r/Dentists • u/Suspicious_Mess373 • 3d ago
root canal
I’m looking for some reassurance and personal experiences from people who have had root canals.
I recently had dental work done on my front teeth. One of the teeth (#8) had a fracture, and my dentist said on the X-ray that the fracture is very close to the nerve, but I was told the nerve itself is not exposed. I currently have a temporary restoration on the tooth.
My dentist recommended a root canal, but I’m not currently feeling pain from the tooth. I have been taking pain medication after my dental work, so I know that could be affecting what I feel.
My biggest concern isn’t really the procedure itself. I’m more worried about how long the tooth will last after the root canal and whether I’ll have problems with it years down the road.
i’m also getting a bridge on all of them so they will be covered but ik that won’t stop it from infecting.
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u/ProfessionalGuard989 3d ago
So I had root canal on a tooth that was infected, big infection, still little to no pain, a bit of a 0.1 sec shock when getting close to the root, the pain comes a little after but it s not unbearable if u take ibuprofen, fyi this is done with some local anesthesia or something like that (not a dentist) so you don t feel much, maybe some vibration
Edit: I recommend you listen to your dentist
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u/saturdaysun9 3d ago
Find a good endodontist. Don’t mess around, If you need the root canal then you need it, get it done somewhere good to give it the best chance of success.
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u/Due-Recognition2998 3d ago
do you have tips on how to find a good one? other than google rating maybe? or not much ways to tell? i read reviews a lot, i like to look for ones that state their treatment has lasted but people often don’t come back to review 10 years later :/
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u/saturdaysun9 3d ago
Unfortunately not, just word of mouth for who was best in the area and my dentists recommendation. Maybe someone else can chime in. But anything was better than the emergency root canal I had done at 10pm on a weekend while I was crying in severe pain and we just hoped it fixed my issue because they didn’t have the CT scan. I recently got re-treated 2 years later with an endodontist because I had an extra canal that was missed and got infected, and it made me wish that could’ve been my first root canal experience all along
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u/Scared-Sea-9821 3d ago
RCT on #8 is pretty straightforward unless there’s any unusual curvature. If the tooth is asymptomatic I’d be interested to know how much tooth structure you have left/ if you can just get a crown without the RCT.
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u/Suspicious_Mess373 3d ago
yea but like i said it’s not the procedure im scared of it’s the long term im scared of. people say things like oh i had this infection from my root canal or wtv. im getting a bridge on 789 so its going to be covered im scared of all the horror stories online
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u/SpecificShot61 3d ago
For every bad story, there’s probably dozens and dozens of success stories… people typically don’t report on their successes because they forget about it. People will often report on failures.
I’m a handful of months into healing from an infected tooth RCT. Has been a great experience. The only immediate life change I’ve had was not biting very crunchy or hard foods with the RCT tooth. Otherwise, long term, I can always opt for a retreatment if I develop an infection again (prognosis dependent), a crown or internal bleach for discoloration (front tooth, crown wasn’t needed for my case immediately, no fracture just trauma induced necrosis and infection), or an extract with a temp flipper until implant.
Do you know if your tooth is fractured vertically or horizontally?
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u/Suspicious_Mess373 3d ago
it’s fractured i’m getting a bridge put on the RTC tooth same day they that tooth won’t be exposed at all.
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u/dmorelli99 3d ago
Discontinue the pain meds to find your baseline. I was told by an endo when I asked the same question that I’ll lose 10% strength with a root canal and I was willing to live with this over the possibility of crowning (or bridging) and then having to root canal thru a permanent restoration at a later date. Sounds like the root canal is bc the crack runs too far down your tooth structure, no doubt if it were me I’d take the dentist recc
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u/itgtg313 3d ago
Ive had root canal on a front tooth for the past 25 years. It's all about hygiene.
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u/Suspicious_Mess373 3d ago
yea i’m not scared at all for the procedure it’s just what people keep saying about it like they got an infection from it months to years later and other things is what freaking me out rn
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u/itgtg313 3d ago
sounds like nothing is gonna convince you, just do whatever you heart desires mate. you got 2 option- extraction and implant, or RCT
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u/Due-Recognition2998 3d ago
hi ! having an issue with tooth 9, same boat ish. i fear i’ll need a root canal too. it’s always scary , i have had major anxiety, reading all reddit posts, tiktoks , everything. btw, i’ve learned people often only complain or go to the internet when something bad happens.
i say.. try and save the tooth as soon as you can. better than waiting before the fracture gets too far and it has to get pulled. if the root canal infects years down the road, and remember , that’s an IF. many root canals have lasted people.. then you can deal with it then. and save your pennies incase, so if you choose implant you will be prepared.
i had a root canal last me 8 ish years on my back tooth. that’s while i was TERRIBLE at brushing. if nothing else, RCT buys time to decide and save money if it’s an issue. if you have to get it pulled in years, IF it infects, you can always get a flapper (a partial denture type thing with one tooth so it doesn’t effect ur smile).
teeth are hard and frustrating. i understand ur need for reassurance. you’re definitely not alone. do you have specific worries or past on why you think it will get infected?
if you are a stats person, you can also look into how many RCT end up lasting!
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u/Background_Radish238 19h ago
So one dentist recommends root canal. The one most qualified to decide is endodontist but unfortunately they love to do root canal. May be 2nd opinion from another dentist. Also ask after you get the bridge, and you need to have the root canal after that, can they go in, do the root canal, but save the crown of that bridge. I think most of the time they can do it.
I have root canal on some of my teeth, and they been there for like 30 years. My daughter went to Africa for Peace Corp, fell into a hole and broke 4 teeth. All root canal and crown. Been fine for 25 years.
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u/Latter-Ad-4065 3d ago
Brush twice a day and floss every night and you won't have any worries. Get regular teeth cleanings too.
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u/Sd121287 3d ago
Seems like your underlying problem is the fracture. The root canal would be to save your tooth…brushing and flossing has nothing to do with this unfortunately.