[2000v6]

Originally Posted by Apex Paul

Okay, I would like to throw my 2 cents into this thread. As the only person posting who has actually performed a root canal, I'd also like to crown myself the "expert" in this thread.

First, your dread/fear of going to the dentist is shared by many. Everyone associates going to the dentist with pain, because that's usually how long people hold out before coming in... until something is hurting. /soapbox

Your case is a little different since this was a trauma caused by your girlfriend kicking you in the face.

Now, I can not diagnose you over the internet, but I can give you information and you can use that however you like.

1. The first question I have is what happened? she kicked you, we know that. But then what?
2. Are the teeth loose?
3. You said chipped, how chipped? (there are several Ellis classifications for fractures and each has a different approach to repairing them)
4. Are they vertically fractured beneath the gingiva?
5. Was there any bleeding?
6. Was that bleeding from the tooth or from the gums?
7. If it was the gums, did it bleed just slightly and along the edges, or was it dripping blood?
8. Does your tooth hurt right now?
9. How long did it hurt after you were kicked?

now...

1. Did your dentist take any radiographs? (X-Rays)
2. Did you get a copy of them?
3. If you did, do you want to post that picture here so we can look at what is going on?
4. Why did he say that you needed the root canal?

It is not unusual to leave obturation until a later time. (obturation is the filling of the canal with material). A temporary filling or crown is good for some time, but they are not to be kept on forever. But it is nothing to worry about if you have the instrumentation done at one visit and the obturation later.

You didn't say which teeth. On anterior teeth when there is a small access for instrumentation, there is often no need for an entire crown but rather just filling the canal with flow-able composite material.

I am not telling you anything in this post that should make you think your dentist is wrong. There are so many variables that it can not be determined from just the layperson description you have given without a comprehensive evaluation and current radiographs.

On some other notes:

• you should never feel any pain when this is going on. That is what anesthesia is for. If you can feel it, then the anesthesia is not adequate. You should be able to feel pressure or movement and touching, but not sharp pain.
• It could easily take several hours (even two days) to do endo depending on the situation. How many canals? Are they sclerotic? Do they have unusual accessory canals? Is the root dilacerated? etc., etc.
• GraysonPeace - endodontists are no more experienced in "numbing the area" than any plain 'ol dentist. The nerves in the face are the nerves in the face, there's no special secret that endodontists have. You probably just picked an endodontist who was more skilled or cared more that you were in pain. I make no statements that there are not dentists out there that don't want to take the time to get you out of pain because time=money. What they forget is that pain=patient leaving and not coming back.
• SSOOCH - An endodontist is not always necessary for a root canal. A competent dentist can handle endo, especially in the anterior. 2nd and 3rd molar endo become increasingly more difficult due to the space restrictions in the mouth and visibility issues. Going to an endodontist for an anterior root canal is like paying Stephen Hawking to do your physics homework. He can do it, but you're gonna pay a lot more. Anterior endo is easier than a 1/4 mile race with your SS against a Geo Metro. No brainer.
• The dentist will certainly prescribe you pain meds afterward. You don't need them. OTC ibuprofin is a better pain medication that Lortabs. But, in the United States we believe TV ads and hype, so "I gotta have some vicodin or I'm not going to make it, Doc". Worldwide the most prescribed drug for pain after dental surgery is ibuprofin. 600mg q4-6h (3 tabs from an OTC bottle every 4-6 hours). In the united states the most prescribed is Lortab (Hydrocodone + APAP) 5/500mg. Go figure.

I am still assuming these are front teeth. I would expect that they are going to use a fiber post rather than a metal post. The post space can be done at the time of the instrumentation, or it could be done later. It could take an hour, or it could take several hours on multiple appointments. There is too much to answer and anecdotal answers from those here that have had a root canal are really not useful because their experience was a different case.

Actually, they are the side teeth (molars?) on the top right side of the mouth

1) Well yeh she kicked me, but my teeth are also kind of my fault, focusing on school, going to work and working late nights on my album, has led to me not taking that great care of them. So, I may have bacteria in my mouth. But, after she kicked me it was kind of like a part of one of my teeth kind of chipped. I was also eating something at the time and I automatically knew that among what I was eating, I also had part of my tooth floating around in my mouth.

2) The teeth are not loose. Thankfully

3) Sorry but got no idea what ellis is. From what I remember a part of my tooth was chipped, but from the x - rays, it actually seems that it was three teeth that chipped.

4) No, they aren't from what I can tell on the x-ray and assuming that

5) No, there was no bleeding, neither from the gums nor from the tooth

6) See the answer above

7) Again, see the answer above

8) No it doesn't hurt at all, and there is no discomfort whatsoever, to cold, hot, soft, chewy, and hard food.

9) To be honest, it's not the teeth that hurt. My lips got swollen for a while, kind of like angelina jolie's, but it has returned to normal

Now

1) Yes I did

2 and 3) hold on

4) He said that a root may already be exposed and that it might be dying

I'll try to post the x-ray tomorrow, because I need to figure out how to hide the personal info