is a root canal sore?
Posted by Wooden-Variation-344@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 78 comments
has anyone had root canal?i have a major fear of dentists (after a bad experience) i have to get root canal on the 21st and im begging for people to calm my nerves i recently had a tooth extraction and im wondering is the pain worse than that? or is it better than that?
Silver-Edge-9675@reddit
In my experience, 1st visit out of 4 visit is painful but still manageable, but the 2nd visit i felt everything when the dentist remove my last nerve of the last root (Total got 4 root) was hell on earth. Its broke my pain scale, i immediately jump from the seat, it felt like lightning strike on my tooth. I have never experience that much pain before in my life, 0/10 would not recommend. Then the 3rd and last visit was ok because no more nerve to feel the pain sensation. Note: RCT for upper molar tooth.
Wooden-Variation-344@reddit (OP)
im having it on the bottom left molar
Silver-Edge-9675@reddit
Thing that are painful when doing RCT & Onlay Placement
1) Dental Clamp placement for rubber dam.
2) Molar Band placement on the RCT tooth.
3) Palatal Injection (Roof part of the mouth), a lot more pain than other area injection.
4) Dentist accidentally burn my cheek with heated instrument during obturation. (Very Painful !!!!)
5) Removal of the nerve using root canal file. (Extreme amount of pain, Blinding pain, the pain that cause me to have PTSD after treatment is over).
The item 5 is true if your tooth have active infection (Something called Hot tooth) , if the tooth is dead, should not have any pain.
Even after 9 month have passed, my root canal tooth still have some pain when flossing.
Audstarwars1998@reddit
What happened with flossing pain and root canal
Silver-Edge-9675@reddit
When i am insert the floss between my RCT tooth (no pain), when taking it out (got slight discomfort). Even the dentist can't figure the answer.
Audstarwars1998@reddit
Got it. I'm dealing with the fact that I can't really floss next to tooth without some form of severe reaction for days. Have had 3d scan and everything and no one knows why. They say no crack or infection and tooth hurts too whenever I drink any kind of coffee tea and some juices. I'm a clenched in my sleep but got a new nightguard now. Guess we will see if it helps. I proposed there could be a crack under gums but I have to get nerve damage ruled out
Silver-Edge-9675@reddit
I have visited the dentist recently (last sunday). she do percussion test (no pain) and also verify that my crown (onlay) fit tight into the tooth (so no issue). She also applied chlorhexidine into my RCT tooth since i also have some swelling / inflammation above my RCT tooth gum. She only suggest to me when i want to take the floss string out of the tooth (to take it out by pulling it from the side instead of vertically down). If the dull pain sensation still persist, then she will want to take X-Ray of my tooth for the next routine check up.
corickle@reddit
I have a fear of dentists and had an abscess on a crown. The pain was horrendous and so I was really happy to get it taken out. Honestly, it wasn’t painful at all. He put some gel on my gum and I didn’t even feel the needle going in. Teeth are horrific when they go wrong so you are doing the right thing in getting it sorted. It wasn’t as painful as tooth extraction. I took a couple of ibruphoen before I went in so that might have helped as well. Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Wooden-Variation-344@reddit (OP)
il make sure to keep you guys updated! honestly i dodged the dentist for years up until the tooth extraction (july 16th) n now im forcing myself to go for regular check ups etc 😂😂
corickle@reddit
The build up to it is far worse than getting it done. You just want to get it over with. I’m sending positive vibes.
Wooden-Variation-344@reddit (OP)
-update- they gave me a filling today and pushed my root canal appointment till april!😩
corickle@reddit
What?? Oh no, I’m sorry to hear that. How was the filling? Did they explain why your appointment was moved?
Wooden-Variation-344@reddit (OP)
no they never said anything all they said was to get a prescription toothpaste n brush twice daily then come back in april n they’ll fix it
corickle@reddit
That’s really poor. All that build up and then cancelled 😡
Wooden-Variation-344@reddit (OP)
hi again 😊 im finally getting my root canal tomorrow! it’s been a long long wait
corickle@reddit
Oh that’s good news. Has it given you any trouble? I’m keeping my fingers crossed it all goes well. Honestly, mine wasn’t painful. The build up to it was the worst.
Wooden-Variation-344@reddit (OP)
nvm they cancelled again😭12th of may now
corickle@reddit
That’s really awful.
Wooden-Variation-344@reddit (OP)
UPDATE THEY ARE NOW PUTTING ME TO SLEEP TOMORROW FOR THE ROOT CANAL
corickle@reddit
It’s been over 4 months. I don’t know how you’ve lasted this long. Why are they putting you to sleep? I’m keeping everything crossed it happens tomorrow x
Wooden-Variation-344@reddit (OP)
i know it’s crazy they are putting me to sleep because i cried getting a filling last week😭if they cancel it im going to the dental hospital to get it took out xx
corickle@reddit
Fillings are awful so no wonder you cried. They can’t keep you waiting any longer so I’m hoping this time tomorrow it’s all over with x
Wooden-Variation-344@reddit (OP)
new appointment monday 😞💔
corickle@reddit
That’s so awful x
Wooden-Variation-344@reddit (OP)
the only good thing is the tooth hasn’t caused me any pain at all it’s just sensitive but having someone wait all these months is terrible i’m in glasgow and i feel like they don’t really care unless your teeth are hanging out or are black😂😂xx
corickle@reddit
You should be able to claim for all the trauma they’ve caused you
Wooden-Variation-344@reddit (OP)
update- they told me i have too lose a pound before they can put me to sleep😭
Wooden-Variation-344@reddit (OP)
how do i go about it?
Wooden-Variation-344@reddit (OP)
THEY CANCELLED IT
corickle@reddit
What??? Did they give a reason?
Wooden-Variation-344@reddit (OP)
apparently the dr has been off sick the whole week but they didn’t inform me till i got there i put down 20 pound as well to secure my appointment
Wooden-Variation-344@reddit (OP)
yeah it’s terrible i feel like they just can’t be bothered 🤦🏼♀️
SaggyBallArea@reddit
Ask for that gel stuff and tell the dentist you’re a little nervous.
It’s a mental thing though. Which I understand. But you won’t feel any paid beyond an initial pinch and that’s a fraction of a second.
jonpenryn@reddit
its just a filling basically, extraction is brutal compared to that.
Wooden-Variation-344@reddit (OP)
yeah i had an extraction in july worst pain ever 😞
jonpenryn@reddit
If it hurt it wasn't done right.
greylord123@reddit
It's perfectly fine.
It's a bit of a lengthy procedure so it just gets a bit uncomfortable (mainly due to restlessness etc).
You can definitely feel when they hit the nerve. It smarts a little but it's perfectly manageable. I could feel a bit of pain even with the anesthetic. I was expecting it to be really sore once it wore off but it was fine.
It wasn't a very pleasant procedure but trust when I tell you the toothache that resulted in the root canal was brutal and the root canal was a massive relief
If you are going private then it will definitely hurt your wallet more. Mine was about £450
caniuserealname@reddit
You'll also be numbed for the entire thing, so while you're feel pressure and prodding, it shouldn't be painful. Similarly, depending on where the tooth is you may feel some jaw discomfort afterwards, but thats largely due to it being a long procedeur.
But it's important to remember, a root canal literally removes the nerve from your tooth; it gets rid of the ability of that tooth to feel any pain. Once the numbing wears off theres no capacity for that tooth to send pain signals, so the tooth itself will not hurt in the slightest.
pip_goes_pop@reddit
Pain wise it wasn't too bad at all. For me it was just all really uncomfortable and my jaw was aching from having it open so long.
gazchap@reddit
I've had three root canals and about eight extractions (lost count of the latter, lol)
The first time I lost a tooth, I was given the choice of having a root canal or an extraction. I'd heard horror stories from family members and friends about root canals and how painful they were, and as someone that is very much pain-averse, I opted for an extraction.
It took literally seconds, it was over before I'd even realised he was pulling it out. And I went from being in absolute agony with toothache that was keeping me awake all night, to being completely pain free the second it came out -- that might have been the anaesthetic, too though. Aftercare was a bit of a pain (not literal pain, just a pain to do) for a few days, but not too bad.
A couple of years ago I had two root canals simultaneously, on adjacent teeth. I expected it to be awful because of the horror stories I'd heard in my youth.
Honestly, it was fine. The worst part about it was that it took a while, about 1 hour 15 minutes, and having my jaw held open for that long meant that my jaw ached like fuck for a couple of days afterwards, but there was no pain at all during the procedure itself.
TL;DR: Go for the root canal. It's better to still have a tooth than to not have a tooth. There's a chance that the root canal will fail and it'll need to come out anyway, but better to try and fail than not try at all.
Brief-Education-8498@reddit
I fell asleep in the dentist chair! Dentist put some stuff in the hole, to sterilise I think, and left the room while it had 5 mins to work. OK, I had a new baby and was sleep deprived but honestly nothing to worry about
ArtistEngineer@reddit
It's usually fine. I've had a couple, and the tooth is basically pain free after that point.
The procedure can be quite long so jaw ache can be a problem. The dentist will usually ask you to raise your hand if you need to relax your jaw for a while.
I find the most painful bit is sitting in that chair for a long time. The back of my head tends to get really uncomfortable.
RandomName705@reddit
My mum said it was worse than child birth. I was 10 ibs 2 and my brother 10ibs 6
Downtown-Ad-8516@reddit
It's honestly not that bad, same category as a filling imo
lxgrf@reddit
Yeah, it's basically a filling that takes longer.
ChartPimp@reddit
Had 3 root canals, none have been sore - in fact the process resolved pain I had. It does take some time to do, sitting with your mouth open and various apparatus attached so it's a ball ache but no pain at all.
MicroBunnie@reddit
I've had so many root canals done it isn't even funny and I'm terrified of the dentist.
The most painful part is the injection for sure.
The drilling etc is more of a vibrating feeling in your head but not sore.
After can be a little sore but ibuprofen will take care of it.
The pain from not having it and the bacteria hitting that root will be unbelievably severe and much worse than the injection.
syphonuk@reddit
I've had two within the last year, both the result of infections, and I didn't feel a thing during the procedures. The infections were pretty bad and I had to wait a week in both cases for my appointments so that was by far the worst parts. Once I was in the chair, it was the usual injections to numb the area and that was it. Never felt anything other than slight pressure when the dentist was doing the canal cleaning but it wasn't painful in any way. Didn't have any pain afterwards either.
I'm not sure where the idea that a root canal is painful comes from but maybe things were different in times past or people associate the infection with the procedure and it comes from that.
t90fan@reddit
I've had a few and didn't find them very painful.
Significantly less painful than the toothache they were fixing.
And less painful than most extractions I've had.
Just a weird feeling,
theabominablewonder@reddit
It wasn't painful, but it took a while and the worst bit was being able to feel them working inside my tooth/roots. It was a bit uncomfortable.
joeblrock@reddit
Won't be the answer you want but I thought I was being waterboarded. Horrible experience. Hopefully they don't put the plastic guard thing on you like I had, I felt I was gagging the whole time. Tbf I didn't actually feel any pain in the tooth as that was successfully numbed
FakeNathanDrake@reddit
I had one a few years ago, right at the back. There was no pain from the injection, nor the procedure itself, the only pain I had (more like discomfort) was in my jaw itself from having to hold it open for so long. You'll be grand.
CaptMelonfish@reddit
I've had one root canal and a pulpectomy, the root canal was on a front tooth that had an extremely painful absess. the injection was the worst bit tbh, however that only lasts a moment then it was really straight forward, took paracetamol afterwards and was fine.
The pulpectomy was on a tooth which a filling had fallen out of and again, it was sore, so it was all cleaned out and sorted, injections really are all that are the issue.
some time later I had that tooth out though and bugger me that hurt afterwards for a while (rear lower molar).
do yourself a favour and get the root canal done, keep the tooth.
hyper-casual@reddit
I was told they're really painful, but when I had mine done a few years ago I didn't feel a thing during it, and only minor discomfort when the anesthetic wore off.
Normally I feel everything at the dentist, regardless of how much anesthetic they use, too.
Soggy_Answer3682@reddit
Not at all, I had an abscess and a tooth that needed a really deep root canal job to save the tooth. So much work that my current dentist says that once it fails, the tooth needs to come out as there’s so little tooth left to work with. Didn’t hurt at all. (This, coming from someone who’s petrified of the dentist, had an extraction booked last year, paid, but didn’t turn up, too scared…. That tooth’s still there though oddly)
PM-ME_UR_TINY-TITS@reddit
I've had two, the most painful part is having the local injected.
The dentist did accidentally go too deep with one but while it hurt for a moment it was only about as bad as getting injected and didn't linger.
ComplicatedTragedy@reddit
Ask your dentist for a topical anaesthetic before the main injection. Makes a huge difference. They put some gel on a cotton ball and hold it on the injection site for 5 mins.
If they don’t have the gel, you can always bring your own. Any benzocaine cream will work (stronger % is better)
Smart-Grapefruit-583@reddit
Let lay it out for you so you know what they do.
Firstly we will numb you, Drill out the old filling and decay.
Use a small hand file to start removing the nerve and pulp That can take a little doing. Wash it out with some Milton.
Fill the canals we've just cleaned with a bi compatible plastic then stick a filling on top.
That's it. The horror stories are wild, had people sleep through rct. It's just a deeper filling.
The ache is from your jaw being open for a while. Ibuprofen and paracetamol settles it. Headphones and a podcast works a treat for most people.
Now you know what we do. Nothing mad or scary. Just a filling really .
Arbdew@reddit
The keepning your mouth open for about 1.5hrs per time was the worst I had. My poor jaw! The actual filling was absolutely fine. It's also very boring (for the patient anyway), so the podcast idea is excellent.
Wooden-Variation-344@reddit (OP)
thank you🙏🏽
samg3881@reddit
I've had a root canal without being numbed, didn't feel a thing. You have nothing to worry about
Royal_View9815@reddit
From someone who’s had extensive dental work over the years a root canal really isn’t too much to worry about. Take a couple of paracetamol before your appointment and you will have minimum discomfort afterwards. Just think of the pain you’d be in if you didn’t have it done. That would be a lot worse.
Numerous_Ticket_7628@reddit
It wasn't sore for me in fact I recently had a fairly small filing and it was worse!
Vespa_Alex@reddit
It depends.
Partly on the tooth itself and partly on the skill of the dentists doing the work. There’s no black or white answer
Wooden-Variation-344@reddit (OP)
i don’t think i have an infection but the tooth is cracked at the back pretty close to the gum line so im thinking maybe that’s the problem
clearshaw@reddit
I don’t recall it being too painful, an extraction I think was worse, but my root canal became infected. I felt pretty awful, until the Dentist gave me antibiotics and felt better in a couple of days, but I lost my appetite, just did not feel like eating for about a month, had to force myself to eat. I got skinny really easy - was great.
OperationMission8254@reddit
Yeah, my root canal also got an infection.
I wasted an entire weekend Googling stuff like: is it normal to have pain after root canal? Is it normal to have swelling after root canal?
Luckily a friend saw the state of me Monday morning and made me go back to the dentist. I was fine after a couple of days antibiotics.
LordBrixton@reddit
I was very nervous when I was told I needed a root canal, because I had been told they're super-painful (and I'm a terrible coward when it comes to dental work generally).
It really wasn't that bad at all, when it came to it. The wort part was having to keep my mouth open in the same position for so long – that got a bit uncomfortable – but as for what the dentist was actually doing? didn't feel a thing.
el_diablo420@reddit
I had root canal not too long ago, was absolutely fine. If anything, when I felt all the pressure leave the infected tooth, it was almost enjoyable
BlackCatWitch29@reddit
I've had two. Both were done at the same dental practice but by different dentists.
The first one hurt like nothing else after the anaesthetic wore off. I had to nap the pain away and it had mainly gone away after 24 hours.
With the second one, I had mild discomfort after the numbing juice wore off but nothing like the first. Within 24 hours, I felt normal and my life was normal.
I will admit that I have an issue with dentists when I need anaesthetic. As a child, I had to have two front "baby" teeth removed in one appointment to make space for my adult teeth that were growing in but didn't have space for. I was given anaesthetic for both but somehow, by the time the dentist got to pulling on the second tooth, I felt everything and screamed so loudly that the waiting room, which was at the other end of the building, heard me.
Ever since then, I've explained this and requested that they ensure I get enough numbing juice. I also put both headphones in and play music at a higher than usual volume so I don't hear the noises so much. The music helps me to stay calm as well.
Thestolenone@reddit
You get more pain after with a root canal but it does pass after a few days..
spirallingoutofamok@reddit
The dentist will make sure the tooth is fully numb and you'll able to indicate to them if you feel anything (by putting a hand up or similar), so you shouldn't get any sharp pain or anything like that, but you may be unconformable holding your mouth open for a pretty long time. Your jaw might ache and the feeling that you can't swallow as normal etc isn't lovely.
For me, the other thing is the 'mental' side of it, not really knowing what's going on and how long it is going to take. It's slightly unpredictable so the dentist won't be able to give you a definite time, but they can probably give you an idea based on their experience, and that might be useful information for some people. I also would prefer a bit of a running commentary, or at least updates now and again which dentists tend to be happy to do. It just stops me imagining that things are going wrong, but I realise this isn't for everyone!
Flashy-Claim-8350@reddit
The issue that caused the need for root canal was terrible. I’ve needed 2 root canals and food the process totally fine. First one I had in a large molar around 15 years ago I asked the dentist ‘when do you start?’ after it was done.
The tooth ache was far worse than the procedure I promise you.
Maybe take some headphones to help zone out whilst in the chair?
Wooden-Variation-344@reddit (OP)
thank you il try the headphone trick! im just a nervous wreck when it comes to the dentist😂😂
LaidBackLeopard@reddit
I've recently had a root canal (and extraction in the past). I would say that the extraction is much worse for after effects. The root canal is a fairly lengthy procedure, but you'll be numbed up so should be essentially pain free. After the anesthetic wore off it felt absolutely fine (unlike beforehand!).
anonymouse39993@reddit
In my experience worst
It was very painful for me but I had quite a bad abscess with a wisdom tooth impacting further down and the root canal failed
Wooden-Variation-344@reddit (OP)
im having literal zero pain the only thing wrong with it is that its cracked at the back? its a bit sensitive but other than that its not bothered me
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