Can I postpone root canal?

Question

My dentist has asked me to get a root canal done. But I'm stuck with some other important matters right now and don't have enough time for about a month. I'm currently on pain killers (3 days course) for the toothache. I wanted to ask whether it's okay if I postpone my root canal for a month or will it be bad? Also, I'd like to know how long does it take exactly for the whole root canal process? Thanks!

Answer 1

If I were you, I would get it over and done with. You may make any infection worse by leaving it.

I had this done privately in the UK. It took 2 one hour appointments but can sometimes be done in one sitting. It doesn't hurt any more than a filling so dont listen to anyone trying to scare you with horror stories. The worse bit was the £320 fee but its much cheaper on the NHS.

Dont go for the easy option of an extraction. It might be a quick fix but the long term prognosis is not good for your surrounding teeth. Good luck!

Answer 2

Yikes, get it done, the sooner the better. I just had a root canal. It was my second root canal on the same tooth, it was a redo, because the first dentist botched the job. I was in pain from it, but I could of held off longer, but it eventually needed to be done. I'm sure glad it's all done now - don't put it off. The second root canal procedure took about 1 1/2 hour give or take a little bit of time with the staff getting supplies, looking at x-rays & such. If you have the money then get it over with right now. It will take about 7-14 days for a crown to be delivered, so the sooner the better, especially if you are in pain....good luck!

Answer 3

You can postpone the root canal work it is completely up to you. I would just say that you should talk to your dentist and let them know your situation. Just remember that you may have continued pain from it and leaving it long you may have an increased risk of infection. My sis had to leave hers longer due to certain things and the dentist cleaned the area and placed on a temporary cover to help stop infections until she could make her appointment.
My sis had to go back twice to have the full treatment down as hers was quite severe. When i was suggested to me to hve root canal work done i decided not to and just have the tooth removed.

Answer 4

Don't put this off unless, of course, you want to live in pain. Get it done now before an infection sets it. This is your body. Make the time. Each root canal procedure is different. The procedure could take only one visit (with a follow-up) or even a few visits, depending on how complex the problem is. In any case, just do it and don't put this thing off. I put off dental work and eventually had to have all my teeth taken out.

Answer 5

You may start getting mouth ulcers (as it sounds like the tooth is infected in any event) and they are very painful! A root canal treatment process takes anything up to one hour. They have to numb you up first and leave you for a good ten minutes before they can start working on it. After that, it can take about 20 mins to get the nerve out and seal up the cavity.

Answer 6

If i were in your shoe's I'd get the treatment done ASAP,
if you leave it to long the nerve in the tooth will die if it's not dead already and can become even more infected, and this may result in you having to have the tooth extracted.
Root canals are usually carried out over 2 visits, 1st visit involves cleaning out the nerve from inside the tooth and placing a medicated dressing inside ti kill off any germs/bacteria.
The second visit involves removing the dressing, cleaning out any remaining nerve, then sealing the canals and placing a permanent filling inside.
You should also try and wean yourself off of the pain killers, your body will slowly become immune to them and they will no longer give you relief from the pain.

Answer 7

My hubby kept putting his surgery off and in the end the pain made him have 3 sleepless nights in a row and he ended up delirious from pain and exhaustion. Surely nothing can be more important than taking an hour to go to the dentist?

Then again, it is your choice and if you think you can put up with the pain and subsequent infection for another 4 weeks then hey, give your dentist a call

Answer 8

If I read this correctly you have: 1. Neglected a tooth for two years. 2. Recently had pain and swelling for a couple days on that tooth. 3. Seen a root canal specialist who recommended treatment for a tooth. If you saw your medical doctor and had a bone infection, would you defer treatment for a year? That is essentially what you are doing. Hope that helps.

Answer 9

Short pain is always better than long pain, root canal only takes about 2 appointment. Once they extract all the pus and rotting nerve ends, it wouldn't hurt anymore

Answer 10

they can take quite a long time i had 1 and it took about 3 trips to see the dentist and they were hour and a half trips too to be honest id never have 1 again there not pleasant id rather have the tooth out but goodluck i prehaps found it scarier as im petrified of the dentist lol !