Root canal...what's the story?

PunyHuman

Sounds like some kind of fetishistic sex game. Buy a girl a few drinks and then get out the drill. Very erotic

Seriously though folks, I'm probably going to need a root canal done on one of my molars.

Has anyone had one done?

How bad is it?
How much did it cost?
Is it a local anaesthetic?

Any other relevant info you can think of would be much appreciated.

Cheers

pH

meglome

I had it done by a Dr. Lordan over in Ranelagh... fantastic work and he had all the best equipment in his surgery. But at €750 I think I'll rip out the next one myself with pliers.

Beruthiel

I had one just a couple of months ago
The dentist told me it was the most difficult one she had ever done, figures!
It took three trips to the dentist, three hours in total (this was because I was told three years ago that I needed it, as I kept putting it off the channels started to close, hence the difficulty for her trying to re-open them to clean them out)
No more painful than a filling really, just a pain in the jaw, literally, as you have to keep your mouth open for so long (no jokes please!)
Anyway, the lesson learned, don’t put it off when you are told you need one.
Price – 500 eurons!!

I doubt your’s will take as long to do as mine

Is it a local anaesthetic?

same as if you were getting a filling

Washout

Its better than losing a tooth. To be honest with you it is not as bad as alot might thing. Its just a long long procedure. Mine was done over three appointments.
It is local anesthetic my dentist didnt give me enough at the first appointment but she just gave me a second injection. i think the anesthetic is the worst part of it.

After your first appointment finishes and the anesthetic wears off there is pain but painkillers help. usually your dentist will write you a prescription for wonderstuf.

mine didnt cost anywhere near 750 euro i think it cam to 300 euro in total.

Beruthiel

prescription for wonderstuf.

oh ya! do not leave without the prescription for the antibotic, it costs around 6 euro but you will probably need it, infections normally occur just afterwards, but once thats over, heaven

Sposs

Hardest Part is Definitely trying to hold your mouth open for so long and the build up of saliva in your mouth is pretty gross.

Washout

I tell ye all though...you look at brushing your teeth in a whole new light after a root canal.

Borzoi

Originally posted by meglome
I had it done by a Dr. Lordan over in Ranelagh... fantastic work and he had all the best equipment in his surgery. But at €750 I think I'll rip out the next one myself with pliers.

Same guy did mine two years ago. Top quality, no pain less than an hour in the chair. One of the nurses was a bit odd though.

He's a specialist, and it shows. worth the money

Enygma

Ya I had it done, not too much worse than a filling to be honest. I've heard getting your wisdom teeth pulled is much worse.

All the best, no need to worry. Oh and don't forget the anti-biotics, no drinking either.

yossarin

I had an abcess swell up to the size of a golf ball before i'd agree to go.
3 sessions, cost £550 punts overall, no real pain.
allthough it got so that i could tell the difference between the pain killers . injections leave you a feeling like you've had Botox treatment.

eth0_

I had a root canal done about 6 years ago, it is quite painful but nothing compared to the tooth ache you probably have right now!

In hindsight I should have asked for more anaesthetic, (it's a local injection) because it was bloody sore....they are basically ripping the nerve out of your tooth so that's bound to hurt.

I think it cost a few hundred pounds, can't really remember as I was a teenager at the time and my parents paid
Pity you don't have medical insurance if it does cost €750!

Just be careful with the tooth after it's done, because once the nerve is removed the tooth becomes quite brittle, in january I thought I needed a filling in that same tooth but what had actually happened was the tooth had cracked in half all the way down to the root! Wasn't sore to get that fixed up but the reconstruction the dentist did fell out within a day (2 months ago) and I haven't bothered to go back yet

PunyHuman

Thanks folks

€300 to €750...guess I will have to shop around.

Cheers

pH

smiles

Em. it's kinda sore, and can take 2/3 trips to the dentist.

I had an occasion tooth/jaw ache and i first he gave me antibiotics cause my gums were inflamed, then when that didnt work he filled the tooth, then when that started playing up again after a month or so he did a root canal, took 2 visits.

I got the usual injection into the gum, and then because i still had feeling i had one into the roof of my mouth (v. sore).

Cost €200 (told me it was a student rate, plus the fact i'd been in several times) [also he didnt charge me for the filling cause i was in before]

<< Fio >>

Lex_Diamonds

When does a RC need to be done?

ecksor

Originally posted by Enygma
Ya I had it done, not too much worse than a filling to be honest. I've heard getting your wisdom teeth pulled is much worse.

Oh yay, I have to get one of those out soon. My dentist told me this morning that I'd need to be referred to a specialist because it was lying near a nerve that she didn't want to go near, and I told her that I wanted it sorted ASAP, so she said she'd refer me on my next visit ... in 3 weeks time ...

I was generally unimpressed with her manner so I think I'll be going to a different dentist, but anyone with a similar experience? I'm more interested in how long it took to get from diagnosis to getting the tooth out, how many days off work, how much drugs needed etc.

PunyHuman

When does a RC need to be done?

When a cavity reaches down too close to the tooth's pulp cavity (where all the nerves are) and putting in a permanent filling might break through, causing exquisite pain. The pulp is removed (i.e. the nerve and the tooth are killed) and the cavity filled with magic pain-free putty. Then the tooth is crowned.

logic1

Originally posted by ecksor
I was generally unimpressed with her manner so I think I'll be going to a different dentist, but anyone with a similar experience? I'm more interested in how long it took to get from diagnosis to getting the tooth out, how many days off work, how much drugs needed etc.

It really depends on the individual case.

If the tooth has already erupted, if you have soft or bony impactation, if you're lying close to nerve endings or nave other problems around the area.

Also lowers are a more simple process than uppers to extract.

I'm had one upper fully erupted out and am having the second out next week. From first visit to extraction was two weeks, 25 minutes extraction time from when I entered the office to when I left and only needed one day off work (the actual extraction day)

I did get a script for painkillers but didn't really need them, no smoking for 24 hours (I don't smoke anyway) no drinking through a straw and no chewing on the side of the extraction, this can all lead to the clot being dislodged and dry socket occuring.

.logic.

ecksor

Thanks.

Praetorian

No root canals thank god....but I do have to get my wisdom teeth out...They arent causing me any pain at all...anyone got any idea why the dentist is insisting on this?

2k for the operation

patch

cos he wants your money!!!:D seriously though, my sister was told the same thing a couple of years ago by a galway city dentist, she went home to iur local dentist- he just filed down the tips of them and charged 30 quid!!
I'd get a second opinion before I gave anyone two grand to hurt me!!;)

leeroybrown

If there isn't quite enough room for your Wisdom teeth they tend to make space for themselves by forcing the rest of your teeth forward.

They grow too slowly that in a lot of cases there'll be no pain whatsoever until it's too late.

Unfortunately, the operation takes ages and causes quite a bit of swelling for a few days afterwards. (Luckily I havn't needed it thus far)

Wisdom Tooth Extraction is expensive but 2000 Euro sounds a bit much ... maybe alright for 4. How many are you having out?

thedrowner

i hadf a root canal done 2 years ago
it's not that bad, but at the time i was getting my old fillings taken out and new fillings put in (because of a previous dentist's shoddy work) so i dont have fond memories of it

the pain leading up to a root canal is a lot worse than the root canal itself. not all root canal's need crowns AFAIK. I spent a year with just a filling, but becausde the tooth was so corroded, and had to be filed down during the root canal to remove the previous filling, the new filling meant the tooth was very grey looking and because it was visible when i smiled i got the crown but that was a year later. the root canal itself took about 4 visits, it cost about 500

i got the crown a year later, it cost 650 and it took a few visits because the initial crown didnt fit (my dentist said that usually only happens to 2 patients a year, and i was one of the lucky ones..).

do shop around because the difference in prices will amaze you.

sunbeam

If you need a root canal should evidence of root damage be visible on X-Ray? Also if you need to get a crown at the same time as the root canal does that cost extra?

I've been in frequent dental agony for almost the past year now with sensitivity to hot and cold and very occasional spontaneous toothache. I thought that perhaps one of my fillings was cracked, but I've seen two dentists neither of whom can detect anything wrong with my teeth (even though the hygienist noticed me flinching as she cleaned around one of them on Thursday).

Last March Dentist No.1 went off in a huff when I couldn't pinpoint the pain after much effort and then suggested that I might need root canal work done. An x-ray taken at that time X-ray showed up nothing. No.2 (at the same practice last Thursday) said my symptoms did *not* sound like those of a dying root, but suggested that we could try an alternative therapy where a dressing would be placed on the root for a few weeks to 'calm it down' (?). Trouble is I’m still not entirely sure which tooth it is as the pain seems to be referred back and forwards between two of them. I had a very impacted wisdom tooth removed from that side of my jaw eight years ago and suspect I may have suffered some nerve damage after that so I’m wondering if that might be having an effect as well.

They don’t do root canal work on back teeth at the practice as apparently it is ‘too tedious’, so I would have to be referred to a consultant . I really do not have the money for it and would prefer to avoid it if at all possible, but am worried about the consequences of just leaving things as they are. I’m considering going back to my old dentist in Dublin for a third opinion, but am starting to feel like a bit of an eejit.

RicardoSmith

Root canals can be very painful or not. I've had a couple. Some were painful but only for a few sec some where not. All only req a local for me.

Lots of different reasons for getting wisdom teeth out. Have to get one of mine done too. I was told it wouldn't cost anything on the VHI so I wonder why you are being charged 2K. I keep putting mine off which probably isn't a good idea but I'm being a wimp about it. Mine will require an operation.

Of course its diferent for everyone so any thing you hear here might not be applicable to your own situation.

Crowns are different to root canals having one doesn't mean you need the other. Crowns are very expensive though.

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by sunbeam
I've been in frequent dental agony for almost the past year now with sensitivity to hot and cold and very occasional spontaneous toothache. I thought that perhaps one of my fillings was cracked, but I've seen two dentists neither of whom can detect anything wrong with my teeth (even though the hygienist noticed me flinching as she cleaned around one of them on Thursday).
a bit of an eejit.

You could be grinding on that side of your mouth. I had a problem with a tooth and that was the cause of it.

Squeeks

Had one done about 2 years ago. They do cost a fair bit but it's worth keeping the tooth.

It's not as sore as most would tell you, took 4 trips. The worst thing I found was the temp fillings he put in every time to be drilled out a week later!

Evil Phil

Originally posted by Beruthiel
prescription for wonderstuf.

oh ya! do not leave without the prescription for the antibotic, it costs around 6 euro but you will probably need it, infections normally occur just afterwards, but once thats over, heaven

I will repeat this DO NOT leave without the perscription. I did this, got an abcess and didn't sleep for 2 nights due to the pain. Not even ponstan could dull it. Other than that its just like getting a really big filling. And it is way better than loosing the tooth. If you loose a tooth that offsets the balance of your teeth causing more and more problems in later life.

ur mentor

Had a rc done 3 weeks ago.
Pain all gone
no antibiotic, no local anaestetic.
took two goes- one fo reach root- 80 mins in chair each time
cost 400 yo yos.
don't forget if you are paying income tax to get a Dent 2 form from dentist as it is allowable against income tax.:)

BigEejit

Originally posted by sunbeam
I've been in frequent dental agony for almost the past year now with sensitivity to hot and cold and very occasional spontaneous toothache. I thought that perhaps one of my fillings was cracked, but I've seen two dentists neither of whom can detect anything wrong with my teeth (even though the hygienist noticed me flinching as she cleaned around one of them on Thursday).

I've had a long running saga with one of my teeth .... ok for the moment touch wood, no root canal for me! .... but I started to develop sensitivity to hot and cold and sweet items on my two lower incisors (big pointy teeth ) ... not at the same time, but within about 8 months of each other I'd guess ... anyway it was bothering me so in I popped to the dentist and she said its caused by my gums receding "Huh??? WTF are my gums receding for??? says I ... she says it can just develop with some people with age ... could also be caused by toothbrushing habits (up and down is a big nono, never did that anyway) and by my preference for a firm toothbrush (being using them 20 years) ... she says to brush using a medium head and to brush the teeth in a left - right motion and just before you rinse your mouth stroke the toothbrush up from the gum over the teeth, this encourages the gum to cover the receding gum (which will never grow back, i.e. firmly atteched to the tooth) ....
Anyway, the upshot is that after a month the sensitivity has disappeared .... been gone for a year now:D