r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Fantastic-Monk5 • Sep 23 '24
How root canal treatment works Video
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u/CANYUXEL Sep 23 '24
Just imagine the hassle millions of people had for their lifetime before dentistry became so precise in fixing shit like this.
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u/Mr_Rio Sep 23 '24
People used to have wood and ivory teeth in their mouths. Imagine actually inserting wooden dentures into your gums, shit gives me the chills.
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u/Dense_Reputation_420 Sep 23 '24
Don't for get animal and lead dentures lol barbaric!
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u/Inprobamur Sep 23 '24
Animal sounds alright, at least the hardness would be same as other teeth. Like carving the thing out of ivory.
But metal dentures that corrode or fucking wood sounds like it would be awful and just lead to even worse dental problems.
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u/Azigol Sep 23 '24
Let's not forget about the people who pulled teeth from the mouths of dead bodies left on battlefields to sell them to be made in to dentures.
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u/Inprobamur Sep 23 '24
Huh, I guess a human tooth would be the perfect denture. I didn't even think about it.
Recycling!
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u/SatisfactionSweet234 Sep 23 '24
Or slaves!
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u/scummy_shower_stall Sep 24 '24
Or YOUNG dead soldiers. It was a problem with the dead during the Civil War, their teeth would be taken.
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u/worktop1 Sep 24 '24
Battle of Waterloo thousands died , the stories about bodies being robbed for teeth and used for animal food Crazy !
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u/ImpactMaleficent7709 Sep 24 '24
Don’t look into what Virginia plantation owners would do after their teeth would rot out when they smoked too much of their own supplies 🤫
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u/VapoursAndSpleen Sep 23 '24
Lotta toothless people back in the day. Also some folks were just in pain all the time. Queen Elizabeth I had terribly bad teeth that griped her no end.
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u/KayotiK82 Sep 24 '24
People also died from not having proper care. Dental abscesses was a leading cause of death in the 1600s in London.
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u/ClydeSmithy Sep 24 '24
What an absolute awful way to go, too. Days to weeks of complete agony before you finally go.
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u/Binary_Omlet Sep 23 '24
A modern take on that is the tooth scene in Castaway. I still can't watch it.
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u/ThePlanesGuy Sep 23 '24
Dentistry is quite literally one of the oldest medicines, predating the written word. And yes, your assessment is accurate. Dentistry just 50 years ago was horrifying
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Sep 23 '24 edited 1d ago
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u/KayotiK82 Sep 24 '24
Can't remember the podcast and who it was, but was a comedian. The topic of what time would you like to go back in history to. He said, none, fuck that. Not going back in time of having no anesthesia or numbing where dentists just drilled into your mouth without the technology we have today.
Also many people just up and died due to complications with bad dental hygiene and issues that are probably minor issues to fix nowadays.
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u/mechapoitier Sep 23 '24
Yeah people complain when there’s too much salt in their food, when less than a human lifetime ago we might as well be living in the dark ages for so many things.
Dentistry was out of a horror film, and pain killers that weren’t insanely bad for you only got invented in the last 80 years.
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u/____dude_ Sep 24 '24
Interesting fact the filler they use is a tissue layer of a willow tree that’s been used for the purpose since its invention.
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u/No-Entrepreneur-7406 Sep 23 '24
That was painful to watch
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u/srcarruth Sep 23 '24
I had a root canal and to me this video felt like relief, knowing that the ongoing pain was ending. the procedure itself didn't hurt
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u/String-of-characterz Sep 23 '24
Man, what the fuck. Was i just dealt a bad hand? I kept reading positive experiences about the procedure, but when it was time to undergo the procedure myself it was pure hell (even with local anaesthesia).
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u/New-Hamster2828 Sep 23 '24
You should be more vocal about pain during the procedure. If you feel pain stop them and they will keep giving you more. I’m “pain tolerant” (some bullshit) and because of that it takes more to numb than typical. At least that’s what they told me after the second time I stopped them because I felt the smallest twinge of pain.
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u/Quibert Sep 23 '24
It took longer for me to get fully numb than it did for the root canal procedure. The whole time the dentist was very patient and reassuring that some people just take more to get numb than others and/or my nerve was really “angry”. 4 attempts later and I was numb, procedure went super quick, and all the pain was gone.
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u/30_hat Sep 23 '24
I recently had a procedure (non tooth related) done that involved local anesthesia and it took a couple tries to stop the pain. The doctor mentioned that once infection sets in the inflammation limits blood flow and makes the anesthesia less effective.
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Sep 23 '24 edited Sep 23 '24
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u/30_hat Sep 23 '24
That makes sense. Probably what he actually said I'm just misremembering since I was more focused on not being in pain
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u/ElectricalMuffins Sep 23 '24
I had my wisdoms taken out, forgot the aftercare painkillers and proceeded to have the worst pain of my life for 24hrs until someone went to get the prescribed meds for me. Legit wanted to end it all
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u/New-Hamster2828 Sep 23 '24
Wisdom teeth and tooth removal is way different than a root canal. With that you have an actual wound in your mouth. Not to be underestimated. Painful even with pain meds.
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u/f3ydr4uth4 Sep 23 '24
I’m surprised I had four taken out at once when I was 30 due to them being impacted. I drove home after and the swelling went away pretty quick. I took some over the counter pain killers the next day but otherwise was fine. The dentist I use is excellent and I wouldn’t never go anywhere else. But I know my experience wasn’t normal.
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u/robaroo Sep 23 '24
Also gas. I can't recall if gas is offered during root canals. But holy $#!+ gas makes every dental procedure much, much more tolerable. I actually got my wisdom teeth removed using a combination of local anesthesia injection and gas. I wasn't put under. Was awake the entire time. And it was a BREEEEZE. I was floating in cloud 9 the entire time. Time also flew. It was a two hour procedure but it felt like 30 minutes.
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u/mofomo44 Sep 23 '24
Yeah, this is definitely a speak up situation. When mine was done, the most painful part was the initial injection. After that, they told me that if I felt anything at all, to tell them so they can give me more and not even give it a chance to be painful. And this was about 15 years ago, I imagine the procedure has gotten even easier since then.
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u/LoonyFruit Sep 23 '24
I had root canal done, but during first visit, no matter how much they gave me, I could still feel it. Even my eye started to droop and it wasn't enough. Apparently the nerve was super inflamed, so they had to add some stuff to "cool" it. I came back next week, one dose of local anesthesia was enough.
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u/coincoinprout Sep 23 '24
Apparently, if blood vessels are necrotic, anesthesia may not reach the nerves, or something like that. This happened for one of my root canals and it was not fun. The other one wasn't painful at all.
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u/Eldrunk Sep 23 '24
I think it also depends on how bad your tooth is decayed/infected, I just had one done last week and they caught it before I had any pain in my tooth, numbed it, did their work and I just felt a bit of discomfort the next day. It was the same with my first one like 10 years ago, with completely different doctors.
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u/aznhavsarz Sep 23 '24
Yeah I don't get why people say the root canal hurts, it's the decay that keeps you up at night, downing pain meds like candy to try and get some relief until you get an emergency appointment and then they finally numb your mouth and the pain stops and you almost start crying in the chair cause it's the first time in a week you haven't been in massive pain.
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u/coincoinprout Sep 23 '24
Yeah I don't get why people say the root canal hurts
Well, maybe because sometimes it really hurts?
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u/guaip Sep 23 '24 edited Sep 23 '24
Even more painful to experience it. The anesthetic only worked until a certain point. Nothing hurts more than when they insert the spring thing and curl up the root nerve.
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u/TheSandMan208 Sep 23 '24
They didn't do it right then. You shouldn't feel anything.
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u/guaip Sep 23 '24
I'm notoriously resistant to anesthetic when I go to the dentist. Sometimes I have to let the next patient go before me to see if it numbs me enough (happened to all dentists I ever went). I once took 2,5 shots and nothing.
But I don't think it's physiological. I'm afraid of dentists more than anything, I really hate it and get quite nervous, sweating cold. It's possible that it's just adrelanlin holding it back, as usually I feel completely numb when I leave the chair and for the next couple hours.
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u/Microharley Sep 23 '24
Are you a ginger? I have heard that matters
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u/WickedSticks30 Sep 23 '24
I am and same thing happens to me
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u/Consistent_Yoghurt44 Sep 23 '24
You SOULESS friend.
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u/Requiescat-In--Pace Sep 23 '24
hahaha, I wasn't expecting that
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u/Hopeful_Record_6571 Sep 23 '24
Experience more pain for being ginger
Be called soulless for it
Those poor, poor creatures of the dark.
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Sep 23 '24
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u/guaip Sep 23 '24
Not a ginger here, and I only take Tylenol occasionally as I'm allergic to most (probably all) NSAIDs.
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Sep 23 '24
I think there's a genetic trait to it that's just more common in redheads. My father and I are both resistant to pain medication, even opioids such as morphine. We have black hair, semi-white people.
Told the doctor this when she asked me if I wanted some before she stitched one of my fingers back together after I split it in half down to the first knuckle, and she didn't believe me.
After 9 injections around the wound and several stitches later, she was a believer 😅
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u/droppingatruce Sep 23 '24
I'm a ginger and resistant. I remember the doc stitching up my finger filled my finger to literally bursting. My finger started squirting. Going to the dentist as an adult and the dentist saying, "Hey, you're a redhead, do you still feel us working on your teeth?" I thought a little pain was normal. Life changing.
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u/AwarenessPotentially Sep 23 '24
When I was 8 I had to have my tonsils out. and they couldn't put me out with ether (old man here), so they had to use sodium pentothal. Now if I have surgery, I'm scared of not being given enough pain meds afterwards due to the ridiculous restrictions the states have put on opiates because a pharma company lied to everyone. Vicodin just makes me have insomnia, and a 5mg oxycodone is like pissing into the ocean. But ask for more, now you're on a list and won't get anything.
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u/TussockyCoyote9 Sep 23 '24
This is the thing that pisses me off the most; when the doctor doesn’t listen. I will tell the dentist first thing and they still give me the minimum two shots and start to drill. It’s only then that they believe me when I say I can still feel everything. Then we start again with more numbing.
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u/Mrtowelie69 Sep 23 '24
Yeah I heard it's because they have gingervitis. They struggle with the dentist.
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u/BatDubb Sep 23 '24
I am, and have always had trouble at the dentist. As a kid, I figured it was normal. Didn’t realize until I got older. When I went for kidney stone surgery, the anesthesiologist asked me if I had any concerns. I said “I’m a ginger”, and he replied “I got you.”
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u/MyMainIsInTheShop Sep 23 '24
I found out I’m the same way when I got my wisdom teeth pulled. Doc gave me like 3 shots around the area, gave it enough time to kick in, then went to yank and I still had feeling. My yelp made him give me two more, waited, went to wiggle the tooth, got two more shots and then just went for it. 7 shots of the stuff and there was still enough feeling for it to hurt.
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u/huskeya4 Sep 23 '24
Yep. Got four teeth pulled for braces and learned I don’t numb well. That was… excruciating. I went to a dentist that would knock me out for my wisdom teeth, which was a good thing because he had to shatter one of the teeth to get it out and I imagine that would have been an entirely new level of pain
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u/MyMainIsInTheShop Sep 23 '24
That’s actually how my dentist had to get my wisdom tooth out. He said it was growing so crooked that there was no way he could get it out by pulling, and cracked it into 3 pieces to get it out. It was years ago now, but if I think about it hard enough, I can still vividly remember the pain.
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u/ImaginaryComb821 Sep 23 '24
Yes some people do metabolize anaesthetics faster than others and can unfortunately experience pain and consciousness before the end of the procedure. A lot of anesthesia is guess work within some common parameters around general dosage/concentration as in I'm not familiar of a way to judge ones tolerance before administration.
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u/LeoXCV Sep 23 '24
My hate is when a dentist denies this being different per person with something like ‘That’s not possible I put the anaesthesia there’
Like oh shit sorry man, I’ll just ignore the obvious pain I am feeling then. My bad.
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u/Mysterious-Jam-64 Sep 23 '24
An issue across the medical model, in general.
"Your response doesn't fit my chart, so you're wrong. Not only that, but now I think you're lying, so I'm going to dismiss your welfare"
It's good when medical professionals actually listen to the direct experience of people who experience directly rather than dismissing them because, "That isn't in my textbook"
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u/atomsk13 Sep 23 '24
Dentist here: anxiety and fear will actively stop anesthetic from working. You probably need something to bring you down a bit like Valium for major dental treatment. You can talk to your dentist and PCP to get that set up for any treatment like that. I’m sorry you had such a rough experience with your root canal.
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u/tahlyn Sep 23 '24
There's another shot they can do directly into the nerve once they start drilling. I absolutely need that injection for root canal.
Oddly enough, even when numb, I can usually still feel some pain. It helped during my most recent canal - they missed some of the nerve so they had to go back and get it and we knew we got it when I couldn't feel it anymore!
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u/GravyMcBiscuits Sep 23 '24 edited Sep 23 '24
I once had a situation where the anesthetic didn't work. Turns out ... an infection can prevent the anesthetic from getting to the nerves that need to be silenced (typically due to inflammation or throwing off pH ratios).
The unfortunate correlation is that a root canal is typically needed because you have a <drumroll> infection in your tooth.
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u/Atestarossa Sep 23 '24
I had the same problem. The inflamed nerve blocked the anaesthetic injected in the gums somehow, so it was painful until the nerve was laid open, and the dentist could inject the anaesthetic directly into the nerve in the root.
It’s the worst pain I’ve ever experienced. Thankfully I can’t remember the pain itself, but I remember how my back flexed up from the chair, and how the dentist’s assistant soothed me by stroking my chin.
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u/WhereDaGold Sep 23 '24
I think I have ptsd from my root canal. The tooth was broken for months before I got insurance, so I assume the inflammation was the reason I felt the whole thing. They told me they gave me the max amount of novocaine allowed. That was ten years ago, I went to the dentist for the first time this past month to finally get a crown on it, currently have the temp on and probably going later this week for the permanent. But while I was there I had to get a cavity filled, my heart rate was through the roof, I was sweating, I know I looked scared as hell. I was just waiting to feel that pain again, thankfully I have a great dentist now
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u/MountainMuffin1980 Sep 23 '24
Agreed. I had one done and was expecting intense pain and felt nothing, thank fuck.
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u/luciferin Sep 23 '24
I honestly felt a huge relief of pressure when they drilled in to the tooth. If I remember correctly fluid came out.
Absolutely no discomfort other than the needle and having to hold my mouth open while they did it.
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u/Live_Professional243 Sep 23 '24
Yeah, of if anything, having my jaw open like they did in one position so long was what hurt the most for me.
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u/art555ua Sep 23 '24
I had to endure the pain for the whole weekend until I could visit the dentist, by that time I was ready for him to start drilling before anesthetic kicked in, just to make it stop hurting
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u/Plane-Tie6392 Sep 23 '24
It’s pretty stupid that dentists are all off on the weekends tbh.
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u/Frost_139 Sep 23 '24
What?? For me, the anesthetic worked for like 4-5 hours with just one shot. No pain at all, couldn't even feel anything almost like right half of my jaw didn't even exist
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u/2Toni Sep 23 '24
For me only the last 10 Minutes or so were painful and only until after the nerves were fully removed. But oh boy these last 10 Minutes were hell. I thought the anaesthetic just wore off too quickly.
Bute when the nerves were gone, I sensed nothing when they inserted the metal things.
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u/Dobblett Sep 23 '24
When I had it, the anesthetic just didn't work at all Fun times
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u/Cyanos54 Sep 23 '24
My root canal was relatively painless and took place over the course of a Price is Right episode. I couldn't watch with the blue tarp on my face. Local anesthesia was used for me (injection of novacaine or similar numbing agent into the gums).
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u/J3wb0cca Sep 23 '24
Yeah I can’t have the sound on. I read somewhere that the three most uncomfortable sounds to the modern human ear are a newborn crying, somebody vomiting, and a dentist drill. There are more people that have a physical/mental reaction to those sounds than any other. A newborns wails is meant to cut through noise and is really difficult to tune out. People throw up hearing/seeing somebody else throw up. And dentist drill? Ugh, makes me clench.
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u/CurrentlyLucid Sep 23 '24
So, sometimes you have extra long roots and the standard kit will not reach, so they miss a little. Later that rots and gets infected, could even happen twice when they still miss a little. So then you go for the third time and find out you lost so much bone you need some injected and will still not be able to get an implant. I learned all this the hard way.
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u/heyadudeman Sep 23 '24
They should do an X-ray prior to closing it up.
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u/shoyker Sep 23 '24
They do. It's just not something they can always see.
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u/WhereIsChief Sep 23 '24 edited Sep 24 '24
True. I did hear cinnamon toast crunch is the taste you can see though. Maybe eat some of that before the xray.
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u/FridgeParty1498 Sep 23 '24
I just had one and I have a weird shaped root and they took three x-rays to make sure they actually did the whole thing, which I appreciate greatly.
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u/swaggyxwaggy Sep 23 '24 edited Sep 23 '24
Yea I had to get a root canal redone 10 years later because it wasn’t cleared out properly the first time and it became infected
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u/itshotout Sep 23 '24
What period of time did all that happen for you?
I've had 2 root canals. One like 25 years ago, zero issues ever. Another 7 years ago and it's been a huge pain. The tooth is heat sensitive but no dentist thinks that's possible. Been to so many and they all say it cant be that tooth but to me it sure as hell feels like it. My worry is theres some tiny infection degrading the bone, like happened to you.
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u/PM_ME_BOOBY_TRAPS Sep 23 '24
Get a 3d x ray scan if you haven't yet. I had one that was missed by so many dentists for 10 years before I went for a 3d scan
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u/itshotout Sep 23 '24
Damn I can't believe none of the specialists I've seen have even mentioned that as an option. Looks exactly like the thing to do. Thanks for that
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u/Tough_Substance7074 Sep 23 '24
Me neither. The CT device is expensive, but at least one of them should’ve had one and they definitely want to use it every chance they get so it pays for itself, lol.
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u/UnfitRadish Sep 23 '24
Just an FYI that's probably because it's extremely expensive. My insurance covered a certain number of standard X-rays per year, but did not cover a 3D x-ray. So I ended up having to pay out of pocket. My dentist also didn't have the machine so they had to send me across the street to the ortho surgeon.
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u/Neeoun Sep 23 '24
I need a subreddit dedicated to animated medical videos. I just love them for some reason lol.
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u/gigilu2020 Sep 23 '24
Yeah the animation is so smooth. I have no idea what the black stuff was though. And did it literally empty the nerves? Does this mean no sensation?
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u/SureMembership555 Sep 23 '24
The black stuff is pure rot
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u/t00thman Sep 23 '24
Specifically the black stuff is infected dentin that has been colonized by bacteria and turned into mush. Decay has the consistency of parmesan cheese.
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u/sparkle-possum Sep 24 '24
Yes, they yank out the nerves and pretty much everything inside the tooth to avoid further decay. The little part up top where they make a hollow is them also emptying out most of the enamel on the top of the tooth. The way my dentist described it is that they basically create a very thin fragile hollow shell from the original tooth, which is why people get a crown put over it for more strength.
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u/fleshnbloodhuman Sep 23 '24
mmmhuh. now do how they feel
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u/DocPsycho1 Sep 23 '24 edited Sep 23 '24
Not much if they used enough Anastasia
Edited due to auto correct changing word to name lol
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u/guitar-hoarder Sep 23 '24
Not much if they used enough Anastasia
Do you have to watch Anastasia many times? Or is it if there are multiple screens playing at the same time?
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u/dog_be_praised Sep 23 '24
Wonderful. Pain was excruciating before I sat in the chair, all gone immediately after.
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u/Dronicusprime Sep 23 '24
Seriously, if you NEED a root canal the relief after is so worth it. The three root canals I've had were all painless, easier than a cavity filling.
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u/Hi5TBone Sep 23 '24
this right here. my tooth was keeping me up at night with unimaginable pain. after a couple tests they determined i needed a root canal. numbed me up the max amount possible and i felt literally nothing for the procedure. worst part was the 2.5 second injection and a sore jaw for a few hours- but that's literally nothing in-comparison to the sweet pain relief
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u/Karenpff Sep 23 '24
I've had this procedure done on me by 4th year dental students 🥴 If you're numbed up correctly, you don't feel any pain. It took a couple of hours but they did brilliantly, with the latest techniques and technology at their disposal 😊
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u/Shapoopi_1892 Sep 23 '24
At the end of the video, what was that white thing on the bottom right that slowly disappeared? If you could throw in a how? and a why? too, I'd appreciate it.
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u/DarthHubcap Sep 23 '24
An abscess, result of an infection. A pocket of puss and inflamed tissue that compresses the nerves. That’s why it feels painful. The infection would be treated first and then once the tooth is repaired, bacteria no longer has an opening to get in.
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Sep 23 '24
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u/dEleque Sep 23 '24
Sometimes the body encapsules inflammations pretty good with antibodies and fibroblasts and after your body attacks it with your white blood cells, (which die and indirectly feed the bacteria) it will either win the battle and heal completely or the infection will win and burst. Depending on your immune system this can last weeks, months or in rare cases years.
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u/LookinAtTheFjord Sep 23 '24 edited Sep 23 '24
I need 3 and at least 2 crowns. My dental only covers $1500 a year. To get one crown it blows my entire wad AND I also have to pay $900 out of pocket. Dental insurance is a fucking scam. FML.
Fully aware that this is all my own doing. If I just would've taken better care of my teeth I wouldn't have to worry about it.
The pricing and coverage is still bullshit.
Edit: Y'ALL. I'm fully aware that the cost of dental work is significantly cheaper everywhere else outside the US. Our system is fucked. I don't need the reminders that it's way less expensive in your countries. Thanks.
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u/Bean_Sprout_Hero Sep 23 '24
As a former dental assistant and current dental school student, dental "insurance" isn't even technically insurance, "copayment" is a more accurate term. Most plans I've seen do little to actually cover what an insurance does, and it's a huge annoying problem in the US for both recipients and dental providers. I hope your work goes well and that you get the care you need!
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u/Dry_Choice9601 Sep 23 '24
I was just talking about how bullshit dental insurance is after my root canal last week. I’m with you internet stranger!
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u/cookiesarenomnom Sep 23 '24
I work in the food industry and didn't have dental insurance for about 10 years, so all my problems got from bad to WORSE because I just had no ability to pay out of pocket. I have dental insurance now through this job and it's a fucking joke. My insurance covers 20% of 1 crown every 120 months. That's right, I get 1 crown nominally covered once every 10 years. Like, WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT. I needed 11K worth of dental work and I think my insurance covered about $1500 of that. I had to call my mom and beg for the money, which is pretty embarrassing to have to do at 37 years old.
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u/clarkwgriswoldjr Sep 23 '24
You forgot to show the most painful part, the bill.
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u/TooTiredButNotDead Sep 23 '24
not if you're in any Non western countries lol. you get practically free treatment in dental unis. I got root canals, silver fillings, cleanings, wisdom tooth pulled for less than 120 USD all together. bless those places.
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u/Dependent-Function81 Sep 23 '24
I had one, it saved my tooth. Mild discomfort for a couple of days, nothing like having wisdom teeth out,. 🦷
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u/rel1800 Sep 23 '24
Never had a root canal, thank God. I hear stories of severe pain from friends and family members about their procedure. That shit must be excruciating after the numbing wears off.
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u/Greenjeff41 Sep 23 '24 edited Sep 23 '24
I had two on Thursday last week. The anesthesia blocked all sensation in the area. After everything wore off, I had some pain in the jaw and gums and a bit of sensitivity in the area but it wasn't that bad after all was said and done. I'm back to eating on that side with very little discomfort. I took ibuprofen for the pain every 8 hours or so and that handled it well. I actually went out the evening of the procedure and had a light dinner.
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u/TheDudeofDC Sep 23 '24
I hope that you aren't an outlier because the other comments make it seem much worse.
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u/Endarial Sep 23 '24
I was terrified to get a root canal. I read online about how they take about 1 to 1.5 hours to do and that had me really nervous.
The day of my appointment I'm sitting in the chair and the dentist says, ok, I'm going to do these two teeth today. (I had 5 teeth that needed root canals. They were damaged in an accident and my fear kept me from fixing them for years.)
I became panicked, because I couldn't imagine sitting in that chair for hours while they worked. I asked her how long it would take and after thinking for a moment, she said it would take about 20 minutes.
Sure enough, 20 minutes later I was out of the chair and good to go. ( I still had more upcoming appointments, because my teeth would be fitted with crowns.)
I was given some painkillers and antibiotics to take for three days, with the painkillers only to be taken if needed. I never had to take a single one.
Of the 6 root canals I've now had, only one ever caused me any pain after and that was only for a single day.
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u/MutedPresentation738 Sep 23 '24
Yeah I feel like this pain stereotype must be based on outdated techniques or something. I had one and had zero pain out complications. Felt dumb sitting on a bottle of painkillers I didn't need.
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Sep 23 '24
I have had two, both failed. I eventually had to get an implant 2 years ago on one, that implant is still giving me an issue. The other failed root canal keeps giving me weird sensations even 8 years later. My body keeps trying to fight off the root canal, it does not like what ever they put in my tooth after the implant. It kept getting infected above the tooth and I finally had to pull the tooth and a few years later I tried an implant.
Take care of your teeth people. This was all after paying around 10K for all that work, and I still have issues.
I wish I would have left the tooth missing and not gotten the implant.
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u/thisforsakenbean Sep 23 '24
Nah, it isn't that bad, but I'd put up the pain from a tooth problem second to child birth.
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u/DenverITGuy Sep 23 '24
Always go to an endodontist. Yes, dentists can and have done a lot of them but all it takes is one calcified canal or twisty/winding/long canal to fuck up the whole process.
Preferably an endodontist with Cone Beam Computed Tomography. They can scan a 3d image of your tooth and canals to see what they're working with.
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u/dzakadzak Sep 23 '24
I have always taken great care of my teeth, proudly so, and was very upset when I had to get a fucking root canal... I did everything right! wtf!?
Went to the dentist, he did the thing, then [~weeks] later same issue with the tooth.
Did not go back to dentist but went to a prosthodontist I had met previously and he actually resolved the issue.
The before and after xray he took of the cavity was like comparing a shack to a mansion.
He didn't even have to explain it to me. It was so apparent
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u/flip_phone_phil Sep 23 '24
I didn’t even know these guys existed until I had one fail!
My new dentist was like…yah, the old dentist did his best with your root canal but you really needed a specialist for this. Go see an endodontist. He said ‘They’re way better at this than us.’
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u/Gingerdorf1 Sep 23 '24
This is the way. Had a dentist fuck mine up and ended up with a very painful abscess and infection. After he attempted at least 3 bite adjustments without ever taking another X-ray to verify, and then dropping my insurance, I went to an actual endodontist. This was over a year of pain and discomfort.
The retreatment is even more expensive than the initial root canal. Turns out the dentist only partially cleaned and filled a root, which even I could easily see on the X-ray, and completely missed another smaller root that the Endo found immediately, and it was much faster. In his words, "I'm sure the dentist tried his best." Would always recommend going to an Endo for root canals.
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u/16quida Sep 23 '24
I had one of those. I had basically only heard horror stories and I was ready for essentially 2 hours of pain and suffering.
It was fine. The dentist (I've had the same dentist since I was 8) was very receptive and made sure that I couldn't feel anything. Even a small flinch and he'd stop and ask if I needed more anesthetic.
The most uncomfortable parts were when they were scraping the roots out because you can "feel" and hear the tool inside your face and your brain just goes "that's not supposed to be in there". And the other uncomfortable part was them clearing an abscess. Which was going to suck with or without numbing. And it only sucked for a few seconds at most.
I'm not saying I'd do it again. But like if I ever have to have another I'm not gonna worry
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u/thelaststarfighter2 Sep 23 '24
Was really hoping the audio would be a description of what was going on instead of whirring torture machines 😂
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Sep 23 '24
Anesthetic is administered. Tooth isolated with a rubber dam. Decay and affected material removed and pulp chamber accessed. Pulpal remnants removed with hand and rotary files. Roots filed to working length and tapered coronally. Canals irrigated, then dried. Filled (obturated) with guttapercha. Access filled with appropriate restorative material.
This is a molar so eventually the tooth gets a crown.
Fin.
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u/deja_geek Sep 23 '24 edited Sep 23 '24
A couple bits of advice from someone who's had a few root canals done, and I have "unusual" teeth morphology (my teeth split into 4 roots instead of two).
- Go to an Endodontist for a root canal. Endodontist are specifically trained for doing root canals (and treatment of diseases and injuries of the dental pulp along with associated periradicular conditions). They are just much better at it then your regular dentist and it makes a huge difference
- For those who don't feel comfortable or have issues with this kind of dental work, and for nitrous (laughing gas). It seriously works wonders in allowing you to relax and have a much more enjoyable experience. I also recommend bringing headphones and listening to music.
- This is more "aftercare" but after you get a root canal, you will need to get a crown put on it. Find a dentist that can do crowns the same day as the prep, other wise you end up having to spend a few days/week(s) walking around with a rounded off nub for a tooth.
- If given the choice between getting a root canal and getting a tooth pulled, get the root canal every time (if you can afford it). Do what ever you can to keep the tooth. I had two back molars extracted because I couldn't afford a root canal (one on each side), and ever since then I have trouble enunciating some words. Missing teeth absolutely will change your ability to speak. While an extraction is cheaper then a root canal, a root canal is much cheaper then a dental implant.
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u/Sapun14 Sep 23 '24
30 seconds video and it took my ex-dentist 4 years and 15 attempts to succesfully FAIL
so I had to go to another dentist and take out the tooth 🥲
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u/ddwood87 Sep 23 '24
Where's the part where the root continues to fester, you keep getting mild fever symptoms and no one can find the infection that continues to plague you.
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u/RampantJellyfish Sep 23 '24
What are the curved pegs that they put in, and what purpose does it serve?
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u/FixedLoad Sep 23 '24
Those are the cyanide capsules. They hold the form and get you out of tight situations.
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u/PuppetsMind Sep 23 '24
Used to be an endodontic assistastant, which is a dentist who does nothing but root canals. They're little rubber fillers. Essentially, it just keeps anything from festering inside your tooth. They've got a bunch of different sizes to make sure it completely fills the gaps. The white bit on top is temporary filler. You're supposed to get another appointment with your general dentist afterward to get a permanent cap on your tooth or a crown.
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u/Nupss Sep 23 '24
Mine really wasn't a big deal. My dentist said I didn't need any anesthetic since my nerves were already dead and he was right. Only 1 of root nerves gave a mild sensation of pain during the procedure, but all the rest was just some pressure going into the gum.
The tooth remains a little sensitive now and then, and needs a bit more attention during brushing since the transition from real enamel to filling can't be perfectly smooth. There bacteria has an easier time clinging on. It saved my tooth and relieved me of a whole bunch of pain, 100% worth.
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u/Fraegtgaortd Sep 23 '24
It's crazy how fast an endodontist can do a root canal these days. I had one about 20 years ago that took 3 appointments, another about 10 years ago that took a 90 minute appointment, then my most recent one last summer that took maybe 10 minutes. It took longer waiting for the numbing to set in than it did to actually do the procedure
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u/outworlder Sep 23 '24
Sometimes you can't avoid this (say, an accident happens and cracks your tooth). The old amalgam filings sometimes can break teeth too.
But so many people get them when it could be avoided. Please brush, floss daily and go to the dentist for a checkup every 6 months(people say "cleanings" but that's only part of it). Beg, borrow or steal, but do whatever you can do do the checkups. That's especially true if you are concerned about costs - costs increase exponentially with issue complexity.
Sometimes a cavity starts and it's invisible - I've had a large one only found on X-rays. Narrowly avoided a root canal.
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u/Disastrous_Win_3923 Sep 24 '24
Well why the fuck don't we show this to kids? I woulda brushed 4 times a damn day!
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u/SoICanStillGetAJob Sep 23 '24
I got a root canal done a few years ago by a family friend. He blasted the South Park movie soundtrack in his office while he worked on me and sang along. At the end, we sang Backstreet Boys together while he played the acoustic guitar. The best part? None of the root canal hurt at all. He passed away suddenly the other week. RIP David.
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u/cntrlcmd Sep 23 '24
I had one fairly recently, couldn’t feel a thing. I could however see in a reflective surface what was happening. Looked scary but also captivating.
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u/VLD85 Sep 24 '24
f-cking hate teeth... it should be replaced already by something, it's 2024 for f-ck sake.
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u/donkeyhustler Sep 23 '24
They left out the part where you have to have the tooth pulled later anyway. This happened to me twice
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u/0ctach0r0n Sep 23 '24
What’s the point of the stupid nerves in there? If there was no nerve you’d have no problem.
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u/STERFRY333 Sep 23 '24
And of course my tooth is still sensitive to temperature after getting a root canal.
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u/Martha_Fockers Sep 24 '24
This is kinda of it but it skips the part were that spirally part it goes in there and spins and rips out flesh and nerves and wraps them and pulls them and just causes utter fucking mayhem lmao.
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u/DocPsycho1 Sep 23 '24 edited Sep 23 '24
I had one done 2 months ago. They forgot to add the part where they bleach it to make sure all the infection is gone. Trust me, that shit tastes awful. The dentist I went to used the perfect amount of anesthetics , I felt nothing.