal? Is it better to get the tooth removed or get the root canal done?
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I’m a 27(F) and I might have to get a root canal done because I have a cracked tooth on my top back molar. I’m terrified. I keep seeing that root canals are toxic, they don’t last. That getting my tooth pulled would be a better option.
What do I do? I’m scared.
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How Root canals work
Main Post: How Root canals work
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ELI5: Why do we do root canals instead of just pulling a tooth?
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I’ve had a tooth that’s been giving me problems for a few years. About 2 years ago, it was so bad, and was radiating to my jaw, I went to a dentist and she recommended a root canal. It went very poorly and she didn’t finish, though she said she did. I got a second opinion and they said I needed it redone, but then insurance wouldn’t cover it. I couldn’t get a crown until it was redone. I spent two years on and off trying to talk to insurance and dentists to get it covered. Buying on my left side, because I had a “temporary filling.” I finally bit the bullet and had the root canal redone by an endodontist last week. He was very good, I think. But now my tooth feels weird, it doesn’t feel right. It’s sort of...itchy, and mild discomfort. I’m worried I’m just going to end up getting it pulled in the end, after spending around $4000 that I didn’t have on it, and a whole lot of pain.
TLDR: Why do we even recommend/try root canals? Why not just pull it? Years of anguish, pain, lopsided chewing, sleepless nights, and painful procedures and recoveries...why? Why is it so important to try to keep the tooth?
Top Comment: Dentures are terrible. They flop around, and the bone shrinks away from lack of teeth, making dentures fit even worse as you age. Upper dentures require adequate bone so they can suction against the palate. Lower dentures just kind of rest on the lower jaw with no actual good way to lock on. As the bone shrinks away (due to lack of teeth, as healthy and clean teeth promote bone to stay) the dentures don't fit as well. Implants are better but they don't have the suspension system (periodontal ligament) to promote bone to stay. So they fit for a while, but as the bone shrinks back over the years you need to replace the crown as the implant gets exposed. Enough bone loss, and your implant fails (this takes a long time, thankfully). That said, while implants stick around longer, they look terrible as the bone recedes around it more than the surrounding teeth. It looks like implants are sinking into the bone while the other teeth are still at the same general esthetic level. This is more pronounced and aggressive in the front teeth region, so front teeth implants ever up esthetically failing sooner than back teeth implants. We have a success rate of about 95% of implants staying in the bone of 10 years (depending on the study you read). However, the esthetics of the implant in the front teeth is only about 95% at 5 years, but by 10 years about 50% of the implants look awful due to the bone loss issue (again depending on the study you read). Implants can also not "take" and require a second or third attempt to be inserted. They can get infected (perimplantitis). They often require bone grafts or the bone to be modified. So, they're not guaranteed to work out just cause you need to replace a missing or failed tooth. Bridges may need to have teeth that didn't need fillings or crowns to be cut to support them. They are also difficult to clean and are basically paying for 3 crowns to replace 1 tooth. There are good in certain situations, but that's a very limited set of scenarios to make a bridge a better option than a single root canal and crown. So, if you have a good root canal and take care of it (crowns on them in the back teeth, floss, brush, and eat a proper diet) it'll last you a long time and still preserve the bone as much as possible. If the root canal tooth fails, you just bought yourself all those years of bone preservation and kicked that implant failure issue down the road. If you can retreat a failed root canal with another one, or possibly snip the tip of the root (called apicoectomy) you just bought yourself several more years with the 2nd root canal. Source: dentist/orthodontist that deals with a lot of adults needing to move teeth around to accommodate new implants and failed implants. I also go through all this discussion when dealing with missing teeth and planning things for kids and adults going through braces/aligners. They need to know what to expect should they decide to plan on future implants to address those missing teeth. Fun fact. We should be able to transplant teeth from one part of your mouth to another to avoid implants on esthetic areas, or even avoid them altogether. This stuff is happening, but not the standard of care yet Edit: another comment I posted on the topic here: https://www.reddit.com/r/askdentists/s/kk7UIaSC0K
What should I expect from a root canal?
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The only dental surgery I’ve ever had was the removal of 4 wisdom teeth which was fine since I was put to sleep but just the recovery part was brutal.
Now I just found out today one of my front tooth is dead and that a root canal is the best method to “save” the tooth so I think I’m going back for the root canal next week.
So what should I expect? Is the initial procedure painful? I’ve never had numbing of just the gums so not sure about that (is it given through a needle directly to the gum?), is the recovery phase difficult, and will I have to go a couple days without eating proper food?
Thank you.
Top Comment: Root canals themselves aren't painful, other than you having your jaw open for an extended period of time. The point of them is the nerve is already dead, but they need to clean that out. You'll be numbed with a couple of injections, don't worry they're not that bad. Generally the root canal will open up the tooth from the bite side, clean out the remains of the nerve and then fill it back in again. In extreme cases you'll get a crown instead of a filling, depends on your tooth and how bad the rest of it is. And the recovery is like any other large filling really. You'll be unable to eat properly that day at least for about 4 hours after, but fine after that. Most painful thing about a root canal is the price as it's often performed by a specialist endodontist. Your dentist may be qualified to do this, many more experienced ones are. I've had several done in my life, they're not the horror story people like to make them out to be. They're just a slightly longer filling procedure.
How bad is a root canal really?
Main Post: How bad is a root canal really?
Top Comment: I had a root canal in tooth #30 so on the exact opposite end of #19 and it wasn't so bad but I think it genuinely depends on the dentist. I avoided the dentist for 10+ years due to a bad widsom teeth surgery. My current dentist is amazing and I did my root canal at a referred endodontist and went back to her for the crown. I did have to get tooth lengthening surgery in between because they took most of my tooth off and there wasnt enough left for the crown to attach to. I got this in Oct 2022. Right now I am dealing with another tooth that needs a root canal and I can honestly say you should get it done ASAP because the pain will get worse. When I did my first root canal I only experienced pain with cold water. For this tooth though I've been experiencing nonstop throbbing pain. Agree with the other comment that it is quite a hassle to keep going back for it. I don't think it will be too noticeable that it's not your natural tooth especially since it's in the back.
Got told yesterday that I, at 26 years old, need a root canal
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Woke up to EXTREME pain in my upper left canine at 3am on Wednesday, thought I just clenched my jaw too hard while I slept but the pain was really strong and didn’t subside. Got an emergency appointment at 8:30am Thursday (yesterday) morning only to be told that I have an infection on a tooth that has NEVER had any problems & that the only solution is a ROOT CANAL!!!
Top Comment: I’m a dentist and that right there is clearly an abscess. Age has nothing to do with needing a root canal. Even kids need it from time to time, it’s just labeled a pulpotomy/pulpectomy. It’s unfortunate that you’re in pain, it’s definitely annoying to have a new pain where there was none. But I dont see a reason to doubt the diagnosis and I feel bad that you don’t feel like you can trust your dentist. I would confirm this with a cbct and treat this. Fortunately with this being a canine, it shouldnt need a crown although you may need to whiten it every few years (internal bleaching, much easier than it sounds, relatively cheap too) As to why you need one, I don’t see decay which means it’s got to be a periodontal abscess (unlikely) or from a trauma-induced fracture (bruxism related). Good luck OP.
How root canal treatment works
Main Post: How root canal treatment works
Top Comment: I've been lucky* enough to have had several of these done. Not exactly fun, but not horrible. You're juiced up pretty good so you can't feel anything. Headphones w/ music helps, particularly if you can get nitrous on top of that, but seems to be more rare since covid for some reason. And generally you're getting it done to relieve some tooth pain, so the relief from that is a big plus.
Anyone here able to calm my nerves over a root canal procedure?
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Got an infection and need to have a root canal done but I’m desperately nervous about the whole process. I’ve heard the recovery is painful. Anyone any experience?
Top Comment: It’s far, far less painful than having an infection, I’ve had an infection in my tooth and it was legitimately the worst pain I’ve had in my life. Hope you’re feeling better soon ❤️
I think I need a root canal, and I feel incredibly guilty.
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I feel so ashamed.
After getting my first root canal about a year ago, I swore—for seemingly the billionth time—that I would have better oral hygiene. And I did improve! Lord knows my brushing and flossing habits were never exemplary, but they got better!
Now here I sit, with a toothache and an appointment to see the dentist on Friday, and I feel SO BAD ABOUT MYSELF. I’m crying but not because of the toothache (which is annoying but not severe). I’m crying because of the shame.
Top Comment: I'm sorry this is happening to you. Dental issues are a big adhd thing and I'm having issues too. I don't really know what to say, but I'm proud of you for having been able to do more 🥰 Good luck on your oral hygiene in the future and don't let your dentist or anyone else bring you down... They're smart but not understanding-adhd smart, usually :/
Is a root canal dangerous?
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I just found out I need a root canal. A family member who sometimes has great advice and sometimes is really out there told me to weigh the pros and cons carefully, because there's such a large chance of it going wrong and being in pain for the rest of my life from it. Rather than immediately cancel, I'm googling and asking here. My tooth is broken and either needs a root canal, or extraction. Any advice is welcome.
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