Root canal 4 days before wedding!!!

Knottie1440625993

I have had the WORST tooth pain the past two months. First the dentist told me I needed my wisdom teeth removed and then the pain would go away... well the pain went away for a few days but then it returned again. 

My whole mouth swelled up and I was in brutal pain. They put me on antibiotics and told me that the pain would go away once the infection was gone. 

A few days later the pain returned again. I went back and saw ANOTHER dentist who said I had a bit of decay in a tooth, he told me once that was removed I would be fine. He removed it. The pain went away for a day or two but then returned. I went back to the dentist and he said he found more decay on the same tooth -- he removed it. Said that should be it. Four days later I was back in the same chair with the same pain. He said that it would okay.... well it wasn't 

I went back again today and they said I need to have a root canal then!!! 

My wedding is July 2nd... They booked me in for a root canal on June 28th, and a filling for June 30th....

Does anyone have any advice?? 

MobKaz

If I recall correctly, I had a root canal performed in the early afternoon and returned to work the very next morning. 

However, I seem to recall this appointment being a two part process.  The involved tooth was opened and filled with medicine.  A temporary filling replaced the gap.  I want to say it was one to two weeks before I returned to complete the process.  Both times I believe I had no work or lifestyle interruptions.  If you plan on taking a honeymoon trip, I would encourage you to find out whether your procedure will be performed in one day or two.

Has any of these dentists performed an actual root canal test?  Have they taken X-Rays?  I would be looking for a new dentist, personally.

Knottie1440625993

The dentist said he was trying to avoid a root canal, but the tooth just wasn't taking it. The person doing the root canal is an endodontist, so he only does root canals.... which should be beneficial! 

We are going on a honeymoon, but just a cabin up north in the woods. Three hour drive and then seclusion and nature for a week!!! 

OurWildKingdom

Dental surgery is no fun. You're probably going to be sleepy and loopy after the procedure but fine the next day, like @MobKaz said. That said, you're probably going to want to stick to liquids and soft foods for a couple days and steer clear of alcohol because it interacts with antibiotics. (At least you can eat cake!)

ILoveBeachMusic

I think it depends on the tooth. I had a root canal and felt fine that day, but after a few days I had bruising along my jaw because the root was curved which meant there was more trauma getting the nerve out.

artbyallie

I was fine the day after my root canal and my pain tolerance is terrible, for what that's worth.

jacques27

I've had several root canals and they have been no big deal really.  I've also had a couple of crowns and I will take a root canal any day of the week over a crown. 

It never required "dental surgery" so there was nothing to be loopy and knocked out for - I just did it with lots of novocaine.  Each one took about an hour and since I was awake and on novocaine it was sort of a pain to keep my mouth that wide open for such a long time.  One of them I was back to work later that afternoon.  Painwise afterwards, for most of them I don't recall it hurting much worse than it does when you get a deep filling done - a bit sore for about 24 hours afterward but it certainly didn't require a soft diet after the first few hours.  But since you'll have a temp filling you likely won't want to eat anything chewy/sticky (like taffy or gummy candy) or very hard (like no cracking pistachios with your teeth or eating caramel corn).  I think one of the times, I recall it feeling like I had been punched in the jaw and it was pretty sore for several days (but that may have actually been the crown, not the root canal), but nothing so severe it required more than over the counter pain relief and ice packs.  Honestly, with every single root canal I was so relieved to be rid of the blinding pain caused by the original issues that whatever secondary pain came from the procedure felt like a holiday. 

But everyone tolerates pain differently.  Based on my experience though I don't really see why having a root canal four days prior to an event should affect anything.  I usually have the temp filling for a week to a month after though, not just two days.  That much work may make the effects a little more pronounced just from having someone rooting around in your mouth so much in a short period of time.

OurWildKingdom

I do want to add that Novocain always makes me loopy for some reason, even if I'm not in pain. But YMMV.

LadyCatherineDB

I've had more root canals than I'd like to admit, and I personally have a slightly aching jaw afterward if I don't take any kind of pain reliever, but I usually go back to work the same day and definitely the next day. [I'm also a huge baby when it comes to physical pain.] I've never been put under.

If you require a crown, the dentist will put on a temp until a second visit, as a PP mentioned. The temp is usually good for about two weeks, but your endodontist will probably tell you to avoid gum and hard, sticky candy. I had a root canal right before an out-of-state trip, and my dentist told me to buy denture glue at the grocery store. That way if my temp were to pop off, I could immediately stick it back on with the denture glue until I could make it back to my dentist.

*I am not a dental professional. This is based solely on my experience as a patient.

drunkenwitch

ouch that sucks, I've had root canals and crowns and they are not pleasant. 

That said, you will be fine for your wedding. Riot canals don't need the recovery time that wisdom teeth require. You'll feel crummy after the root canal. Possibly a little discomfort the next day, possibly.  But after that you're fully recovered. The temporary crown will get you through the wedding, they can feel a lite weird at first but it doesn't interfere with your life, just no caramels or taffy while you have it.

drunkenwitch

drunkenwitch said:

ouch that sucks, I've had root canals and crowns and they are not pleasant. 

That said, you will be fine for your wedding. Riot canals don't need the recovery time that wisdom teeth require. You'll feel crummy after the root canal. Possibly a little discomfort the next day, possibly.  But after that you're fully recovered. The temporary crown will get you through the wedding, they can feel a lite weird at first but it doesn't interfere with your life, just no caramels or taffy while you have it.

I was going to edit that post but now I can't stop giggling at the thought of "riot canals".

OurWildKingdom

drunkenwitch said:

drunkenwitch said:

ouch that sucks, I've had root canals and crowns and they are not pleasant. 

That said, you will be fine for your wedding. Riot canals don't need the recovery time that wisdom teeth require. You'll feel crummy after the root canal. Possibly a little discomfort the next day, possibly.  But after that you're fully recovered. The temporary crown will get you through the wedding, they can feel a lite weird at first but it doesn't interfere with your life, just no caramels or taffy while you have it.

I was going to edit that post but now I can't stop giggling at the thought of "riot canals".

Sounds like a punk band!

spockforprez

You may end up with a temporary crown, depending on the procedure needed. I'm glad you are having an endo work on it! I have had one root canal, an extraction, and two crowns. Between those three I will take the root canal! It's similar to a regular filling, just takes a bit longer, and your jaw may be sore from the extra time your mouth is held open. 

My advice -

• Take some ibuprofen to alleviate jaw pain. 
• Use some petroleum jelly on the corners of your mouth just so they don't get irritated from being stretched.
• If you get a buildup/temporary crown on the RCT tooth, you can eat normally but I would be careful to avoid hard stuff like nuts just in case. (You will usually keep your temporary crown for 2 weeks while the lab makes your permanent crown.)
• Reschedule the filling... this seems like a filling on another tooth, not the RCT tooth, right? If so, reschedule for after the honeymoon. Multiple procedures done in the few days before your wedding seems excessive!

I think you'll be just fine in time for the wedding. Sorry this is all happening during the homestretch, but good luck and have a great wedding day!

IrishPirate60

Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) is my go-to helper any time I have major dental work done. It's fairly inexpensive and takes the edge off the noise.