Root canals and crowns
TV ClubHouse: Archives: Root canals and crowns
Willsmom | Thursday, November 14, 2002 - 11:50 am     Hi all... went in for a big filling yesterday and it turned into a root canal. I have a temporary crown that is just foreign in my mouth! (It's flat on top...very weird feeling) Anyway,I will get my crown in two weeks and was wondering if that procedure hurts? Do you have to get numbed again for that? Just don't know if I can stand those shots again..Thanks for any help! |
Conejo | Thursday, November 14, 2002 - 12:13 pm     Willsmom, I've had 2 crowns for about 25 years and had them replaced once, about 10 years ago. I don't remember having to be "numbed up" when they put on the permanent crowns. It wasn't terribly painful (If I remember correctly)but also wasn't all that pleasant. It will probably take a week or so after you get your permanent crowns to get adjusted them. |
Conejo | Thursday, November 14, 2002 - 12:16 pm     Also, be careful with your temporary crown. I was eating taffy one time and pulled the temporary crown off. Had to go back to dentist and have temp. replaced. |
Jagger | Thursday, November 14, 2002 - 12:39 pm     I must had one done about 6 months ago and no they usally don't give you another shot, but as Conejo said it really doesn't hurt when they put the crown on, but they need it to fit properly so it can be a pain in the butt with them fitting it, taking it off, re fitting, etc. And yes those temperary ones aren't the greatest, they do tend to come loose. |
Willsmom | Thursday, November 14, 2002 - 12:40 pm     Yikes! No taffy for me Conejo! Thanks for the advice. I think I'll lose weight during these two weeks, just too weird to really chew these days! I had a dream last night that it came off...Thanks again for your help |
Conejo | Thursday, November 14, 2002 - 12:51 pm     Willsmom, if it should come off, save it and the dentist can put it back on without having to make another one. At least that's what my dentist did when mine came off. Just be careful if that does happen, as I almost swallowed mine. LOL |
Grooch | Thursday, November 14, 2002 - 01:47 pm     If it does happen to come off, just take a little, little piece of toilet paper and wet it and place it in the crown and than back onto your tooth. It will act as an adhesive, until you can get back to the dentist and they can reattach it. My dentist gave me that advice when it happened to me, and it really worked well. |
Grooch | Thursday, November 14, 2002 - 01:50 pm     P.S. you shouldn't feel any pain at all, because there is no nerve any more. If you do feel pain, then the dentist may not have gotten all the nerve out, which is bad. |
Pamy | Thursday, November 14, 2002 - 02:06 pm     I am the QUEEN of Crowns!!!! Throughout my life my parents and I have probably spent over $20,000 on my teeth!! People always comment on what pretty teeth I have, since they are all man made porcelain crowns they are fairly perfect and very white.I have them on almost all my teeth and have been getting root canals for years!!! You don’t have to get numb to have the temporary pulled off and the new permenant crown placed on but I ALWAYS do, because I have a sensitive mouth. When they were ‘casting’ your mouth for the new crown did the cold goop they used to make the impression make you want to climb the walls?? (the cold on my exposed teeth makes me go insane)If not then you should not need to be numb for the placement of the new crown. The good news is the worst is over, the first appt for a root canal/crown is always the longest and most painful, the appt to ‘seat’ the new crown shouldn’t take more than 30-45min…..unless the new crown doesn’t fit properly…if it doesn’t then they have to re cast your mouth, cement the temporary back on, and you have to wait another week to come back for the permanent one!! I hope you don’t have any trouble and your teeth are back to normal soon!!! |
Sia | Thursday, November 14, 2002 - 03:31 pm     I've never had either, and thought that the two things, crowns and root canals, were different things entirely unrelated to one another. I've always heard people say that root canals are something to be avoided at all costs. Someone once told me that the nerve is drilled out of the tooth when a root canal is done, the tooth then "dies" and that the tooth discolors and will eventually have to be pulled anyway. If that's the case, why have a root canal at all, especially since they're often so painful? A crown, I thought, was a man-made enamel cover put over a tooth to repair damage or to enhance the appearance of the tooth. Speaking of teeth, has anyone here had success with tooth-bleaching? I wish my teeth were dazzling-white, but they're not. I've considered trying the take-home bleaching kit available from my dentist, as my guy doesn't do the laser treatments (no one in this area does that, he says), but am worried about getting uneven results. Has anyone tried this? How about OTC whitening toothpastes? |
Pamy | Thursday, November 14, 2002 - 03:43 pm     Sia...most of the time if you have a root canal they then need to put a crown on that tooth. I have had crowns put on with no root canals done but they were done for cosmetic reasons. As long as you can get numb a root canal is not all that bad. Once I had an absess(sp?)and I couldn't get numb, that was the worst root canal of my life and there were 3 roots in the one tooth!! |
Juju2bigdog | Thursday, November 14, 2002 - 04:15 pm     I have two temporary crowns on my teeth right now, and Bigdog has three. We are trying to help our dentist retire at age 35. We go back for the permanent crowns Monday. I have had two other crowns within the past five years. Dental work does not faze me, so I don't clearly recall the second appointments for the permanent crowns other than to recall they are not much of anything. I don't think they give you any novocaine, and it doesn't take long. Advice for Willsmom - don't eat anything sticky for the two weeks, and you will be fine. Don't worry about how the teeth feel to your tongue. That's just because you are probably used to feeling them with fillings in them, and now you won't have any. The new crown may feel excessively smooth too at first, but you will get used to it and not notice it in the future. Relax. This is the 21st century, dentistry is quite advanced, and your dentist has probably done many hundreds successfully. Everything will work out fine, and you will have a nice, sturdy, pretty tooth that is not going to get any more cavities. |
Sia | Thursday, November 14, 2002 - 08:56 pm     I hate having dental work done! Luckily, I have a very nice dentist right now and he is quite kind. In the past I wasn't always so lucky. I'm glad to hear that root canals aren't always excruciatingly painful. Guess that's just the stereotype of them, huh? |
Willsmom | Friday, November 15, 2002 - 07:05 am     Thanks for all of the advice guys! The actual root canal took almost 3 hrs. I had 4 roots in that tooth and they were curvy appaarently. Pamy, the green goop didn't bother since I was numb at the time, though they did have to do it twice. Truly the worst thing was that I didn't have insurance and wasn't expecting a root canal and crown! I can't complain too much because I haven't been in any pain...only took one of the pills they gave me the first night in anticipation of pain, but have had none. Another question...my dentist bargained with me on a price for teeth whitening and said he would do it for $100. This is for the teeth bleaching trays. Is this a good price? Has anyone used Crest Whitestrips and gotten good results? Just wondering..Thanks again! I love this site. |
Conejo | Friday, November 15, 2002 - 07:42 am     Willsmom, I'm also interested in tooth whitening and my dentist said it would be around $300.00 for the trays and $600 to have some sort of procedure done in his office. He recommended the trays and told me that the procedure they do in the office can cause damage to your teeth. Has anyone had this done? what were your results? what was the cost? |
Juju2bigdog | Friday, November 15, 2002 - 10:39 am     Bigdog. Whitening through dentist with trays. $300. Good job. But always remember - you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. |
Fruitbat | Friday, November 15, 2002 - 10:56 am     Before you spend that money try Crest Whitestrips. I am using them now and friends have had fabulous results. They are getting rave reviews and are the best of all the over the counter methods. |
Webkitty | Sunday, November 17, 2002 - 07:43 am     I agree about Crest Whitestrips. They do work and are easier to use then those trays the dentist uses. (and much cheaper) I have had two root canals in the last 6 months at 800.00 a pop. Now I need crowns to go over them at 1000.00 each. ug. Plus about 1000.00 of other work. ug. I have always been lucky with my teeth. Never needed braces or any major problems. Gums are good, etc. The thing that bothers me is that all these teeth that I am having problems with now are back teeth, so I LOOK ok, but the dentist assures me that if I don't have all this work done I will end up loosing them because teeth that have had root canals are prone to cracking. (especially ones in the back that get so much pressing from chewing) So much money, its depressing. Just had to vent, I've been down about it lately. |
Juju2bigdog | Sunday, November 17, 2002 - 09:03 am     Webkitty, you got relatives in any other part of the country that you can go stay with for a couple weeks? Those prices are pretty high. When we lived in South Florida, a lot of our friends were from other parts of the country, and I always urged them to go "home" for their dental work. Friend of mine came in one day and said he needed TWO root canals at some ungodly price. I told him to go to visit his Momma in Memphis and see her dentist for those root canals. |
Webkitty | Sunday, November 17, 2002 - 10:37 am     I thought they were pretty high too, Juju. Especially since the cost of just about everything else down here is less than in other parts of the country. The root canal dentists I went to are specialists, they don't do general dentistry. My (then) regular dentist wasn't qualified to do it. (Crowns either) I was very unhappy with that dentist (long story) and we didn't part on good terms. The other dentist specializes in crowns, etc, he doesn't do general dentistry either. Thats one reason he is so expensive. The other is that he has a new technology were the patient doesn't have to have a temporary. He can mill the tooth right there in the office while the patient waits, then it is fused onto the real tooth. This is supposed to be much stronger than the old way. He seems to know what he is doing. He gave me the most comprehensive oral exam I've ever had. He found degenerative joint disease on both sides, (at the jaw hinges) one much worse than the other. He said I might have to have surgery down the line, lovely. I wake up every morning with jaw pain that extends the whole side of my face. He also said that probably expains the severe migraines I've been having lately. Since my MD just ordered a cat scan of the brain because of them, and it came out clean, it makes sense. I can't travel right now so that's out. Whatever, I'm just fed up. It would help if I could do a payment plan, but nooooo! LOL. I guess I'll try to find a way to have at least one tooth done now. When its over I'll come back here and let everyone know if the "new technology" was worth it. Teeth, aghhhh! |
Grooch | Sunday, November 17, 2002 - 03:02 pm     Webkitty, do you ever get credit card offers in the mail that say no interest or payments until 9/03?, (or whatever date?) If you get those offers, apply for the card and put the dentist bill on that. I have heard of people done here going to central america to get their dentist work done. They go for the week for vacation, have the work done (and they are very good dentists, trained in the US) and they only spend a couple of hundred dollars and they have a great time also. Something to think about. |
Juju2bigdog | Sunday, November 17, 2002 - 06:02 pm     Webkitty, him not doing general dentistry does explain the high bill. As info, my crowns are $725 each, and he is giving us a 10% discount for paying cash. I suppose we should also have worked out a group discount, LOL. You should definitely ask for a discount for paying cash, if you do that. You might also want to check with another general dentist, or call some dentists. Ask your friends or coworkers for dentist recommendations. One thing I have found in my travels about the country and living in different places is most people are pretty happy with their dentists. |
Christina | Monday, November 18, 2002 - 02:57 am     I am using the colgate gel, that you paint on. Seems to be working well, just into a week so far. Its done for 2weeks. An important note....make sure you cover the whole tooth! The colgate gel is half the price of crests. My dentist suggested it. Instead of expensive bleaching which costs too much. |
Sabbatia | Monday, November 18, 2002 - 10:16 am     Willsmom, be really careful if you are a tooth grinder like ME. the metal temps last me 1 day till I bite through it. The plastic ones, kept coming off until he finally gave up on them because the inside got too big for the tooth from grinding. I went two weeks without a temp on a tooth without a root canal because they just dont work for me. Had pain pills the whole time, and yeah, I did drop some weight. |
Sadiesmom | Monday, November 18, 2002 - 06:15 pm     You can get temporary dental glue at CVS or another drug store. Be very careful and only get the DENTAL glue. It is in the aisle with floss and toothpaste. I alway have some around. I am going on 6 months with a row of temps in my mouth and my dentist knows I am ready to sue him. I had TMJ and had all my molars covered with caps - no root canals - when I was young. When he retired, his replacement kept filing them down and now 25 years later I had TMJ again. I told him the procedure the last dentis used and he refused to follow it. Now these caps are uncomfortable and my mouth always hurts. But aside from that remember temporary dental cement. |
Webkitty | Tuesday, November 19, 2002 - 12:54 pm     Good news. I got a referral to another dentist, and he only charges 650.00 per crown. ANd, he will let me make payments, whew! Problem solved. Thanks for all the advise, I appriciate it. |
Sia | Tuesday, November 19, 2002 - 02:28 pm     Thanks for the information about the tooth-whitening products, everyone. I will look for the Colgate gel and try that. The price my dentist quoted for the take-home trays with bleaching gel was around $275 or $300; can't remember the exact quote. It seems a bit steep, especially as Bigdog said in Juju's post above that "you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear!!" My teeth were straightened by braces, but I had them done when I was 20-21, so the teeth have drifted a tiny bit back out of alignment; I notice the difference, although no one else has ever commented about it. My Dad would probably say that having my teeth whitened would be like putting socks on a hog (Yes, I have the nicest family!!), but it would make me feel more confident. My teeth aren't yellow or gray, but they're not the bright-bright white they were before 25 years of drinking coffee and tea!! Have you all heard that drinking dark-colored sodas (colas, etc.) is as bad for staining teeth as drinking coffee? The recommendation now is that sodas be drunk through a straw so that the front teeth are not bathed in pop with artificial colors in it. I guess I have a choice: though I don't drink more than one soda per day and often don't have any at all, I find myself buying clear sodas more frequently, and I use a straw whenever possible. Now I need to brainstorm how I can drink hot coffee through a straw!! Without inducing a lawsuit, that is, LOL! Coffee Nips taste good and taste like coffee, but they don't give me the coffee-fix that I like! One more thing: weren't the BB hamsters given Crest White-strips this season? I remember seeing them apply them to their teeth in the pore-cam. The strips only cover the front six or eight teeth, right? Isn't there an obvious difference in color between those teeth that have been lightened and the ones farther back? |
Juju2bigdog | Tuesday, November 19, 2002 - 04:49 pm     Yay, Webkitty!!!! I am happy to hear that. Bigdog and I got our collective five permanent crowns yesterday morning. We were both getting a crown on the same tooth, and the dentist had some fitting problems with both of us on the same tooth, so it took a bit longer than usual for both of us. The other crowns popped right in with no problem. No pain for either of us. |
Nancy | Tuesday, November 19, 2002 - 08:26 pm     i've had numerous crowns too and definitely no pain on putting the perm one in--and no novacaine..since i have sjogren's disease my teeth are really susceptible to cavities if i'm not super diligent.. |
Kady | Tuesday, November 19, 2002 - 09:03 pm     Christina, thanks, I was wondering about the Colgate gel. I will now buy it based on your recomendation.  |
Conejo | Wednesday, November 20, 2002 - 07:23 am     Thanks for everyone's input on "teeth whitening" I think I'll try either the crest white strips or the colgate gel and see how that works before paying for the dental trays. |
Juju2bigdog | Wednesday, November 20, 2002 - 11:21 am     I might do the Colgate or Crest tooth whitener too, based on the recommendations here. Webkitty, that is a good tip for you. When the guy came in to take the color for my crowns, I told him I might do the tooth whitening, so when he was between two shades of deciding, he went with the lighter one. |
Webkitty | Wednesday, November 20, 2002 - 11:31 am     Right, Juju, I was thinking of that too. I swear by the Crest whitestrips, they really do work, at least for me they did. I'll have to check out Colgate gel too. |
Willsmom | Thursday, November 21, 2002 - 06:17 am     Well as soon as I get my crown and tooth cleaning next week...I'm off to buy Crest Whitestrip ($7 off coupon) or Colgate Gel ($5 off coupon) Thanks for all the hints here...I'll save my moolah on teeth whitening trays at the dentist and buy the cheaper stuff. |
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