Has anyone here had a root canal?

[IRescue452]

You guys are making me feel better. I'm only 21 and I've got 3 teeth pulled and tons of fillings. Its genetic for native americans to have poor teeth and I've got native genes from both sides. My mother's family has good teeth though, so I get to hear all sorts of grief from them whenever I go to the dentist for more work. Its not like I asked for bad teeth, and its not like I don't take care of them. Anywho, good dental support group here, lol.

[Pam]

Sara, though I have never had a root canal I worked for a dentist for ten years and my hubby has had several so I am familiar with them. One thing you must always keep in mind with a root canal is that is not the end of the work needed on that teeth. Once the nerve is removed the tooth over time will become brittle. For that reason all root canal teeth need crowns.

My hubby learned this the hard way. He had a root canal done in a front tooth when he was 16 years old. He never had the tooth crowned and when he was in his mid-30's he was eating something and the tooth broke off at the gumline! This was two days before an important job interview. Fortunately our dentist was able to fit him in and set him up with a temporary tooth called a flipper. He went on to have an implant in that tooth and is a happy camper although they are VERY expensive as are bridges. *sigh*

[jennielynn1970]

Just the words "root canal" makes me scared, lol.

I've had the good fortune to have been blessed with strong teeth. I just had my first cavities filled before Christmas. I was such a wimp. They were really superficial, the dentist said, but just hearing the drill freaked me out. I also had my wisdom teeth taken out 2 days after Christmas, and that was NOT a pleasant experience! I was not sedated, just some laughing gas and some valium, but the sound of cracking teeth was not a pleasant one. I'm sure the dentist wasn't happy that I ended up hyperventilating on the last tooth either. I just lost it, and by that time the novacaine was wearing off, the valium wasn't doing jack, and the laughing gas definitely did not make me laugh. I hadn't been to the dentist in 7years up till that point. I have dental insurance, I just get panic attacks whenever I'm there. This new office even burns candles for me when I have a basic cleaning cause the smell makes me sick to my stomach.

I'd suggest doing what ever it is that will keep you out of the dentist office for the longest amount of time afterward, lol.

Oh, and I just turned 37. So, I should know better about taking good care of my teeth.