How do you know if you need a Root Canal? I have never had a root canal before until October the 13th I was biting into a kernal of Popcorn and had a piercing pain in one of my lower right molars. In fact the pain was so bad under that tooth, that I had a hard time sleeping. After I popped a few Advils, it helped with the pain. Unfortunately, the next night I was dinning at Prime Italian in South Beach and the pain was so noticeable, I could not enjoy the Kobe Beef Lasagna. I immediately scheduled an emergency visit to my local Dentist in Aventura. My Dentist did everything to try and save my tooth versus recommending an Implant but eventually ending up putting in a Temporary Crown. Meanwhile, he figured out that I had chipped my tooth. He recommended that I see an Oral Surgeon/Endodontist in Miami Beach for Endodontics. So back to my original question, How do you know if you need a Root Canal? In my case, it was the Facial Pain or the excruciating pain under the tooth that I was having. In fact I noticed that my face was starting to feel swollen. When I called the Oral Surgeon in Miami Beach, after a series of questions, they told me to come immediately to their office.
I had never been to an Endontist before, and a quick look at the American Association of Endodontist's Pamphlets in his waiting room gave me the Advanced version of the Wikipedia on it. Apparently, the inside the tooth under Dentin is the pulp that contains nerves and connective tissue. If the Pulp becomes inflamed or infected from deep decay, repeated dental procedures or a crack or chip, it can cause pain or lead to an abscess. So the signs of pulp damage could include: pain, prolonged sensitivity to heat or cold, discoloration of the tooth and swelling and tenderness in nearby gums. Apparently, there are sometimes no symptoms, in my case -- there certainly was!
The next thing I knew, I was sitting in the Oral Surgeon's Chair for the Root Canal Treatment or Endodonic Treatment. I had never had it before. The first thing the Endodontist did was to use an anesthetic to numb my mouth prior to the treatment. Yes, he used an large needle and it made me feel better knowing in Dental School that he had to take hundreds of these shots as part of his training. They then moved me to another room which had a Microscope above the chair. They then administered a very comfortable Mouth Guard and another larger funnel shaped guard that gave him a birds eye view of my mouth. Next, he removed the temporary crown and then started with the drilling (yikes, I thought after the crown went on the drilling was over). The endodontist removes the inflamed or infected pulp, carefully cleans and shapes the inside of the tooth, then fills and seals the space (that must be the reason for the drilling). An hour or so later, I was done!
When my temporary crown was popped back in, it was similar to the experience felt when taking my ski boots off at the end of the day or entering the parking lot after the 15 mile Shark Valley Road bike ride. Nevertheless, my next stop was Walgreens to pickup get a prescription for an Antibiotic filled along with a pain med. When the pharmacist asked me if I would be willing to pick it up the next day, I quickly shouted back, I will be waiting for it (I worked in a Pharmacy back in my college days). He must have not looked at the prescription or noticed my swollen face. Believe it or not, several Advils actually worked better than the controversial pain med.
That night I actually had some pasta and it tasted good, not as good as the Prime Italian Lasagna though. A week later, even with the Temporary Crown, my teeth and mouth feel back to normal again. I will be going to my folow-up appointment tomorrow, and hopefully have the permanent crown put in next week.
Please note that some dental policies don't cover Endodontics. If you have a policy, it would be a good idea to check!
Reference: Your Guide to Endodontic Treatment, American Association of Endodontists.
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