My Experience

My tooth had been hurting for a year, the dentist could not find any fractures or reason for the pain on X-rays, and a temporary cap (to repair any possible microfractures) failed to help. So I needed a root canal.

I went to the endodontist, who took another X-ray (number 19 tooth), asked me if I was allergic to latex or any anesthetics and asked if I had taken any medication that day. I told him I didn’t like needles and he was really understanding and reassuring about it. He made sure my mouth was numb from the topical gel anesthetic, and told me he would introduce the anesthetic injections very slowly so there would be no pain, while also making sure to give me enough so that I would have no pain during the procedure. True to his word, the shots didn’t hurt at all, and he repeatedly asked me if I was doing OK.

Once my tooth area was numb, he had me put on safety glasses and a dental damn to isolate the tooth. He gave me a saliva suction tube that I held and could turn off and on as needed: I really appreciated this ability to do it myself as the assistant rarely does it as much as I like, and also it gave me a feeling of control. The doctor then pulled off the temporary cap, and drilled a bit. He then used various instruments to remove the nerves and tissue inside the tooth. He often asked me if I was doing OK, and I also told him at the beginning of the procedure that I would raise my hand if I wanted him to stop whatever he was doing.

There was no pain, only some vibrations from the instrument and pressure from scrapping. My jaw muscles got a little cramped from having to keep my mouth open for so long. Once all the tissue was removed, he cleaned out the tooth and put the cap back on. He gave me ibuprofen immediately, and told me to take more every 4-6 hours for the first 24 hours to decrease inflammation and pain. He also prescribed an antibiotic as he found some infection within the tooth.

The entire procedure was over in about 50 minutes. My mouth was numb for several hours afterwards, but I had minimal discomfort. The plan was to see how my tooth felt in 10 days; if it was better, I would return to the endodontist for him to seal the tooth, and then I would get a permanent cap put on. If there was still pain, I would have to be reevaluated for a potential crack going under the gum line.