My 16 year old son is to receive a root canal on tooth 14 on March 21st, I'm a little apprehensive as he nor I have never had a root canal. What can I/he expect? Will he be in pain? How long after will he have to have a permenant crown placed? Will the endodontist prescribe pain medicine and antibiotics? Will he have to miss much school?
2007-03-17 12:02:06 · 12 answers · asked by nwiebe36 2 in Health ➔ Dental
My son does not have an infection in his tooth and is filling no pain at all, he went in for a filling because he broke his tooth and after the dentist started drilling on the tooth my son had him stop because he felt something. The dentist said it was too close to the nerve/ root and would need a root canal. Before going in for the visit my son complained of cold sensitivity to that tooth.
2007-03-17 14:45:33 · update #1
I have had several root canals, and they are nowhere NEAR as bad as most folks think.
There will be very little pain---a root canal involves completely removing the diseased/damaged nerve inside the tooth. He will be completely numb during the procedure (he should TELL the dentist if he feels anything, and more novocaine can be used).
Afterwards, the nerve will be gone, and therefore the tooth cannot feel pain. A dose of your usual over-the-counter pain reliever should be enough for any soft-tissue pain.
I have always gone to work the next day, so he shouldn't miss any school over it. I also never needed a crown, just a normal filling was enough.
Good luck & stop worrying. If you have a good dentist, you will breeze through this!
2007-03-17 12:18:31 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is the biggest dental myth..... root canals do not hurt! Your son will be frozen, just like a regular filling. If he feels something he should tell the dentist who will give him more freezing. The tooth maybe tender for a day or two, and may require an Advil, but the pain should not be sever enough to require anything more than an over the counter med. Ibuprofen is better for this kind of pain as it is an anti-inflammatory. At his age, they probably won't place a crown
until he reaches 18-20 when he is full grown. A crown becomes important since the tooth no longer has a blood supply and becomes brittle. It can be left with a filling for a period of time, but eventually it will break down enough that there will be no tooth structure left or the root will crack and the tooth will require extraction. Root canals (endodontic treatment) are a very common dental procedure and there is nothing to worry about. All the jokes about root canals are wrong, the technology today ensures a pain free experience, and the only school he will miss will be during the appointment it's self.
2007-03-17 12:22:32 · answer #2 · answered by toplesbabe 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i am a dental student and i hope i can help you.
A Root canal is a procedure wherein the dentist removes the tooth's pulp (where the nerves and bloodvessels are) and replaces them with a cement filling. root canals usually take about 1-3 appointments depending on the dentist and the tooth to be treated. the dentist usually gives anesthesia before the procedure so that the patient will not feel any pain. the dentist may also prescribe pain medication, but in your son's case i don't think there is a need for antibiotics since his tooth was not infected. the permanent crown can be placed right after the root canal although i think this may require another appointment. if the treatment is scheduled on weekends i don't think your son will have to miss school.
2007-03-25 04:53:21 · answer #3 · answered by plinkplonk 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Root Canals do not hurt, they shouldn't hurt because they numb you before the procedure. I just had one done and my mouth was a little sore for a few days, but I went to work right after and was fine. It took quite a few shots for me to get numb but everytime the doc started drilling and I felt something I told him and he'd give me another needle. This was no big deal cause after the first needle the area is a numb enough that you don't really feel the other shots after that. If your son feel pain just tell him to tell the doc and he will make sure he's numbed up good. I closed my eyes through the whole thing because I'd rather not see the instruments and what they are doing and it was over within an hour (root canal and prep for crown). Doc told me to come back in three weeks to check the tooth and then come back in another 2 weeks to have the crown put on. I'm a big baby and I thought it wasnt bad at all.
2007-03-20 03:54:39 · answer #4 · answered by JAEB81 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He sounds young for a root canal. Sometimes dentists like to do them because they are more expensive than a filling! Maybe a second opinion would be a good idea.
Anyway, my root canal was painless, just boring as your mouth is open for quite a while. The nerves around the tooth are injected with a local anasthetic, so you just feel numb!
The process basically involves cleaning the roots of the tooth, and then packing them with an antibiotic substance to ensure that the infection is killed. Depending on the position and length of the roots, it can take an hour or so.
I had a temporary filling and had to wait for about 6 months to check that the root canal had worked, before the permanent filling was done.
Afterwards, I was given painkillers but I didn't need to take them.
Tell your son it will be fine!
2007-03-17 13:00:27 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't worry, a root canal is not painful whatsoever.
The dentist insured me it would be the most painful thing I could get done and it wasn't painful at all. I was 12 when I got it done and I usually start crying before I even get touched but I was fine!
Tell your son there is no need to worry.
He won't have any pain afterwards either.
I got it done from 9 am to 10am or so and I went from the dentist to the cafe(to chill down) and then on to school. So, no, no pain involved.
I'm only 13 anyway and I've already got everything done at the dentist.
Just tell him to relax, and he'll be ok!
Hope I helped!
2007-03-17 12:09:05 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I just had a root canal 2 days ago, and it's not all that bad. The dentist didn't even prescibe pain meds, she said advil or similar is ok. My jaw is a bit tender, and I'm sticking to soft foods for these couple of days.
I'll go back in 3 weeks for my permanent caps, and it's done! Nothing to worry about! Better to go through this than end up with worse like an infection. I'm so glad I did it!
2007-03-21 19:08:44 · answer #7 · answered by Tina B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
his mouth will be sore for at least a day. The dentist will prescribe pain meds. The crown has to be ordered so he will have a temporary for about 2 weeks maybe a little shorter. Shouldn't have to miss more that 2 days of school.
They are uncomfortable but nothing like the pain of leaving the tooth uncared for.
Also, don't suck out of a straw for at least a day after the canal. The sucking pressure is really bad on the root and will cause a lot of pain.
2007-03-17 12:07:27 · answer #8 · answered by ? 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
As others have said, this is a dental myth. Root canals are NOT painful. What so many people remember is the pain they had BEFORE they got the root canal. I routinely have patients fall asleep during the procedure without any drugs or sedation. It can be long and boring for the patient, but not painful.
2007-03-24 03:10:56 · answer #9 · answered by mulberry 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Root canals are not nearly as painful as the consequenses of NOT having them done. A raging infection in a tooth can be agonizing and potentially life-threatening.
2007-03-17 14:26:54 · answer #10 · answered by emmalue 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋