I had my root canal today (first of two visits) and I am in a lot of pain...

[CTyankee]

I thought this was supposed to be a breeze. He gave me a scrip for pain meds which he said worked well with Aleve. They didn't.

I'm getting some relief from white wine but I gotta go back in one week and I'm gonna call his office and tell him about this pain. I DO NOT want to lose the tooth but something has to be done if this pain does not diminish by tomorrow.

No din dins for hubby tonight. We will survive on chicken soup thanks to Progresso...

[iamateacher]

1. Advil, go to prescription strength.

If it is not calmed down by tomorrow, call them. Do not wait a week.
I have had over 10 root canals.

[CTyankee]

2. Will do. Thanks.

How did you survive 10 root canals?

[Hassin Bin Sober]

5. Advil works great for me for dental pain.

I had a crown done last year that probably should have had a root canal first. I figured I was in the clear until an abcess appeared out of nowhere. I had been taking a lot of Advil for a sports injury and it masked the tooth pain. I layed off the Advil for half a day and yoweee. Back to Advil until I had the root canal.

My doc gave me a prescription for Vicodin but those don’t work. I save them for hangovers. Lol.

[CTyankee]

6. I'll call my dentist's office tomorrow and tell them about this pain.

Maybe he'll have me increase the pain meds he prescribed. Something has to be done. This is brutal...

[Hassin Bin Sober]

9. Start taking Advil. Unless you are allergic

[CTyankee]

11. Thanks. Will do but not til tomorrow...

[Rhiannon12866]

42. That's what my dentist always gives me, too, Ibuprofen, says that works best

She gives me 3 or 4, not just 2. So sorry to hear you're in pain. I've had more than one abscessed tooth and it can be excruciating...

[iamateacher]

34. With a fair amount of pain

But Advil works best

[50 Shades Of Blue]

3. Root canals are brutal!

Just finished a 3-part one followed by "restoration" on three teeth, so I totally sympathize!

The first part took so long it made my jaw lock in addition to the other soreness from the procedure. I needed to take a muscle relaxer for awhile to unclench it. Just wanted to mention that in case that happens to you.

[CTyankee]

4. Oh, dear god. But thank you for your info.

I'll call his office and tell them what is happening.

These procedures are not cheap. It's like $1200, payable half at the first visit and the other half at the second. But, that is what you have money for in retirement, right?

[50 Shades Of Blue]

8. Mine cost more than that. :( Plus I have to replace a bridge. Talk about pricey!

It's sure not what I want to be spending my retirement money on! But I know I'm lucky I can afford this.

[dhol82]

26. Not all of them are like this.

I have done tons of RCT’s without any problems whatsoever.
Every once in a while, shit happens.
Call your dentist.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

35. I've had 6 root canals.

Performed by 4 different dentists over the years.

They've ranged from painful to excruciating. I don't blame the dentists.

[dhol82]

37. Thank you.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

7. I've had various dental work, including a root canal or three.

And both of my children were born by C-Section. Guess which kind of procedure I had almost no pain afterwards, and didn't need anymore pain meds after about 24 hours and which one had me in bed for three days, and still taking pain meds for a week?

It's the awfulness of dental work pain that makes me believe I have a low pain threshold, when for everything else it's apparently on the high side.

[CTyankee]

10. It may have a lot to do with age. I had my babies when I was young and strong.

Now I'm old and weak and have a disabled husband to caregive to. It ain't easy.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

19. I was in my 30's when I had my two children.

See the note below about my first root canal.

I'm 70, but fortunately not weak, and I'm not having to caregive a disabled spouse. You are right that it ain't easy. In my case my current pain tolerance is as high as it's ever been, but probably the most important thing is that I am not suffering from any chronic conditions that cause pain. Makes a difference.

[drray23]

13. Same thing for me but that's because I went to a dentist

Who specializes in only that. My dentist send me to that other guy and he did it in slightly over an hour. Almost no pain. I barely had to take advil for a day.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

18. My first root canal was done when I was 12. The dentist

at first thought there was no need to give me novocaine.

Any wonder I don't go to dentists?

[dhol82]

27. Depends on the situation

If the tooth is ‘dead’ there will be no pain.
If there is still some live nerve tissue then you are screwed.
Sometimes you can’t even get anesthesia for the extirpation. Sorry.
Should be quick but, can’t promise.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

38. Honestly? I think this was a dentist that simply thought a 12 year old wouldn't

or couldn't feel much pain.

I do know you're correct about dead vs alive, but I've also learned that I have anomalous nerve pathways around my jaw, meaning that sometimes when they inject the novocaine in the standard place, for me the nerve simply isn't where it should be and doesn't get deadened. My sister has had the same problem.

As far as I'm personally concerned, I want to be put out even for simple cleaning. Meanwhile, I can break an arm (okay, so it was a hairline fracture) and not need any pain relief after 24 hours. Or break a toe or an ankle and similarly only need limited pain relief. Clearly, cleaning my teeth or doing a root canal is not something that lasts for many hours or hurts for days afterwards, but at the time it's unbearable for me. But maybe the fact that a broken bone is for me okay after a day, and I cannot tolerate the time limited pain of dental work says a lot about either me or the dentists I've been confronted with.

About a decade ago I had serious dental work where a bridge needed replacement, and for the first and only time the dentist made sure I had sufficient drugs to get through it.

Pain is such a highly individual thing. We could have a thousand conversations here about the same procedure -- and we've had several about root canals -- and some people will find those procedures not so bad, and others would rather have their fingers burned off with a blowtorch than go through it again. I'm kind of weird in that while I think of myself as having no pain tolerance at all because of my experience with dentists, but in other areas I'm assured I have a high pain tolerance. Apparently most women don't walk completely upright less than 24 hours after a C-Section. And really need more pain medication for more than that same 24 hours. I was test driving stick shift cars a week after my second one.

I do NOT believe in being a martyr to pain or putting up with any more than is necessary. I believe in taking all the appropriate pain medication available. So when I relate my experience, I'm not trying to brag about how tough I am (because I don't see myself as at all tough), but I'm just trying to convey my own experience.

[912gdm]

44. you had a bad dentist.

who was old school.


Find a dentist with the Pankey approach and you will love him/her.

[madaboutharry]

12. Have some scrambled eggs or mashed potatoes

You need comfort food.

I hope you feel better soon.

[OnDoutside]

14. I got a dry socket as a result of a root canal and I was in throbbing pain for nearly a

month. Worst pain ever, I couldn't do anything when the pain killers started to wear off. Do not hang about if you're in pain, go back to him and demand stronger pain killers, especially if it is prolonged.

Ps, it does sound like a dry socket to me.

[dhol82]

28. Dry socket is after an extraction

Don’t know what you had but it did not happen after a RCT.

[question everything]

15. Ibuprofen 800 mg. With meals

you need prescription for this. Worked for me better than oxicodone when I had my root canal removed.

[TexasBushwhacker]

16. What was the script for?

If you don't mind me asking. If it's something that dies NOT include acetaminophen (Tylenol) then you can take Tylenol WITH Advil or Aleve. Personally, I prefer Advil plus Tylenol. Something about Aleve disagrees with me.

[ginnyinWI]

17. I had a root canal and still lost the tooth.

The dental surgeon thought she'd take a chance, even though the root was cracked all the way down. A month or so later it abscessed and now I have an implant. My regular dentist said he would have pulled it in the first place.

[dhol82]

30. Your regular dentist was the smart one

Sounds like the surgeon was looking for a payday.

[ginnyinWI]

45. yeah that's what I thought.

If they would have consulted him, he'd have given his advice. Nearing retirement with a lot of years of experience, he was great. He also taught at the dental school at Marquette U in Milwaukee. Retired now, but he sent me to another good guy so I'm happy.

[littlemissmartypants]

20. Oh, CTyankee! So sorry to hear about your problems.

I can identify, worst pain I ever had was with a root canal. It hurt so bad I passed out in the doorway to my house where the mailman found me, half in and half out of my house. I was so embarrassed but thankful for him being there. It's just not right that something as small as a tooth can cause such big pain. Tramadol is supposed to work especially well for dental pain if you are able to take it, maybe suggest it when you call. I hope you find relief soon. Good luck!

♡ lmsp

[CTyankee]

21. I'm calling my dentist tomorrow. I can't sit around drinking wine all day...

[Sekhmets Daughter]

22. Call your dentist early tomorrow.

Once a root canal is done there should be no pain. The root has been removed so there is nothing to cause pain. If you are in pain something was left behind. I have had 8 root canals, none hurt after the procedure was done, all were extremely painful before it was done.

[CTyankee]

24. I intend to call him, tomorrow, yes. Absolutely!

[Lars39]

33. You could try calling now...Your dentist probably has an emergency answering service

and he could call/fax something stronger in for you.

[912gdm]

23. Did your regular dentist do it, or a specialist who only does that?

I can't remember what -ologist they are called, but my regular dentist won't do em as he sees them as too much trouble, so he ferreted me out of a specialist when he did my complete upper arch restoration. 6 canals over three visits and I felt no pain and a minimal amount of soreness...


I had some major issues prior to the restoration... I wouldn't smile for years cause it looked like I had meth-mouth

[CTyankee]

25. this is my regular dentist.

[texasfiddler]

29. Not to be crass. But did you vote prior to your root canal? I'm on a mission

Sorry for my reply, I hope you feel better.

[avebury]

31. What did he do in the first visit?

Did your Dentist send you home with an anti-biotic script?

Is it the gums around the tooth that is giving you pain? The tooth itself shouldn't because he should have killed the nerves in it. If they messed around with the gum area that can cause pain. I has one root canal where they actually had to put some cord between the tooth and the gum and that hurt like the dickens aftewards.

[Luciferous]

32. I had a root canal when I was pregnant with my first child and refused any pain meds, but

dental stuff has never bothered me too much. I hope you feel better soon!

[skylucy]

36. I had a root canal several months ago and it was pretty miserable. The dentist told me there could

some pain after the novocaine wore off and I was prescribed a few norcos (painkillers...I think that was what they called them). I took one or two and that helped. The dentist told me if there was still pain the next day, I should call him because there really shouldn't be. He said to try to chew on the other side of my mouth. The tooth was not infected, so that may have helped, but I had the root canal because the tooth was causing me excruciating pain. The thing that got me was that I had what I call weak knees (Wobbly legs?) for a couple of weeks after. They told me that was because root canals are actually a surgery and my body just needed to recover. I am a kind of a a weakling anyway...a small, thin person, but I was surprised that it affected my whole body!

I hope your pain goes away soon. Hugs.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

39. It is slightly reassuring that so many who have posted here

have had truly miserable times with dental work. Not that I'm wishing that on anyone. But these stories make it clear to me that I'm not just some wimp who can't take a tiny bit of discomfort.

[llmart]

40. I just had a root canal about a month ago.

I had the best endodontist! All he does is root canals. I had zero discomfort or pain afterwards.

I had my first root canal many years ago with someone who was just a dentist. It was awful. Turned out that I had an extra root that didn't show up on the X-ray. This time I was told by my regular dentist to make sure I informed the endodontist that I had a tendency towards this. Sure enough. This tooth had an extra root also, but he could see it because he had a much more high tech machine that did a better X-ray (clearly I don't know the exact terminology for all this).

My final cost which included the initial dentist visit and the follow up dentist visit to fill the tooth was $2300. That was more painful than the root canal.

[Iggo]

41. I had seventeen teeth out in one day.

I declined the codeine. They gave me ibuprofen instead. It worked.

[csziggy]

43. Ice packs helped me

Cold on the cheek where the root canal was done. It helped before the root canal when I had a severe toothache from the infection, then it helped the night after I had the procedure.

By the next morning the pain was gone and has not returned. It did hurt a LOT that first night, though.

Be warned - I am very resistant to pain and seldom use my pain meds. It is significant because I've had misdiagnosis when the doctors mistook my apparent lack of pain for no serious injury.

After my dental procedures, cold stuff was more comfortable than hot ones. Ice cream or frozen fruit bars were a lot easier to eat than hot or even warm soup.

[irisblue]

46. What did the dentist do CTYankee when you called?

[CTyankee]

47. So far, so good actually. I woke up this morning out of pain. Relief!

I was so happy.

We have to make another appt. for a follow up which we haven't done yet (hubby hasn't got his act together). But I will. I've asked him to look at his calendar and see which days he's going to physical therapy for his back and let me know what day he's free to take me over. I'm still a bit shaky in the car and don't want to drive myself...

[irisblue]

48. Glad you're doing better.

[CTyankee]

49. Thank you, Iris. I can eat, sleep and be happy. So thankful!

Gonna try and get a manicure this weekend coming up. That always lifts my spirits...

[Fla Dem]

50. Glad to hear you're doing much better. You seemed very much in agony yesterday. nt

[CTyankee]

51. Yes I was. But woke up this morning pain free! I have to thank my dentist for that!

[PJMcK]

52. I hope your tooth is the only pain you'll feel today!

I hope this evening goes well for Democrats.

And I hope you feel better, CTyankee.

[MontanaMama]

53. I'm late to this party

and I am relieved to know you’re feeling better. I worked in a high end dental practice for 21 years. We referred root canal therapy out to specialists as we were primarily a cosmetic provider. That said, when there is heavy nerve involvement, meaning infection and nerve pain present prior to the actual procedure there can be significant pain afterwards...sometimes not always. The reason for this is that nerves speak to each other...when they’re agitated and the offending nerve is removed via the root canal procedure, the neighboring nerves will sometimes remain affected and angry...it can take hours or even a day or two for them all to settle down. Regardless, never hesitate to let your dds know about pain. Go with Advil over Aleve IMO.

[fierywoman]

54. Do you have cloves in your kitchen cupboard? Suck on one near where the pain is

it'll relieve the pain. Even better: clove oil rubbed on gum -- yeah it stings at first but then it gets numb for a very decent amount of time.