Root Canal Expose
Got my first root canal recently. There was a lot of mystery in my mind about what to expect. But now, I can reveal the mysteries and let you know what's in store if you ever need to get one.
Here's the things that hurt:
1. The shot. This should be a good long one that gets lots of Novacaine into your jaw. Unfortuantely this sort of inserting large amounts of fluid into your tissue can be uncomfortable. He may need to rotate the needle around a bit to get the fluid into the channel that connects the roots of your teeth. Sounds fun? It is. You may a second one to get you all the way through the procedure.
2. The drilling. I had a piece of molar missing and at first all he was going to do was drill out the filling and cap the tooth. On the first visit he drilled out the filling and put a temporary crown in, but my tooth was still painful, so on my return visit I told him that it seems I need the root canal that he previous said I probably wouldn't. He was less into the idea than I was, but reluctantly I talked him into it. The second visit's drilling was where the fun started. When they drill down through your tooth eventually the drill bit pops through the cap covering your nerve. If you're anything like me, you'll know this because you'll spasm directly into the air, breaking off the drill bit inside your tooth. If he's a half decent dentist, he'll pretend not to be nervous about that. Then he has to file out the nerve from inside the roots of your teeth. This is an activity that can best be enjoyed by sweating and pretending you are someone else who lives far away. Finally he'll drill a little bit here and there to get out the drill bit that broke off in your tooth. The main thing that sucks about that is sitting still patiently while realizing there is nothing anywhere that actually guarantees he'll be able to get it out.
3. Secondary filing. By now, I am on my third visit in two weeks. It is important to note that a person rapidly builds up a tolerance to Novacaine, which is hopefully backed up by a tolerance to pain. Even if it is, after your shot(s) he will still be required to squirt Novacaine directly into your tooth's canal to try and numb the nerve topically. This hurts a lot more than it seems like it should. There will be deeper thorough filing to make sure all the nerve is removed and it's a testament to the human nervous system that discomfort can still be delivered without the prescence of nerves to deliver it.
In retrospect, I'm really glad I got the root canal done as I no longer need to cover that molar with my tongue each time I drink anything or eat ice cream. Needless to say, I'm eagerly eating lots of sweets and not brushing to hasten my next dental challenge.
Here's the things that hurt:
1. The shot. This should be a good long one that gets lots of Novacaine into your jaw. Unfortuantely this sort of inserting large amounts of fluid into your tissue can be uncomfortable. He may need to rotate the needle around a bit to get the fluid into the channel that connects the roots of your teeth. Sounds fun? It is. You may a second one to get you all the way through the procedure.
2. The drilling. I had a piece of molar missing and at first all he was going to do was drill out the filling and cap the tooth. On the first visit he drilled out the filling and put a temporary crown in, but my tooth was still painful, so on my return visit I told him that it seems I need the root canal that he previous said I probably wouldn't. He was less into the idea than I was, but reluctantly I talked him into it. The second visit's drilling was where the fun started. When they drill down through your tooth eventually the drill bit pops through the cap covering your nerve. If you're anything like me, you'll know this because you'll spasm directly into the air, breaking off the drill bit inside your tooth. If he's a half decent dentist, he'll pretend not to be nervous about that. Then he has to file out the nerve from inside the roots of your teeth. This is an activity that can best be enjoyed by sweating and pretending you are someone else who lives far away. Finally he'll drill a little bit here and there to get out the drill bit that broke off in your tooth. The main thing that sucks about that is sitting still patiently while realizing there is nothing anywhere that actually guarantees he'll be able to get it out.
3. Secondary filing. By now, I am on my third visit in two weeks. It is important to note that a person rapidly builds up a tolerance to Novacaine, which is hopefully backed up by a tolerance to pain. Even if it is, after your shot(s) he will still be required to squirt Novacaine directly into your tooth's canal to try and numb the nerve topically. This hurts a lot more than it seems like it should. There will be deeper thorough filing to make sure all the nerve is removed and it's a testament to the human nervous system that discomfort can still be delivered without the prescence of nerves to deliver it.
In retrospect, I'm really glad I got the root canal done as I no longer need to cover that molar with my tongue each time I drink anything or eat ice cream. Needless to say, I'm eagerly eating lots of sweets and not brushing to hasten my next dental challenge.
