Sooo Root Canals

[jmc]

This might sound odd but are you a red head? I guess there was a study done that showed a certain gene had a link to having a fear of the dentist and like 90% of red heads have this gene.

God damn studies being true

[Toxictaru]

There is a bit of pain at the end, its more of a weird pinch than anything, and yeah, ibuprofen does tend to help lessen it. It isn't pain so much as a weird feeling.

Also, I brush at least 2 times a day, floss every second day, and I still have issues. Dentists are always saying how soft my teeth are.

[Necronus]

I went in for one a few days ago. We ended up not doing it after determining that the tooth would probably last 3 years max even if we went through with it and repaired the tooth. Problem was we wasted like, I dunno 30 minutes taking X-Rays after taking away the existing decay and going over options we had at that point. Anyway, the finale to this story was we decided on extraction in preparation for either a bridge or implant. Problem was it seemed like I gained back some feeling at this point, so the dentist had to test around. I now know what it feels like to have the sharp prodding thing to be stabbed directly into a tooth nerve. In addition, I now also know what its like when the solution to this problem is sticking a novacane needle into it to renumb it. Good times.

[Osede]

Tooth brush - $3, Tooth paste - $4, never spending this money and getting stuck with the cost of a root canal - $1,000+ and a nasty ass fucking mouth.

Seriously, even brushing once a day cuts your rate of cavities and decay to almost nil, what the fuck is wrong with you people? Enjoy a future with dentures

I used to brush my teeth twice a day, after breakfast and before sleep. My tooth still went to die eventually like 10 years ago. Actually, beside only brush, frost and washing the teeth once every year is better than only brushing the teeth.

[hey]

Tooth brush - $3, Tooth paste - $4, never spending this money and getting stuck with the cost of a root canal - $1,000+ and a nasty ass fucking mouth.

Going to the dentist is actually cheaper than brushing, for me.

[Pirian]

Anecdotal personal stories over population statistics ftw

[cdgreg]

My wife actually does sedation dentistry, it seems to be the big new fad in our area. If you have any anxiety towards procedures they prescribe you meds before. So you take pills like 6 hours before, then an hour before, and if necessary they give you more there. You're then wonky as fuck for like 6 hours but basically feel/remember nothing. We have 2 stairs from our entranceway to our kitchen and she fell up them last time. You obviously don't drive yourself...

[MarkM.]

They aren't that bad, I had one done and went back to work within 10 minutes of it being done. It will more than likely be sore, working out sore is the best I can compare it to. They gave me vicodin for the pain, I think I took one each night the night of and the next two days just to help me sleep better.

[Brill Weave]

You'll have oh so much fun, OP. Just channel your e-thuggin' skills and you'll be able to put on a brave face!

Well I'm fucked. My e-thuggin skills are woefully subpar. Thanks for all the stories, it has actually calmed me down a good bit. I think what's really putting me on edge is that fact that I've never had to get this done and all you hear are the horror stories. So it's good to hear the other side of it. Though I am a bit concerned with how much this is going to cost.

[Not Kuno]

I enjoy root canals more than getting cavities filled. Had a few root canals done and it wasn't so bad. I can't stand the drilling shit when they fill a cavity.

[Kandykanez]

I'm not so sure about the link between redheads and dental anxiety. What I AM sure about is that it's a known fact that redheads are more resistant to anesthesia.
If you want to take care of your teeth as best you can, there are some things missing that people haven't yet mentioned.

Brushing -duh-, but you have to make sure you're brushing properly. A sonicare is expensive, but is the very best thing you can invest in for your teeth. If you're using a manual toothbrush, look up the Bass brushing technique on youtube.

Flossing: At LEAST once every other day. You could be the worlds best brusher, but if you're not flossing then you are going to get gingivitis, which will turn into periodontitis, which means nasty rotten breath and your teeth WILL fall out after losing alveolar bone because you've been lazy.

Rinse: Nobody mentioned this, is anyone using mouthwash at all? The best go-to options are listerine total and crest pro-health for general use. If you have gingivitis, go straight to listerine antiseptic.

Gum: We've found that chewing sugar free gum on a regular basis instead of snacking in between meals, especially that which contains a good amount of xylitol (it kills streptococcus mutans, the #1 bacteria that causes cavities) is a strong defense against cavities.

Feel free to ask about anything related, I'm a typical condescending dental hygienist. lol

[Kandykanez]

Another thing, for cheap and high quality maintenance, look for a local dental hygiene school in your area. You get full, thorough service for incredibly low prices. You just have to put up with the procedure taking awhile, and possibly multiple visits. Hygiene schools are required to give every patient a full scaling/cleaning. Most dental "checkups" do nothing for cleaning besides a light polish, which is purely cosmetic. I can guarantee most of you have never had an actual cleaning involving scalers, pain, and massive bleeding. lol
My school charged only $20 for the whole treatment, which is worth something like $800-$1500 in a private practice. If you have a dental school near you, you can go there as well for again thorough yet slow treatment with minimal charges.

[Cream Soda]

I haven't been to a dentist since I was in 6th grade :D

[cdgreg]

Feel free to ask about anything related, I'm a typical condescending dental hygienist. lol

My dentist is trying to push these little plank wooden stick things. Apparently you push them between your teeth and it makes a big difference? Thoughts?

[Kandykanez]

Those are called stimudents, and they're pretty good for certain people. We recommend them when patients have larger gaps between their teeth, because they're just easier to use than floss and they're pretty effective. You don't have to pay as much attention to what you're doing, and it's not as technique heavy. They're also pretty cheap, I think you can get a pack of 50 or 100 in any pharmacy for $3ish dollars. The fact that they recommended them to you in the first place shows that they're concerned about your individual needs, as opposed to telling you the same old shit like any other patient.

[Pirian]

I do go to the dentist twice a year, but I always forget to ask them, so I guess I'll ask here while it is on my mind: I brush twice a day (morning and evening, full mouth/gums, not just teeth), floss at night before and after brushing (then go over once more with a brush as a 'rinse'), but no mouth wash. I don't use mouth wash because I haven't found one that doesn't constantly give me ulcers. I've tried the "sensitive" kinds, but those only cut the frequency of ulcers. I don't have problems with ulcers unless I use mouth wash (i.e. normal brushing/flossing of gums doesn't irritate it), is there a special kind I should get, or is it something that needs to be prescribed or some other BS?

Oh, I did mention that I have regular checkups (next one is actually coming up pretty soon), which includes x-rays and all that crap, so there's nothing major wrong that would stand out. Just an unusual sensitivity to something that is in all the mouth wash that I've tried

[Kandykanez]

It's probably the alcohol content in most rinses. Use Crest Pro-Health, it has none. If you still get ulcers, then it can't be linked to the rinses. If that doesn't work, try Biotene drymouth rinse. It'll help relieve a little bit of the ulcer pain if they still persist, but biotene is the least "active" of all standard rinses. There are so many things that could cause aphthous ulcers, from allergic reactions to stress.. it's nearly untraceable. The competing brands are sometimes so vastly different in composition that there has to be ONE that doesn't irritate you.
If all else fails, try rinsing (NOT brushing, that's usually not a good idea) with a baking soda solution. It's way better than nothing.

[Nekonaruto]

Perhaps you watched this movie as a child: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116075/

[Silenka]

I brush at least once a day, usually twice. I floss about once every two or three days, although sometimes it's every day. I still get cavities. I wish I was part of this huge population of people who can brush once a day and never get cavities. I guess having a high sugar diet doesn't help, but if you live in America you've most likely got a high sugar diet and are probably included in that no-cavity population, anyway. My saliva apparently doesn't suck too badly since I've got a permanent retainer thingy on my bottom teeth and it barely had any buildup on it when I went for my last cleaning, so idfk. I did just start using mouthwash (my bf uses it, and I thought it might help) though, but I guess I'm just susceptible to cavities or something...

There was an interval of about 2 1/2 years where I did not have insurance so did not ever go for the twice a year routine cleaning and developed 5 cavities thanks to it. Get those routine cleanings done, they are so helpful @_@

I've never in my adult life had dentist anxiety problems. I guess I had them when I was a kid when they were giving me braces and when they had to pull baby teeth cause they wouldn't come out, that shit sucked. But generally, I try not to be afraid at the dentist. I know they are not going to do anything to hurt me, and I will end up feeling better and healthier afterward. Being courageous and just taking whatever they might give and thinking it's not so bad is a tactic that works for me both at the dentist and the doctor (especially when they're drawing blood lol).

[Kandykanez]

I brush at least once a day, usually twice. I floss about once every two or three days, although sometimes it's every day. I still get cavities. I wish I was part of this huge population of people who can brush once a day and never get cavities. I guess having a high sugar diet doesn't help, but if you live in America you've most likely got a high sugar diet and are probably included in that no-cavity population, anyway. My saliva apparently doesn't suck too badly since I've got a permanent retainer thingy on my bottom teeth and it barely had any buildup on it when I went for my last cleaning, so idfk. I did just start using mouthwash (my bf uses it, and I thought it might help) though, but I guess I'm just susceptible to cavities or something...

There was an interval of about 2 1/2 years where I did not have insurance so did not ever go for the twice a year routine cleaning and developed 5 cavities thanks to it. Get those routine cleanings done, they are so helpful @_@

I've never in my adult life had dentist anxiety problems. I guess I had them when I was a kid when they were giving me braces and when they had to pull baby teeth cause they wouldn't come out, that shit sucked. But generally, I try not to be afraid at the dentist. I know they are not going to do anything to hurt me, and I will end up feeling better and healthier afterward. Being courageous and just taking whatever they might give and thinking it's not so bad is a tactic that works for me both at the dentist and the doctor (especially when they're drawing blood lol).

Can you tell me what toothpaste and rinse you're using?
Saliva is usually only a concern when you have LOW flow. If you think you have low flow, then you want to start using Biotene rinse.
Do you drink tap water often, and is it fluoridated? Regular ingestion of fluoridated water is the #1 defense against developing cavities. Hopefully you don't live in an area that's full of anti-fluoride retards (all their arguments are complete bullshit) that have gotten it removed.
If you think you have a high sugar diet, pay attention to what you're eating and how often. If you like to snack on sugary things, try to keep the snacking isolated and short. For example, eating a bag of m&m's all at once is a lot healthier than eating it over 2 hours. It'll give your saliva time to wash away the sugar that is allowing cariogenic bacteria to proliferate.