I was recently told I needed a root canal procedure and, despite my intense fear of dentistry in general and root canals in particular, it didn’t kill me. My root canal didn’t even hurt (much)!
Part of being a responsible adult is taking care of your dental health. And avoiding tooth pain. I’m a really big baby when it comes to pain. I had to live with severe pain for a month before my root canal treatment. It got so bad, I would do anything to get rid of it.
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Why I needed a root canal
Exactly one month ago, I had a filling replaced on a lower right molar. The original filling chipped and was causing some sensitivity. I’m a proficient tooth grinder, so I wasn’t surprised.
What did surprise me was when, two weeks later, I still couldn’t bite down on the freshly filled tooth without pain. I had expected some tooth sensitivity, but this tooth was throbbing and keeping me awake at night. I was popping ibuprofen and acetaminophen like candy and I was miserable.
I went back to my dentist’s office and he did some testing on the tooth – cold test, tap test and bite test. They all hurt. He also took some x-rays. I gagged. I hate dental x-rays.
He reviewed the results with me and told me that he couldn’t see any reason why the tooth would hurt. All signs pointed to a healthy tooth nerve because it had responded to the stimuli. He couldn’t see any infection on the x-rays, nor could he see any obvious cracks in the tooth. But, he warned me that the nerve root may be dying. In that case, he told me I would have two choices; I would need root canal therapy or I would need the tooth extracted.
He prescribed some antibiotics in case it was an infection and sent my information to a specialist for a second opinion. He suggested that maybe something had chipped during the filling and offered to redo it at no charge. I gratefully accepted his offer and we scheduled the procedure. A few days later, I had the tooth refilled with a temporary filling, just in case.
To my deep disappointment, the pain didn’t go away – it kept getting worse! It was so bad at times that I had to use my emergency stash of painkillers to get any sleep. I was feeling on edge and I was ready to have it yanked. I wanted my old pain-free life back!
I called my dentist and told him the pain was worse and I couldn’t take it anymore. I asked him what he would do if he was going through the same thing. He reminded me of the importance of my natural tooth, recommended a root canal and referred me to a root canal specialist for a consultation.
What is a Root Canal?
A root canal is a procedure to open the tooth to gain access to the pulp inside it. The damaged pulp is also removed to reach the nerve root canals below the pulp.
The nerves in the root canals are removed with a series of small drilling tools, which also widen the canals. A solution is then used in the canals to disinfect them.
The hollowed out canals are then filled with rubber, with a sealant above that. A temporary filling is placed on top of the sealant.
The next step is a crown to replace the temporary filling to stabilize the tooth. That happens in a separate appointment.
The Endodontist (expert in root canals)
The endodontist repeated the same testing that my dentist did – x-rays, cold test, tap test and bite test. This time, the cold test didn’t hurt. I didn’t feel a thing. He told me this meant my tooth nerve was dead or close to it. He was surprised at how long it took to die. If it had been quicker, I wouldn’t have been in pain for a very long month.
He told me there was no clear reason why my infected tooth nerve was dead or dying. In my case, two possible causes are excessive dental work on that tooth and bruxism (teeth grinding). This was my fourth or fifth filling in that particular tooth. And I grind my teeth pretty much every night, hence all the fillings. I guess I need to start wearing the night guard that I paid $460 for – 9 months ago!
Lucky for me, he had a slot in his schedule to perform the root canal immediately following the consultation. I was so relieved because I didn’t think I’d make it another night with the pain. I couldn’t believe I was actually looking forward to a root canal! Root canals hurt! When have you ever heard of someone looking forward to a root canal???
The Freezing
First he applied a numbing agent to my gums, then went in with the freezing needles. On my request to not feel anything, he froze my entire lower right jaw, including that side of my tongue and lip. The initial needles didn’t hurt, but I had a feeling like fireworks went off on the right side of my tongue. He told me the needle probably hit close to the tongue nerve and that’s why I felt the shocks.
They left me alone for a few minutes for the freezing to take effect. That’s when I saw the tray with the torture devices, er instruments, and the anxiety set in. My tongue and lip started to become numb and the pain in my tooth was feeling a little further away. The assistant took my blood pressure. It was a little high.
He came back with some curved needles and injected some more numbing stuff. The first one hurt. I didn’t feel the second (or third or fourth) one. I was completely numb and happy about it.
Then he put a rubber dam on my mouth to isolate the treated tooth and keep it clean, and secured it to my tooth with a metal band. I could feel the pressure around the tooth. But NO PAIN!
The Root Canal Procedure
I am not an endodontist, nor am I a dentist. I have described the root canal process from my perspective as a patient. Click here if you want more technical information about root canals
He began by drilling the filling out of my tooth. I could tell it was the filling because chunks were flying everywhere. The rubber dam kept it from falling in my mouth. I felt no pain, only the vibration from the drill.
He continued drilling through the pulp. Then he started using tiny drill bits in succession on the roots. The stench of a combination of rotten eggs and manure hit me. He told me that was the bacteria in my nerve root and assured me that he had dealt with much worse. I’m not sure how many different sizes he used, but he was doing it for a while. I still felt no pain.
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Then he cleaned the root canals with bleach. The bleach smell was a pleasant change from the rotten smell I had experienced earlier. It reminded me of floating in my pool and, believe it or not, helped me to relax. I was not in pain.
He put some rods into the canals and took more x-rays. I saw from the x-rays that my tooth had 3 root canals. Then he used a machine called an Apex locator to measure the length of the canals. He told me this was to ensure the proper length of the root canal space.
This is the x-ray taken while the rods were in my tooth to ensure they were fitted properly
Then he used some treatment tools that looked like straight pins you use on a bulletin board. He used them a lot. Different pins of different sizes. Sometimes, he used a drill. Once again, he did this for a while. It didn’t hurt.
He put some more bleach and saline in the root canals to clean them once again. Then more of the straight pins. Then more bleach and saline. I felt no pain and almost fell asleep.
Then I felt something warm. I felt it a few times. Next I felt something a little hotter. I only felt that once and it hurt just a little bit. I later learned it was a material called Gutta–percha which is used to fill a tooth after a root canal procedure.
The next thing I knew, he was putting on the temporary filling and using the light to harden it. He ordered one more set of x-rays.
Once he reviewed the x-rays, he took off the rubber dam and told me it was over. Although it had been a little over an hour and half since I arrived, I was surprised by how quickly the time flew. And how little pain I felt!
How Much Does a Root Canal Cost?
It’s a little pricey. Mine was $1232 CDN for 3 root canals. Note that some teeth can have 4 root canals and some have only 1. Almost $750 of the cost was covered by my dental insurance.
My tooth will need a crown to protect it from further damage. My dentist has quoted me approximately $1,200 CDN to get that done.
Next Steps
I have to make an appointment with my dentist to explore the crown option. I’m hoping we can delay it because my insurance is almost maxed out. If not, I’ll have to bite the bullet and get it done anyway. I’d really like to keep this tooth!
What I Learned
- As usual, I’ve learned that fear of the unknown is worse than the unknown itself.
- Dentist and Endodontists have really cool jobs (that pay very well), but I wouldn’t want to be one. I’m not detail-oriented enough, nor do I have the eyesight or dexterity to manipulate those teeny tiny tools.
- Root canals don’t suck as much as people think they do. Mine wasn’t a traumatic experience and it didn’t even hurt. I still hate getting dental work done. It’s boring and uncomfortable, even though it’s pretty much painless these days. The one exception is teeth cleaning. I love getting a good teeth cleaning to ensure my oral health!
- I need to wear my night guard so I don’t have to go through this again.
That is my experience with having a root canal. Did my root canal hurt? Not really. It really wasn’t that bad!
Please share your root canal experiences in the comments and let us know how it went for you.