How painful is root canal? Whats the best way to feel no pain? Is there any pill to kill pain b4 visiting Dr?

Question

Day after I am having my first root canal surgery and I am really nervous!!! The pain as well as my phobia of visiting Dentist makes it so much worse. On my first visit to Dr he tested my tooth wit some sort of sensor and when he touched one particular point I jumped out of pain. I am just imaging how worse it is gonna be when I will be having the root canal. I have requested the Dr to give me 2 shots to keep it numb? I wanna know if the shots really help and are there any other good pain killers available which I can have before visiting the Dr?

Answer 1

I had my first root canal about a year ago and I was terrified because everyone always says how painful they are. Honestly it really wasn't that bad. I had mine in one of my back teeth which has a double root, so it took about an hour and the only thing that hurt afterwords was the roof of my mouth where they gave me the injection!

Here is how I dealt with it:

Get a CD player and some headphones! a lot of the time the sound is worse than anything else, so I got a CD player and put in my favorite disk and cranked it up. It was so loud the nurse was bobbing her head along with the music too, but hey, I cound't hear the drill so I was happy.

After you get done take some Ibuprofen (Motrin). Pain is much harder to deal with after it hurts, it is better to keep it from getting too bad. Ibuprofen also is an anti-inflamitory so it will help reduce any swelling too. Just take it as directed for that day (1-2 pills every 4-6 hours) and by the next day you will be fine. You do not need to take any pills before because they will probably wear off before the novicane even does, so just take some after the surgery.

Good luck!

Answer 2

First let me say I'm sorry you have to go through this. The procedure has come a long way since I had my first one some 30 years ago. You will receive a local to numb the area. This will be more than your normal cavity filling local. The procedure is pretty tiring on the jaw muscles. The dentist might place a soft wedge on the opposite side so you can relax the jaw and not be forced to hold open your mouth the entire time. After the local, he will remove any decay from the interior of the tooth and then apply a substance that will remove all of the damaged nerve. You shouldn't feel anything. He will prepare the tooth for a post that will give the tooth the needed strength to top with a crown. You will have to go back to have a permanent crown installed but the good thing is since the nerve has been removed you won't feel a thing.

Root canals used to be pretty painful, but my experience has improved greatly. I had a root canal about 9 months ago and the dentist (oral surgeon) was fantastic.

The most painful part of the entire process was paying for it.

Answer 3

Hold on there....you are making things bigger then they are. However, I did the same thing you did when I had my first root canal a few weeks ago. I was extreamly nervous and thought of all the things that you did. When I went in there, the dentist put as many shots as I wanted. I used three. Yes the shots help! They are novicane. Then he just did the work. You lay there in the dentist chair and dont feel a thing. The only crappy part of the root canal is the fact that it takes so long! Bring an ipod or something to pass the time. Trust me....it does not hurt. I honestly felt NO pain. You don't need to be put to sleep for something like this. Once you have finished it you will agree. Also when you are done with the root canal, your tooth will feel a bit weak so be careful not to eat hard foods on that side of your mouth! Good luck, you will be fine!

Answer 4

The Dr can prescibe you a sedative to take before the visit, then at the office they will give you a shot to numb the area. The shot does pinch a bit but only for a second and then you will not feel what they are doing, you might be able to feel the movments but not the pain,sometimes the sounds can be a little scary so I would suggest either taking a ehadphone set with your fav music on it or see if they can provide you one. The numdness will wear off an hour or so later and it will hurt some but just follow their directions on after care and take the painkillers they give you and you'll be alright,just remember the discomfort you feel during and after a root canal is way less than dealing with an infected tooth. Good Luck,& don't worry.

Answer 5

I had a root canal recently. I was out of town and had to use a dentist that I had never met before. Being more than just a bit nervous, I explained to the dentist that I was pretty anxious about it and that I seem to be pain-sensitive when it comes to dental work. He told me he understood and was very compassionate. Since the tooth that required the root canal was one of my front teeth, he told me that I would probably feel some discomfort because that is where a lot of nerves are right at the surface. So, he first swabbed the area with a topical anesthetic, waited about 5 minutes and then began injecting the Novocaine in different places around the gum. At first he just barely pricked the gum, numbing it here and there until he had completely numbed the entire area. I never felt any discomfort whatsoever. No pain, no vibration, no pressure....nothing. If its possible to have a pleasant root canal, this was it. So explain to your dentist about your anxiety and ask if he could gradually numb the area for you. It worked for me. Good luck.

Answer 6

ok, I'm an expert on root canals since I've had the same one done 5times cause something keeps ******* up. The shots, do work, you don't feel a thing while it's happening. The dentist will start and if you feel it, ask for a third, I need that sometimes, since I usually have infection in my jaw. The dentist should have a bite guard that you can have, so you don't get scared and clamp your mouth down. After the novacaine wears off the pain where the shots went, does become bothersome so if you can't go to sleep, advil takes all that away. It's not a horror story like everyone says, unless your tooth is cracked in a misterious spot like mine and your dental assistants are little twits who can't stop talking about their boyfriends long enough to help out your dentist....anyways, don't worry about the pain, suck it up and stop being a puss.

Answer 7

Dose up with ibuprofen (600 mg) about an hour or so prior to your visit. "It couldn't hurt." This is a good idea before any surgery, although root canal is not exactly surgery. The testing was done without making you numb, so the dentist could narrow down the source of the pain and make a proper diagnosis. Now that he knows where the pain is coming from, he will make it numb before starting treatment. It should not feel the same as it felt during the testing.

Answer 8

This is just from personal experience. I know everyone is different. But by the time I needed a root canal, I had been through the worst pain. The root canal did not really hurt at all. If you hate going to the dentist so much (I do too) try going to one who has nitrous oxide (laughing gas). It helps you relax a little.

Good luck to you.

Answer 9

Hydro codeine is what your doc will prescribe
The process is scary, but the Novocain injections will numb the area well. If it hurts tell the dentist he will inject you with more local anesthetic into the gum. The first shot is the only one that hurts. The nerve removal is painless if properly anestisised but a wired feeling as they stick a wire brush into the drilled tooth and spin it to catch the nerve then pull it out in a sawing motion. there is some pain the next day but not too much because the nerves are gone. well good luck you might want to take the day off and pop some pills.

Answer 10

Don't you worry. Root canals are not painful; the worst part is getting numb, but even that is not too bad. Yes, getting numb really helps, trust me, you wouldn't like it if they didn't numb you. I always recommend to patients that they take a CD Player or I Pod to listen to because root canals are very BORING!! I have so many patients who dose off while we're doing them. Also, if you can, take 600 or 800 mg of Ibuprofen before the root canal. You have to have your mouth open for awhile and this help ease the discomfort of a sore jaw. Good luck!