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Post by htmb on Sept 13, 2015 22:19:59 GMT
I have an appointment with the dentist this week. I thought everything was just fine, until I went in for a scheduled cleaning. Now it seems I need to have a filing replaced. I really do not enjoy trips to the dentist.
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Post by rikita on Sept 15, 2015 22:04:26 GMT
i should get an appointment soon again. i had a tooth ache two and a half weeks ago, got a filling before the trip and he said to come back after the trip if there is still pain - it was fine the first week, but since the second week it occasionally hurts again, there. though at this very moment it doesn't, so i am tempted to think all is fine.
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Post by htmb on Sept 16, 2015 0:07:38 GMT
Just be careful, Rikita. Hopefully, all is well with your tooth, but I learned a hard lesson last fall when I ignored some off and on tenderness for a few weeks. It turned into a very painful abcess on a weekend.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2015 5:26:26 GMT
Going to the dentist today to get my crown fitted at last.
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Post by Kimby on Oct 23, 2015 17:44:25 GMT
Turns out my toothache isn't a phantom ache of a crowned tooth. Dentist xrayed it and I have an abscess. I'm about to find out what a root canal is like....
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2015 17:51:17 GMT
Oh god...
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Post by whatagain on Oct 23, 2015 18:01:15 GMT
yikes.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 23, 2015 18:53:53 GMT
I had two root canals about 15 years ago and they were a total nightmare. (Don't think that the anesthesia will protect you from all unpleasantness.) But early this year I had another root canal at the dental school, and the professor demonstrated his magical machine on me. He did the entire root canal in 20 minutes when normally it was scheduled for 4 or 5 times x 90 minutes. About 4 students were observing and their eyes bugged out in awe.
Then I had to go through a number of sessions of "tooth reconstruction" because it was decided that my tooth could be saved with a little creative masonry. It was a total success -- except that it wasn't because the tooth cracked about 3 months later and had to be pulled. But that's a totally different horror story...
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Post by chexbres on Oct 23, 2015 20:44:59 GMT
I've had numerous partial and complete root canals, unfortunately - all done in the US. Insist that your dentist give you drugs - before, during and after. If you have an ipod or headphones, the music will help immensely, and it will all be over with before you know it.
When you get home, your gums will look and feel like hamburger, especially after the drugs wear off. It's important to rinse your mouth regularly with warm-ish salt water 3 or 4 times a day to help your gums recover quickly and avoid infection. Take your painkillers even if you don't think you need them, and go lie down even if you don't want to. If you don't, the pain will sneak up on you and hit you like a ton of bricks.
The dentists in France practice "tough love" - meaning they are all sadists, as kerouac knows all too well. Be glad you're having a dental problem while you're home, because you'll have a much easier time of it. Whatever you do - don't Google the root canal process! You really do not want to know what's happening...
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Post by Kimby on Oct 24, 2015 1:42:46 GMT
Not only do I not want to know what Google has to say about root canals, I wish I could UNKNOW what you guys just told me!
(Though I do appreciate the tips for enduring the procedure and the recovery.)
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Post by questa on Oct 24, 2015 3:01:10 GMT
Kimby, I was scheduled for RC work and like you, dreading it. Then the Boxing day tsunami hit and I was called up to go and help as part of Oz contingent. The dental consultant was terrific...Wanted to do his bit for the tsunami victims He found a spare afternoon (Probably cancelled his golf)and said he would do both the procedures at one time. Usually they do it in 2 sittings. He wore a small camera which showed my mouth on a screen, and told me what he was doing. He kept checking to see if I was OK and I was so fascinated watching that I didn't feel any discomfort at all. As I left the building my thought was "Is that all root canal is?" Really, I found it less painful than my friends had told me to expect...less than an ordinary filling. Never got around to having a crown put on and tooth still OK 11 years later.
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Post by Kimby on Oct 24, 2015 4:16:55 GMT
Thanks, questa, for the encouragement. My tooth already has a crown. They drill right through it, and put in a filling afterwards. I hear it costs about $1000!
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Post by questa on Oct 24, 2015 7:52:29 GMT
$1500 here...that's why I never got around to having it done. Them ther's good travellin' dollars...not gonna blow it on fancy tooth work!
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Post by chexbres on Oct 24, 2015 8:36:29 GMT
I absolutely agree that the price is the most painful part of the procedure...
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2015 8:50:14 GMT
I didn't have to pay for a root canal in France. However, my crown cost me about 800 euros and the implant another 500. That's about half the market price here, because I go to the dental school.
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Post by breeze on Oct 24, 2015 13:12:13 GMT
I don't think you need to dread a root canal. I've had several done. The first time the tooth before the root canal was so painful that the work itself was a relief, and I didn't have memorable pain afterwards. The next time, a friend advised me to take heavy doses of vitamin C, which she claimed had helped her. I did and that may have worked.
Really, I've lost track of how many root canals I've had, which is a tribute to my current dentist.
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Post by Kimby on Oct 24, 2015 17:42:34 GMT
There's a wealth of info on this thread about root canals. Thanks for steering me to it.
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Post by htmb on Oct 24, 2015 19:15:02 GMT
Kimby, you did the smart thing in having your concerns checked out, rather than ignoring early symptoms as I did a year ago. What had been just a little occasional soreness caused by the beginnings of an abscess, turned into extreme pain once the infection took hold. The root canal, done through my newish crown (part of a bridge), was successfully completed by a very kind and adept professional.
This was the third time I'd had a root canal in the last 20 years. None of the experiences were a walk in the park, but neither were they all that awful. Thank goodness I was able to have the abcess taken care of and my tooth saved.
The worst part of my last root canal experience was the expense. I didn't have dental insurance a year ago. I do now in anticipation of more problems to come. Hopefully, you'll complete the process with a minimum of bother.
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Post by chexbres on Oct 24, 2015 20:18:26 GMT
Ask your dentist if you need a partial or complete root canal. If you can get away with only a partial, your tooth will stay viable much longer. If the whole root is removed, the tooth actually "dies" - it will probably stay in place for a long time, but is much more fragile and prone to wiggling around, which causes gum problems and more trouble. Good luck and hope everything goes well.
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Post by amboseli on Oct 24, 2015 21:07:44 GMT
My husband had a root canal a few months ago. It wasn't very bad pain-wise but it took the endodontist almost 2 hours to finish the whole procedure. I guess the best thing is that it cost 'only' around 250 euro.
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Post by Kimby on Oct 31, 2015 15:52:40 GMT
Visited an endodontist who verified with a cold test that the root has died under the crown, and there is an abscess around the root of at least 6 months duration.
He would have done the root canal right then (1 hour +/-) but with houseguests arriving in a few hours, I opted to schedule for Nov 5 and take antibiotics in the meantime. Pain is gone, and if it weren't for that X-ray that even I could read, I'd defer the procedure indefinitely.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2015 18:10:54 GMT
Oh well, I don't think that anybody is nostalgic for the days when older people were traditionally toothless (yes I know that Kimby is still very young). I need to get into my mother's mouth one of these days to see how many teeth are left. Only two are visible.
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Post by mossie on Oct 31, 2015 20:17:01 GMT
I had a root canal done a few years ago, not painful but a rather uncomfortable procedure. But memorable for two reasons, the dentist was worried because it was an eye tooth so did a couple of X-rays as the job went on to make sure he did not penetrate that far. Rather worrying!
But the real problem came half way through when he was obviously struggling and making no progress. An X-ray found an obstruction which he decided was a pearl, of all things. I thought he was pulling my leg, but he assured me he had read of such a thing and it was very rare. Would happen to me and it made for a fair delay as he had to obtain a special drill to deal with it.
So when I broke the side off a big molar last year and the dentist told me it would require another root canal job, I chickened out. Recently another damaged molar shed a large lump which I won't bother the dentist with. That tooth bed to trap food, but with the piece gone it no longer does so. Several of my teeth have absolutely no feeling so I have fillings done without anaesthetic with no bother.
As an old age perisher all my dental care is free, but I don't bother them unless absolutely necessary.
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Post by mich64 on Oct 31, 2015 20:48:17 GMT
My mom had all her bottom teeth removed a few weeks ago. Quite a few began breaking off above the gum line, her Dentist said they were all just crumbling. She had her top teeth removed over 30 years ago so she is used to having dentures. She now has to wait a few months, until 2016, to get here new bottom dentures as the procedure to take out the teeth took her to the limit of her dental plan where there is an annual top amount allowable to claim.
I go to my Dentist next week for a check-up and cleaning.
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Post by Kimby on Nov 8, 2015 5:33:39 GMT
Root canal is over, the most painful part was the price! $1400! Thanks to chexbres's suggestion I blissed out to music during the hour and 15 minute procedure, cranking the volume when the drilling was loudest.
Minimal pain in the first thirty hours, but I gave in and took some ibuprofen the 2nd evening so I could enjoy an evening out for my birthday. The Advil worked well, so I've continued taking it when I notice the dull ache returning.
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Post by Kimby on Jan 3, 2016 22:41:42 GMT
More dental woes. The molar above the root-canal-ed tooth started aching when I chewed on the right side. Rather than tough it out, which, as a stoic I am prone to do, I went to the dentist right away, expecting to be told it was nothing.
Instead, I was shown a magnified photo of my tooth with a crack that looks like the San Andreas Fault running lengthwise through the tooth and its giant filling, meaning it can't be fixed with a crown or a root canal. It will need to be extracted, with a "sinus lift" and bone graft (using cadaver bone) followed by placement of an implant.
I was put on a course of Amoxicillin, and made appointments to see an oral surgeon on the 7th. I also got price estimates from 2 oral surgeons ranging from $4500-5000! Puts my root canal to shame in the sticker-shock category.
And I hear from other dental victims that "implant" doesn't include the fake tooth, just the structure to install it on! Yikes!
Meanwhile I'm getting a toothache now, and taking ibuprofen. Mr. Kimby has some Lortab left from his wisdom tooth extraction, so I should be OK till we can get it treated.
Bummer.
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Post by htmb on Jan 3, 2016 22:44:50 GMT
Ouch all the way around, Kimby!!! I am so sorry.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2016 23:21:21 GMT
How awful. I have no plans to return to the dentist for at least 20 years.
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Post by Kimby on Jan 4, 2016 3:01:59 GMT
We have no dental insurance, so we get to pay the whole tab.
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Post by bjd on Jan 4, 2016 7:07:02 GMT
I lost a filling during the holidays and all the dentists in the area were on vacation. I phoned the dentist I go to here and the office was closed too and the voice mail was full. I'll go over this morning at 8:30 and see if they can take me between appointments since I'm leaving on Thursday morning. No pain but I'd rather have it fixed if possible.
Dental coverage in France is not great, but certainly much better than having to pay the whole tab.
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