My DH's physician didn't bother talking to him about this. I told the dr what was going on and he just wrote to the DMV. I also talked to his neuro--same thing. Sometimes I think the less talk the better. But, then, that's just me.
Originally my husband was going to be tested at the rehab center when I brought it all up by phone before his appointment. Then they had a good look at him and told him he couldn't drive anymore.
ok bringing back this thread for a bit, my tootache is back today and i am in hell now!! ouch! advil every 4hrs. this is the 3rd time with this tooth. my dr told me when i posted on this thread in sept i needed the root canal..ha. i said no way but..now its backkkkkk. its the last back molar and i already have a half metal/porcelain crown on it. dentist says endo will go thru the crown to do nerve..ok, i am suffering like crazy today... i am making an appt on monday to get this done asap..hugs needed!! and a shot of whiskey:)divvi
more than one shot, Divvi? (I once had a root canal on a front eye tooth done by a drunken dentist. He botched it and I had to have someone else finish it off, but, at 10 in the morning, he got me drunk just breathing on me. I do not like root canals.)
divvi - If you can get into a specialist there is nothing to it, but I imagine you will have to go to your regular dentist first and wait for an apointment with the specialist.
I am the world's WORST dental patient. I can't even sit in the chair without being sedated. When my root canal dentist stopped using nitrous oxide, I didn't think I could ever have another root canal. But he dispensed valium instead of the gas, and after I took triple the recommended dose, I was just as fine as could be. One happy little camper. I can't even have my teeth cleaned without downing 3 valium first. Keeps me in the chair without kicking and screaming.
Joang, you must have had a dentist in your childhood who was rough. I still have bad memories of the dentist I had when I was young. He had no chairside manner at all and I had a lot of cavities. When I was 18 and went to him to have a tooth pulled he told me I should drink a fifth of whiskey and come in and let him pull all of them. I am now 71 and still have my own, thank you, plus some crowns and all that good stuff. I am so thankful I do not have to have dentures.
Did you ever hit the nail on the head. Dr. Hanzel. We called him Hanzel the Butcher. 9 years old, sitting in the chair, while he drilled and drilled and drilled into the nerves while I was screaming. I bit him and kicked him. It happened every time I went. Needless to say, I have never gotten over it. Dentists have two choices with me - put me out completely or drug me up.
Poor divvi - I had the same thing, a root canal through a crown. Once it's over, well, the relief! Honey, you need more than (((((Hugs))))). You need something like percoset or hydrocodone. Put an emergency call into your dentist & pick up the RX. I've been there & I know the Hell & pain. Do it now or 1st thing in the a.m. No point in suffering until the root canal.
Oh, I didn't see the above posts prior to posting. My uncle was my sadistic dentist throughout my childhood. Free dentistry, but no novacaine. Did he enjoy watching the pain, or was he too cheap to administer it? I think I got novacaine once. Needless to say, once I was an adult, I switched dentists.
Divvi, if you are in that much pain, he will probably x-ray to make certain that there is not infection that has to be cleared up first. The pain of the shot of novacaine hurts more than anything else!!! The root canal is painless, just bothersome. The drill causes me the most trouble because of the vibrations. You are in my thoughts and prayers - have a bottle of wine (or something stronger to drink tonight). That will dull the pain for tonight so you can sleep. <grin>
thanks everyone for the stories! :) called my son about the advil -says i can take 2 every 6hrs for now til monday. kitty i have hydrocodone from last visit! it did nothing for me.. advil works really good for me -go figure.so i doubled the dose for now. so far so good. imohr, my dentist last time said go get the root canal of course i renigged like the colonscopy. haha. now i am begging for a root canal cause i dont know what they are..HA! i will call the endo on monday my dentist already gave me the name last time, and get appt this week. then he can confer with my reg dentist after i get an appt! i am ready put it off too long. i will have to go by myself and get the agency to send aide for DH that day. so i wont be able to take valium will I?? i have to drive myself home-ps how long does this root canal take?? i have aides from 10-2pm so i want to get done/back during those hrs.i am xxx fingers its an easy job and yes hes a specialist does root canals only...yipes i am alreeady skirming -i too am quite squeamish about dentists but i have no choice this time. wish me luck, friends i get in soon. Divvi
Divvi, it will only take less than an hour...they x-ray, then drill the hole, then use the thinnest corkscrew ever (that you can't feel) to twist into the hole and pull the root out. After four or five times, he'll stuff some antibiotic in the hole, then fill it. You won't feel anything after the painful shot (getting that novacaine) except a little pressure and the drill vibrations. It's a lot easier than getting a crown and much better than getting a tooth pulled!
thanks mary/ i know i dont mind the deadning as much as the drill! ugh.
i have clindomycin i am taking from my last time just to get started on antibiotics..i know the 'drill'...haha had to put that pun in...i hope no infection i will keep taking the antibiotics til i get in just to help. the tooth throbs...oh my...gosh i am such a wimp...boy i can dish it out but cant take it..HA! thanks guys, offo to beddie bye -divvi
thanks mary for that input. now i know what to expect. i hope technology is up to par these days! ok, an hr is good and i have had lots of major crowns and got thru that.
divvi, sometimes you can't get an apointment for a month here and my dentist will put me on antibotics to stop the pain until I can get in. You may not have to wait where you are.
Well, one thing I learned from my ex (a physician) was that you MUST complete a course of antibiotics or they are ineffective. So.... you shouldn't have any left, and if you do, it may not be enough. Yes, you must take every single one, even if you are feeling better.
Good luck sweetie. The procedure is not half as bad as the pain. Actually, you shoudn't feel anything. Call the endo's office to get an estimate for the time.
Divvi, Definately ask for nitrous oxide. I use it all the time at the dentist because I can't stand having my mouth open that long. I have terrible jaw pain. I just had my first root canal a few months ago and it was through a crown and it went fine. The nitrous oxide made all the difference. Good luck. Also my dentist had me take antibiotics prior. It wasn't so much for the pain but to ensure the infection was under control.
thanks everyone for the input. it makes me feel better knowing some of you have gone this route as well. kitty we had a mixup and the rx didnt go 'thru' due to mixup= so dr called in a second one! so then the pharmacycalled me back next day and said i had more..:) i never turn down extra antibiotics, never know like NOW when you will need some. imohr, if they say a month, i will be on his doorstep, if you know me, thats unacceptable if someone is in real pain..i will call my own dentist and get more antibiotics for sure. i have to pre-med anyway before any treatment. anyway, 200mg of advil evry 4hrs with milk, got me thru the nite thank Goodness!! yall are sweethearts to support my wimpy fears..thanks bunches, Divvi
A couple of years ago I broke a tooth (sipping a glass of sherry). The next day I went to my regular dentist. He filed the tooth down a bit, then said I needed a crown and he would reschedule. I told him I was already in the chair, so get to it. He then said I needed a root canal first and would reschedule. Again I told him I was in the chair so get to it. The end result - I had a root canal AND a crown on an emergency visit over his lunch hour. Neither proceedure was as bad as I expected. The novacaine did the job. I didn't even need an aspirin after.
i may have a glass of sherry myself before my root canal.. ok, gang, i go in wed at 11am...i am much better today after another re-attack last nite and am on another round of antiobiotics. never had pain like this including child pains...the 4hr pain meds only did the trick for 2hrs then i climbed the walls waiting for the 4hrs to go by..dear hubby was soooo goood thru all this.. mercifully i got an appt for wed. will let you know how wimpy i become and will prolly fall apart in the dr chair...:) Divvi and no they said i dont need valium! haha...well see!
Divvi, It will be an easy procedure..endodontists hire the best help generally, and they can give a shot you will not feel. The area will have topical on it first, then the numbness will set in. Truly, no sweat. Anticipating it is the worst part.
Holy Root Canals, batman! I had a bad tooth which decided to go ballistic the starting days of hunting season weekend. There was not a dentist in the office starting on friday morning through the whole weekend and I finally went to my regular doctor to get something for the pain until I could reach a dentist on monday. He sent me immediately to the city 100 miles away for a root canal from a specialist. By the time I finally got in the chair and he gave me the shot that numbed everything including my eyeball, I loved him. I would have married this man who finally took away the pain. I too would rather give birth than go through that again.
Jules I felt the same way when I had my first root canal, as soon as he numbed me I was out of pain for the first time in Months!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DIVVI, when he finished the procedure, I said" that's it? that is what all this hoopla and fear has been about?" and then we both started laughing. THe most pain came from paying my copay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
no dental insurance here...sigh but whatever it is is worth it -i know exactly what pain you ladies and gents are talking about now. again i have a learning curve here, its dont wait til its too late, always do things early! thank you thankyou for some 'good' stories so i am not in mortal fear. when i gave birth, my dr told the nurse to never take me as a patient again:) with full anethesia i came off the table /out of the stirrups and kicked him in the face:) then delivered in mid air:):)-- he said your tolerance to pain is less than zero even with anethesia...humm.. i never had any more kids either..!
anyway, thank you i am feeling much better now and am ready to get this over. ps i am sure some have had bad experiences but thank you for not posting them YET- haha...divvi
I took the Lamaze classes, my a*ole husband, being an M.D. thought that was beneath him, so I was the only one w/out a partner for the classes. Thank God I went. I had an epidural, and it only numbed me from the lower thighs down. I remember wishing I could die. That's why I have a living will. I can't tolerate pain to that degree, and someone just let me go if it gets to that point. 9 lbs 2oz & I am tiny. They couldn't get him out w/ forceps, so the dr. dug in with his hands. To this day I can't understand why they didn't do a C section. Hey, the root canal was a painless breeze. Fear not.
After I lost a filling in a lower molar, I went to the dentist . It wasn't hurting me but since there wasn't much there to work with, he said that i needed a root canal. Like everyone else, I had heard all the horror stories. Well, I was in the chair three hours the first trip but I have to admit, at no time did I have any pain. It is quite expensive but the procedure wasn't bad at all. (at least, for me)
I had root canal & a crown applied last year. I also was a nervous wreck from the horror stories of the past. I was only in the chair about 1 1/2 hours, the worse part was the shot to numb....well really the worse part was my part after insurance.
I've had the root canal from Hell, and I've had easy ones. My best story is the one where my really great California dentist decided to send me to a specialist instead. He had done both crowns and root canals before, but not this one. When I asked why I was told that the specialist would be able to figure out which tooth it was, because he wasn't sure.
I was asked a few questions. Some stuff got tapped. And then I got some Novocaine and he left me alone for about 10 minutes. When he came in he asked if I was still in pain. I said no. He said, "OK, we now know which tooth it was." He wasn't drilling until he was sure. It cost, but it was worth every penny. Once he started this was one of the easy root canals. Man knew his business!
The last root canal I had was a breeze, the Endontist really knew his stuff. It was far more comfortable and much easier on me than the other one I had 50 years ago, for some reason it didn't take and they had to do it over again. It was done with one of the old style drills with all of the black rubber bands and belts on it. The Dentist had to cut my gum and drill through the bone to get to the top of the roots and get them sealed. Oh yeah the dentist smoked and his fingers tasted like nicotine, that's right no gloves!
I can certainly understand why some people fear root canals. We've come a long way in 50 years
my root canal appt didnt happen.! i was there 40min and exrays show massive infection on top of the 5days of antibiotics..sigh...now i have to double up meds and go back on monday at noon! ugh. i had prepared myself mentally to get it done and over but oh well- the dr said, 'trust me, you dont want me to do it today"-haha..infection evidentally impairs the ability to NUMB it.-not a good sign...plus it will be in 2 parts. cleaning and disinfecting on monday. then back later on..we discussed just pulling it. i rather would keep it as tooth next to it is crown as well and all the biting force would fall on that one then could lead to same issues. he did give me darvocet in case, and i have all weekend to get infection under control so its back to the drawing board with stress worrying til then! they offered the nitrate oxios (SP?) gas..anyone on that have input?? its inhaled with a mask, i never used that and am concerned about AD and 'inhaled gases?"" i would appreciate any input if you have knowledge of how the gas works. thanks and like john denver sang, 'hey its good to be back home again...." :::)))) divvi
Divvi, take the glorious nitrous oxide!!!! I used to tell my dentist to push it up a notch. You don't have a clue as to what is going on. Well, you can hear them talk, but you don't care. It is now called "painless dentistry." There's no down time coming out of it. I was going to get all I could after a childhood of my uncle dentist who didn't give Novocaine.
I know it's tough to get all set to get something over with & then have to prepare once again mentally.
Divvi-sorry you got all prepped up and have to do it all over again. If you had the procedure with an existing infection you could have been in BIG trouble. Infection could have gone into your bloodstream. Sounds like your dentist is up on things.
Better than gas, google "Sedation Dentistry". I go to the dentist religiously, every 7 to 10 years as pain requires. I did sedation, where they knock you out and do everything that needs done and send you home for some deep sleep. Next day no pain or discomfort. No novacaine wearoff, No vision of needles in your mouth. It was $2500 for the day, but I was working and had no desire for dental adventure.
Nitrous oxide doesn't take away the pain, but it makes you not care as much. So dentists usually give nitrous oxide to relax you and then novacaine or whatever to actually block the pain. I've had fillings with nitrous only because i hate the feeling of novacaine wearing off, but I certainly wouldn't recommend it for anything serious. I know of one person who hated nitrous, my daughter, because it made her feel out of control. But I'm widely considered to be a control freak and I like it.
latest scoop:) after careful research and calls to people in the know i have cancelled the root canal. i am having it extracted instead and the later possiblity if i want an implant, which i doubt since its the last tooth and not visible. just too many issues with this tooth and lots of serious consequences if not done correctly and all bacteria removed. i have mital valve issues so its not something i can play with. sooooo, after calling my reg dentist back he now ADMITS it prolly in my best interest to go ahead and pullit..geeezzz!!! why did he send me for a root canal..man..anyway i am much relieved over this decision and waiting for the oral surgeon to call to get in next week...meantime clearing up infection with antiobiotics stil.... oh, and one mor thing, both receptionists i talked to said they had root canals that went BAD and still had to remove the tooth later--soooooooo makes you ask,who can you trust anymore..????Divvi
divvi, I think you made a wise decision. I also had a root canal and later the tooth broke off below the gum line and had to be removed by an oral surgeon.
thanks dazed, validation is good. i know i made the right decison now, and i can thank my brother the pharmacist that convinced me that the bacteria left in an incomplete job can do me serious harm with my valve issue and cause me a miriad of complications....gosh, life is full of decisions on top of the AD ones..huh????! divvi
That is the tooth my dh has that needs a root canal and cap or pull. I opted to pull but not until I starts bothering him more. I see no sense in putting a cap clear in the back of his mouth when he still has ALL of his teeth. I am missing several in the back.