Yesterday I had my first root canal. It was not any worse than any other dental activity I have experienced before. If anything, I thought it went better than some of my previous dental encounters. After he shot me up with the Lidocain he came back and asked me if I was numb. I told him it was like usual. He asked some more questions and decided I needed another shot. He gave it to me and I don’t think I remember ever having it so numb.
I remember having teeth worked on when I was a kid or teenager and I swear they did not put any of the Lidocain in. This was a cake walk compared to some of the dental experiences I remembered when I was younger. As we approached the end of my appointment I felt feeling coming back into the lips and jaw again. He told me it wasn’t possible and continued working. By the time he finished I felt the ache in my jaw from being wrenched open and I could feel the cold air on what are typically sensitive teeth. I have never had dental work where they did not give me the laughing gas. I think I prefer not having it, although there is certainly an experience in having your motor skills slowed considerably!
My 1.5 hour appointment also included some hiccoughs. One of which is that a drill or some other tool broke off inside one of the chambers. It took him a few minutes trying to get it out of the tooth. If I was not a freak enough before with 25 mm (normal is about 15 mm) I found out my tooth has 4 completely separate chambers. It is not really that rare, but is not the norm. The news from the dentist is, “You are long in the tooth” which I guess could be taken as a compliment or slam.
He filed the inside of the chambers and tooth out, packed it with cotton, and sealed it with a temporary filling. It doesn’t feel like it did before but I can still feel my heart beat with the tooth. I assumed a temporary filling was as useful as a normal filling but I can tell on eating foods the tooth does not like much pressure when chewing. That finished part one of the ongoing saga of a root canal.
The good news with the whole cost, I had been in my job long enough last month that the offer for insurance was given. Amanda and I already have our health insurance but I grabbed hold of the dental insurance. Meaning, I instantly had 50% of the root canal paid.
I hate the root canal process. Be very careful with your new temp. When will you get the normal filling? Did you have to get any pain pills for this process?