Cavities

[xrickyb86x 1]

So two years ago I got my wisdom teeth removed and they told me I had a cavity on my back molar. I said I would come back when my surgery healed and get it fixed. The cavity never hurt so after I healed I forgot about it. This past week my tooth has been bugging the hell out of me and then I remembered about the cavity. Of course, I scheduled a dentist appointment. I read that cavities can show no pain symptoms and just simply be there without you knowing. So now I'm worried I might need a root canal since this cavity had that long to work on my tooth. So my questions...

How painful are root canals?

How long are the procedures?

Is it a better idea to just get the tooth pulled out instead of paying the crazy root canal fees?

[shotty 7]

root canal is surgery, pulling the tooth isn't going to do anything. the surgery is performed on the nerve, not the tooth. the whole idea behind the root canal is to prevent and stop the spread of infection caused by tooth decay. the decay has already happened and damage is being done to the nerve... which is why you're in pain.

if you avoid root canal, the nerve will eventually recede into your gums and die. it will be the most uncomfortable, intense pain you've ever felt, before it goes away completely... then your tooth will fall out.

[hamstercaster 2]

I had a root canal done when I was 16 or so. I'm now 39 and my tooth is still in my mooth, not loose, no pain, nothing. The root canal itself was a walk in the park. No pain whatsoever. Just the discomfort of having your mouth wide open for the entire procedure which includes drilling to the nerve and grinding all the cavity out before putting a filling in place. All this took I'd say an hour at most. It's definitly worth having the procedure done specially if you can keep your tooth for many years to come. In my case it was my top left canine.

[fawn111 0]

See your dentist.

Teeth can in fact remineralize.... which basically means it heals itself. So the original cavity could have done that and this is a new one.

On root canals.... they are not painful with a proficient General practitioner that knows what they are doing. If you see your dentist and they do not perform root canals, they will refer you to an endodontist.... they specialize in root canals.

DO NOT have the tooth pulled. This is not a good solution. Teeth are in your mouth for a reason and you need to do everything you can to keep them their.

Procedure time can vary depending on the severity of damage to the root. Molars take the longest because well, simply they have two canals to deal with as opposed to just one, but with a skilled clinician, this could take anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes.

[xrickyb86x 1]

Totally forgot I made this thread. I went to the dentist and the quote was insane. Luckily I live close to the border so Mexico is an awesome option. I got a quote from there too. $375 for a root canal and post and all that good stuff.

[shotty 7]

you're going to go to Mexico for dental work?

[starsfan71 9]

Dude don't go to Mexico for an operation. I have heard some things. Probably mostly rumors and myths but, they were pretty scary.

[furlanitalia 1]

You know, I questioned whether it was a good idea or not to gobto mexico but didn't want to say anything in case it was common practice. Glad to see I wasn't the only sceptical one

[UseToBeGoodAtHockey 0]

Seriously...don't go to Mexico for a root canal. That sounds pretty dangerous.

[EBondo 236]

I don't know what the differences were between some of the posters and myself, but I had a root canal last year, and it was the most painful experience I've ever had. I ranked that above the eight knee dislocations and torn ACL. It sucked.

[Master P 0]

I had my first root canal last year. The tooth never hurt. The dentist noticed the tooth was slightly discolored. An xray confirmed I would need a root canal. The tooth never bothered me at all. The root canal wasn't bad. The only thing that hurt was the shot of Novocaine. They explained that if you get a root canal early its not painful. If you wait and have extensive damage the root canal will be painful. They have a hard time deadening the nerves at that point.

[furlanitalia 1]

I have a hard time freezing to begin with so here's to flossing every night and using mouth wash!

[Jarick 5]

My teeth are crap from doing a half assed job when I had braces as a teen...so now I get cavities way too easy.

A couple years ago, my back molar broke (had a pretty big filling in it anyway) and I had to get a crown...a few months later it was nothing but pain and they realized they should have done a root canal first. The procedure really sucked, smelled like burning flesh at some point and it hurt quite a bit. But I went to a different dentist and they were terrible, never going back to them. My regular dentist is usually pretty good. Just ask for a ton of novocaine.

I was told by my dentist that your saliva will neutralize the pH levels in the mouth after 20 minutes, so if you're constantly sipping on a soda, it's going to eat away at your enamel and cause cavities from all the acid (even diet sodas). He recommended to drink them quickly then rinse with water. Also recommended ACT mouthwash (with flouride) a couple times a day, not to rinse or eat/drink anything for 20 minutes after swishing. And brush after each meal.

[gnarlygk 0]

Hey I don't want to sound like a tool but i'm a dentist so can answer a couple of things you ask here (sorry about long post):

Firstly the tooth wont necessarily require a root canal, it depends on how deep the cavity is. You can experience pain from a tooth due to decay that has not reached the nerve and so only requires a filling and not a root canal, best to get a diagnosis first.

1. It is preferable to save your tooth than have it extracted. Extraction of a tooth leaves a deficiency in terms of chewing function on one side and is often associated with the psychology that when there are future problems oh i've had one out, ill just get this one extracted then the next one etc etc basically a slippery slope leaving you unable to, for example, eat a steak by the time you've lost your molars. No fun.

2. Regarding the cavity not hurting: Yes this is common, teeth are unpredictable in terms of pain and a cavity can progress to the pulp (nerve + blood supply) without any significant pain, the pulp then dies and you wont get any pain directly from the tooth at all. What does happen is a small infection develops at the root surrounded and enclosed by bone and this can blow up any time as an abscess. As it is confined within the bone, pressure builds up and it can become excruciatingly painful and they have a habit of occuring at the worst times ie on a long haul international flight. Worst case you can get a sudden facial infection - swelling which requires emergency antibiotic treatment and drainage through the gums and the bone at the root of the tooth can also be gradually destroyed by the infection.

3. Pain - Technically root canal treatment should not be painful, your dentist should sufficiently numb the region of the tooth with anaesthetic. In a very small number of cases, there maybe 1 sec of very sharp pain during the procedure where anaesthetic needs to be injected directly into the tooth and its nerve but after this it should be painless, this situation is relatively rare. There can be discomfort however from keeping your mouth open for lengthy appointments, having a rubber dental applied to your tooth and also a bit of cheek stretching to get all the way back to your molar teeth.

4. Length of procedures: Generally for a molar tooth it will take 3x 60-90 min appointments for the root canal and then another 2x 60-90 minute appointments for the crown preparation and cementation of the crown. Actual length will vary dependent on complexity of your tooth's root canals and experience, equipment of the dentist.

I know it can be expensive at times but it is worth keeping the tooth in terms of quality of life. Personally I feel kinda bad whenever a patient requires expensive work such as a crown and root canal but it is better for the patient in the long run and I know the practices I work at will allow regular patients to pay such dental treatment off in installments if finances are tight.

Treatment in Mexico - Hrmm not a good idea, if you are in the U.S if there are any problems theres no legal recourse for you. I can't comment on the quality of training and treatment there such that if you go to dentist trained by a well recognised university in Mexico I imagine the treatment would be adequate but unless you know and trust the regulatory system in Mexico in terms of dental care and qualifications required for providers I don't think its worth the risk. If you have any other questions happy to answer them if I can....

I was told by my dentist that your saliva will neutralize the pH levels in the mouth after 20 minutes, so if you're constantly sipping on a soda, it's going to eat away at your enamel and cause cavities from all the acid (even diet sodas). He recommended to drink them quickly then rinse with water. Also recommended ACT mouthwash (with flouride) a couple times a day, not to rinse or eat/drink anything for 20 minutes after swishing. And brush after each meal.

This is spot on, drinking habits where fluids high in sugar / acid are consumed frequently is a huge contributor to tooth decay. For us this includes sports drinks such as powerade, gatorade, Red Bull etc etc. I do drink powerade during hockey myself so what Jarick suggests is correct, drinking water afterwards will help, also try and limit intake of these to lunch / dinner or only during sport and drink water after consumption. Avoid sipping this stuff constantly throughout the day which is a recipe for trouble.

[xrickyb86x 1]

LOL Mexico isn't big bad and dangerous, guys. I've had dental work there before with no problem. I would rather not do it because the border is a hassle to cross now. Here in San Diego, saying you're going for dental/medical help in Mexico is so common that I'm not used to your guys reactions. Speaking with the dentist down there... the only big problem with Mexico is it's harder for them to get newer/better pain killers, so procedures might hurt a little more.

I would like to know these "horror stories" about Mexican medical practices.

The simple rule is... Don't act stupid in Mexico and nothing will happen.

Most stories you hear about Americans having bad things happen to them in Mexico (robbed, beat up, arrested, stabbed, etc) is because Americans go into Mexico acting for ignorant and arrogant. Pissing on buildings after leaving clubs, drinking in the streets, looking for drugs, etc.

[Master P 0]

Im impressed that gnarlygk is an actual expert. Compared to everyone on forums that beleive they are an "expert".