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A couple of weeks ago, a dental crown fell off while I was eating a Tootsie Roll. I have not eaten one of these for many years and I guess I was never really supposed to :). I went to a General Dentist who tried to reshape the original tooth to try to get a new crown to stay on better. I received the original crown in CA and now live in CO. After about two hours, the dentist told me that I had two options:
- Get a root canal so he could better shape the tooth.
- Get a crown, but it may fall off again within five years.
I’ve never had a root canal and didn’t really want one, but it seemed like the better option so I was referred to an endodontist.
I talked to some people who had root canals and most of them who had recent experiences had good experiences so I was looking forward to a pain free experience. Unfortunately, my tooth refused to get numb, even after two shots of “the good stuff.” The endodontist didn’t call it “the good stuff,” but that’s what it was and I forget the real name. Once again I was given two options:
- Cope with the pain for about 20 seconds until he could drill through the tooth and put a shot directly into the nerve.
- Reschedule for another time where I could be put out via IV sedation.
This was a tough decision. I, like most people, hate the feeling of dental drilling, even when numb. 20 seconds without being numb was not something I wanted to experience, but I began to think of it from a purely logistical standpoint. 20 seconds of pain versus:
- Rescheduling and taking more time off from work.
- Finding someone to drive me which is either:
- My wife, which would involve bringing our two children or getting a babysitter.
- A friend, who happens to not be working on a weekday.
- Making the hour long drive to the endodontist again.
- Spending a day (or so) recovering from being sedated.
With all of that taken into consideration, 20 seconds didn’t seem like that much of a hassle so I chose the pain.
The interesting thing about the story is that I shared my experience with a number of people and noticed that those who said they would take one option over the other tended to have one thing in common: either having or not having children. Those with children (at an age still under their care) tended to pick the pain while those without children tended to pick the rescheduled appointment and comfort. Children certainly do modify our priorities and help us to pick the choice that maximizes our time with them or our inconvenience to them (e.g., babysitter or sitting in a dentist’s office).
Ouch. I’m a baby when it comes to pain, so there’s no way I could have agreed to endure 20 seconds of torture. Hope your tooth is all better now.
My poor daughter had to have a root canal recently because I lame dentist we used before did not get rid of the cavity before he filled it. This sealed it in to cause problems. I am so glad that her experience did not turn out like yours. I hope you get better soon!
Sounds painful! I couldn’t imagine what that must feel like. Get well soon!
Thanks for the support! Nothing really to “get well” from, though. As soon as the 20 seconds were over, everything was pain free. A bit of soreness the next day, but in the gums. The tooth is great now. I went to the general dentist that referred me originally and he actually did all of his drilling without numbing me…didn’t need it with the nerve gone and all. I must admit, though, that when he brought the drill to my mouth without a shot I questioned it and, after the other recent experience, was a bit nervous.