Chalk and Cheese

I wrote about root canals in this forum back on April 28, 2014. I was determined never to have another one. That didn't actually work out very well. In November, my dentist told me I needed a root canal. I was inclined to just say no. But of course he showed me x-rays and even though I couldn't see whatever it was he was trying to show me, I knew I couldn't just ignore it. But given my previous experience I did decide that there was absolutely no way I was going to go through that just before the holidays. Back in 2014 my mouth hurt for well over a month. Not how I wanted to spend the holidays.

So after the holidays were over I came up with another stall tactic - a second opinion. Maybe a different, younger dentist would have a different treatment plan - one that didn't involve a root canal. I got a new dental plan in place and signed all the paperwork to make sure that the "new" dentist could look at the x-rays the old dentist took.

Then in the meantime, the old dentist retired. In retrospect, probably a good thing. Now I had two new dentists. Unfortunately, they both agreed that I needed a root canal. But these guys started talking about crowns and bridges. Cha-ching. Cha-ching.

Everybody gave me pricing and it honestly wasn't as bad as I'd expected - even when they included the crowns and bridges. But the first thing to do was to get the root canal. I was referred to an endodontist in McKinney.

I phoned and actually spoke with him, not just someone in his office. Reluctantly, I made the appointment. I was apprehensive. The experience from two years ago was still fresh in my mind.

I only wish this had been my first root canal experience. Where the first dentist came in and pumped me full of novocaine within 10 minutes - the endodontist and I had an hour-long conversation about what had gone wrong, what the options were to fix it,  and what the consequences of not fixing it might be. We talked about the odds of a successful procedure. We talked about the things that could go wrong and what would have to happen if something did go wrong. We also talked about those crowns and bridges, which he said could be aesthetically more pleasing but not really necessary. (Good to know!) My first root canal experience did not include any conversation at all.

I opted for the nitrous oxide. The insurance didn't cover it, but it seemed worthwhile. I didn't even have insurance for the first root canal, but nitrous oxide was not given as an option. It is so worth it. You're awake, but you don't feel what much of what is going on. I felt no pain, although I was of the opinion that I wouldn't be able to get through it because I just couldn't keep that thing in my mouth long enough. That's when I looked at my watch and realized that we had to be close to done. Two hours had gone by! My first root canal experience was very rushed. According to Mark, I was only in the first one for about an hour, even though it seemed like an eternity. This one seemed short and it was over two hours - that's the procedure, not including the hour-long conversation.

After it was over, I was told what to expect. That evening should be the most pain I would experience. I was given antibiotics, a steroid as an anti-inflammatory, and an ibuprofen to head off pain. During that first root canal, there were no meds and no expectations were set. That first one was far more painful than I had ever imagined it could be. I was prepared for the same type of pain but it never came. It was a bit tender, but not painful. The endodontist called me the following day to see if I was okay. I absolutely was. On the first root canal, no one called me the next day. Instead, Mark had to call because I hurt so much I couldn't talk. We were able to get pain meds but they made me sick. Tough choices - horrific pain or throwing up. This time, neither one!

It's been less than a week and it's just like nothing ever happened. As different as chalk and cheese!