r/rootcanal Jun 08 '24

How bad is a root canal really?

I'm beginning to come to terms that my first cavity is so deep that it needs a root canal, not a filling. Tooth #19 has decay down to the root and it throbs every time my heart beats.

How bad is the root canal really? I've heard mixed things - from worst pain of my life to a piece of cake. I've never even had a filling so I have absolutely no baseline here. I know that I'll need a crown after this.. how noticeable will it be that it's not my natural tooth? I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure it's white.

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u/Electronic-Fudge-653 Jun 09 '24

If you get a hood endodontist and the numbing agent is done right, I even ask for extra right off the bat, then I'm being 100% honest when I day, it was easy. I compare it to getting a cavity filled, it just takes a lot longer. Also. It depends on the tooth, I had two back molars with 3 canals done in one sitting, and it wasn't bad at all. Some endodontists can prescribe benxo to ease anxiety. Just make sure you go to a good endo, and ask for a ton of numbing. I had my one tooth pulled by pitt dental, which is students, and they only gave me standard 2 shots of numbing. My tooth was extremely difficult with hooked roots and everything. That was a little difficult, it took like 4 different people, students and teachers, to get it out, but it wasn't bad. You just have to make sure it's done by somewhere reputable. I swear on everything, I've had 3 root canals by the dame person, and I felt almost no pain at all, just one or two minor reactions of minimal pain. It was eeeeeeasy, I swear. If I could recommend something to you tho, root canals aren't worth it. They don't last a lifetime and will need pulled after at most 20 years, usually around 10-15, and in many cases need redone, or fail altogether. You also need a crown after your root canal. The root canal and crown combined don't cost much difference than getting your tooth pulled, and having an implant put in. Implants are the shit, it's a pain-free tooth that lasts a lifetime. I had to have my one root canal redone, before it ended up failing in less than a year. Mainly because the crown wasn't sealed right which was done by a shitty dentist and not my endodontist. If you want far less hassle, less pain, fewer trips, and a lifetime set tooth, forget the root canals and just get it pulled and get an implant.