i have not been to a dentist in probably 10 years

I had to have that done last year aps. If the tooth has been root-treated, as sounds likely, then it's easy - drilling down can't hurt because there's no feeling there. I don't think I even had anaesthetic.

The temporary cap isn't a cap, it's a sort of thin cement that smoothes over the stump and gradually disintegrates over the fortnight until the cap has been made. When it comes to fitting, I can't remember how the cement came off but the cap just gets glued over the stump. Again, I don't think any anaesthetic.

The finished job is indistinguishable from an actual tooth. It feels a little bit weaker, and slightly weird if I'm knackered (presume this reflects something to do with sinuses rather than anything else), but otherwise does the job perfectly well.

In short, it's remarkably painless and you should go ahead imo.

xp should be ok, i have a crown on a molar where i had had a root canal; it was prob ~6 yrs ago but i dont recall the drilling down & fitting being bad really

yea what IK said. my crown has actually come un-cemented twice in the 6 yrs but that is painless too and they jam it back in for free

My total bill from my 4+ years of no dentist came to $610, w/scaling plus two fillings.

― kingkongvsgodzilla, Tuesday, March 10, 2009 12:22 PM (5 years ago) [IP: 144.171.206.112: Washington, United States] Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Didn't learn my lesson as I waited through the whole first Obama administration to go again. Hundreds of dollars of work in the last year. No surprise.

Part of my weird problem was that whenever the receptionists would ask me when to schedule my next appointment for, I wouldn't do it because I didn't know where I would be or what I'd be doing in 6 months. It didn't occur to me that I could reschedule closer to the date of the appointment if that date didn't work for me!

Hmm, I haven't had a root canal... yet. But thanks for the reassurance on the cap itself.

I am also not learning my lesson as I forgot to buy anything to eat for lunch and am going to eat Easter eggs instead of an actual meal.

By "yet" I mean I haven't had a root canal, though one of the links I looked at said they might x-ray you before measuring and give you a root canal there and then if there's decay underneath. Which, urgh.

FFS my temporary cement cap came off the day after surgery on a bank holiday weekend. It doesn't hurt; let's hope it can stay that way until Tuesday at least.

Sigh.

i just got one, on a front tooth, following a small chip in the exterior. i made the mistake of looking over in the mirror, after they finished "preparing" my real tooth for the cap. i felt like i was trapped in a horror movie. now the cap looks fine. the dentist said that the temporary cement they used might just stay permanently, since there's very little "play" in the tooth. i hope that's right. it doesn't hurt when the cap is off, but it's ultra-sensitive and feels lousy, to say nothing of how it looks.

The temporary cap isn't a cap, it's a sort of thin cement that smoothes over the stump and gradually disintegrates
FFS my temporary cement cap came off the day after surgery on a bank holiday weekend

OK, how is anyone meant to eat with this stuff in? The dentist said "don't eat anything too hard" but I lost 80% of it on some mashed potato on Saturday night and the remaining 20% on a cheese sandwich just now, despite trying not to chew on that side. Going back to the dentist tonight to see what he says but I'm not getting the real cap until next Friday and the prospect of trying to feed myself for 9 days without dislodging whatever replacement I get is currently a bit daunting

or maybe he'll say "since it doesn't hurt very much it's fine and you've wasted my time"; most of the back enamel of my tooth is missing but I'm not really clear whether the stuff I can feel with my tongue is tooth-core (everyone's favourite genre) or the dentist's cement.

so many appointments for one tooth! and I am 99% convinced several others are fucked too, so I look forward to repeating the cycle again and again

hope yours is going OK, Daniel!

it's going okay, but i have the same issue you do. i won't put a lot of pressure on the cap, for fear of it falling out (which my dentist warned me could happen, especially with the temporary cement saying in as a hoped-for permanent solution). so that makes eating certain foods, like sandwiches, a real challenge.

how's it going for you, a few hours since this post? i would hate it to have to deal with an exposed "nub" for a day, but maybe it's easier with a back-tooth.

ahem, he put some more putty on but told me I was basically worrying about nothing (though he put it much more nicely than that) because although the outer wall and lid had come off there is apparently a pretty sound core of filling material still there. I'm only having a 3/4 cap, only half the back and one side are missing, so I guess I underestimated what was left behind the half-back

so, now I am suitably ashamed for panicking. I am not really dealing well with the whole tooth breakage, ever-rotting body, reminder of mortality thing tbh, more than any actual physical issues

I hope your fears are similarly unjustified... and that I can make it until next Friday without further incident, psychological or actual. When's your real cap to be fitted?

don't be ashamed, really. i was so horrified and sad about the cap that i can barely describe it, and for the same reasons you mentioned.

my real cap is in. the cement they initially used was supposed to be temporary, in case the "funny feeling" i had in the tooth meant i needed a root canal ("no reason to drill through a new, permanently-cemented cap, if that's the case," is the way my dentist described it). when i went back, she said there was "no play" in the cap or tooth, so she said let's just leave it as-is, and that the temporary cement sometimes works forever. the "funny feeling" has gone away, but i'm constantly aware i've got a cap where my front tooth used to be.

Time for more fillings :( though at least the broken-and-capped tooth mentioned above seems to be doing fine (famous last words, etc).

Anyone have any thoughts on the silver mercury amalgam vs white composite fillings? The thought of mercury in my mouth is a little unnerving (they're right at the back so how it looks doesn't really matter) but it'll be nearly £200 cheaper and I'm probably worrying about nothing. Right? Right??

I wish I had sprung for the white ones. Every once in a while I open my mouth in the mirror and am horrified. I mean it seems silly to pay that much for such a tiny vanity, but if someone told me now "you can pay like $2 a month to not ever have that terrible "oh god my whole mouth is a PIT OF ROTTEN DECAY oh wait" feeling I'd take it.

I have not, however, died, nor gone mad.

Latest bit of fall out from my years of dental inattention was a root canal two weeks ago. Went back in yesterday to have av temporary crown put on. I didn't Google it beforehand so I didn't realize that in order to fit the crown over your damaged tooth, they have to file the tooth down to a nub. So that's a bummer.

In the continuing saga of "spacecadet starts seeing dentists again after many years", just saw a hygienist for the first time since, oh, 1997ish. Way more intense than I remembered, surprised various teeth didn't pop out or snap. Whole mouth feels weird now.

I was of course told to floss more often (I hate flossing, I am really manually un-dextrous and malcoordinated and find the whole thing awkward and anxiety-inducing); also, upsold on an electric toothbrush, though I had been meaning to buy one anyway.

not been in 8 years :(

looking forward to all of mine falling out so i can just do it all by post

yes, looking forward to dental 3d printing reaching the point where I can have a new set every few years

think sharks have the right idea http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_tooth

I'm so squeamish about bodies, teeth & especially gums that I didn't go for twelve years, and when I did I had to have nine fillings and three pure-black wisdom teeth chopped out of my gob. It was a good job I was on the dole at the time - it all came free and I got some sedation for the squeams thrown in.

That was three years ago, though, and recently, while eating a fucking ciabatta that I didn't even want, one of those big fillings came out, or a quarter of a tooth did -- I swallowed it and I'm no expert anyway -- and I have to begin again I reckon, this time paying, I suppose.

― Eyeball Kicks, Monday, November 26, 2007 11:34 PM (7 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Haha so I actually went a couple of times in 2008 after the ciabatta business, and the dentist had a root canal thing going on in that tooth but she ran out of time, so she temporarily filled it and I was supposed to go back the next week. But I was broke and didn't turn up, and literally every day since then I have thought "Shit, I should really go see a dentist some time," but obviously I never did, even when that whole area got super-painful and super-swollen for a few days in 2010.

Then last weekend I had a stupid accident in someone's bathroom and totally smashed up my front teeth. Holy fuck, it is a disaster. Had no choice but to go to the dentist twice this week already, and will be going many, many times in the months to come. Torture upon torture! It is like the worst possible thing that could happen has happened. In a weird way, though, it is kind of good because while I fear for my looks at least I'm finally going to get all the other stuff done.

oof! fingers crossed for you EK

Thanks! At least now I am sort of in a position where I could possibly get my hands on whatever money is needed to sort it all out, whereas in 2007 the £300 or so I needed to fix things up was beyond me. Seems so sad now.

I went through this last year and had a tooth pulled and various fillings - one of which is so big that the dentist reckons additional root canal surgery will eventually be required, and he said that with some relish. I find it hard to keep it civil with him because he is such a slimy tosser. He isn't like one of the mouth butchers that I encountered in the 70's/80's that scared me off for decades, but there is definitely something John Christie+ about him and he can barely disguise the contempt he has for NHS scum who don't pay for the extra services.

went for quarterly checkup a few days ago and found the surgery was now managed by some rapacious twee fucks who wanted me to fill in a form where I rated my smile from one to 10. was then informed that the price was going up 50% for the same service. good times

went to one last year for the first time in about ten years. everything in good order, besides a tooth I had pulled which was rotting (it was too far back in my mouth to brush behind). dentist v impressed with my gums, said I had "good strong teeth". did not get a sticker. :( was nhs dentist so ended up seeing a hygienist as well. 10/10 would recommend, had been worried about going for ages.

Gotta get three cavities filled tomorrow, two between the teeth (never had that before!) - kinda freaked by it since my last 6-7 appointments were cavity-free, guess I'm just not flossing enough. They're in two different spots so I'm getting two shots...barf

I don't know why I'm nervous for this. The needle sucks - sticking it in isn't bad, to me it feels like they really jam it in there and it gets really painful after a few seconds. I think it's just the general discomfort of it all, plus all the horror stories I've heard over the years. First time I got novocaine it hit my nose and I had this nose itch that I couldn't scratch and that was hell. For some reason I'm just really freaked out even though there's no reason for it, I know it's most likely all gonna be alright, just the thought of needles and drilling and novocaine really freaks me out, how do you put your mind at ease?

i was so anxious about visiting a dentist since i hadn't been in like 5-6 years but i convinced myself to go by telling myself that it would only get worse if i didn't get it looked at. i don't know if that'll help you. i ended up lucking out in that no work needed to be done.

i broke a tooth recently and was slowly getting around to visiting the dentist about it, but the other day it started giving me excruciating pain. went this morning, and they said, ok it's only a wisdom tooth come back this afternoon and we'll remove it. so that's in a couple of hours. this is going to be fun/ok/not painful isn't it?

if nothing else that's good service 8)

(i've had wisdom teeth out before with no problems that a day's worth of paracetamol didn't cure)

koogs i love you. i feel soothed and reassured already. dentist assured me the post-op pain wd be "no worse than a cut hand". an evaluation which had me frowning slightly, but was mainly heartening.

and yes, although i have a regular dentist, they couldn't see me until next week. fortunately i live p much next to a first class dental unit. touch wood of course. a senior student will be conducting the operation under supervision. if I don't wake up from the local anaesthetic tell my books i love them.

also, my op appt is at 2:15 so it's not entirely improbable that the op itself will be at 2:30.

Good luck Fizzles! I guess you're out now so I hope it went OK.

I have some dental woes myself, been putting it off for ages as they're somewhat hard to explain and I know I'm a terrible hypochondriac but finally booked an appointment for Wednesday morning. Immediately a completely different tooth started to hurt too...

cheers, space cadet. he was a student and a little nervous, so there was a bit of his supervisor saying no you need to go round this side no no you need to twist it this way *FIRMER* which made my fists clench somewhat but it done now. also, beads of sweat on his forehead.

if I don't wake up from the local anaesthetic tell my books i love them.

― Fizzles, Monday, May 23, 2016 7:25 AM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol this is a little too real/relatable. glad a book reunion is imminent

If you fall asleep from a local anaesthetic, they've done it wrong.

well yes, tho when he was testing the effect to see whether i could feel anything i was "yep felt that, more give me more".

Never been to the dentist before - my parents didn't have the money for it as a kid, I guess, never had insurance as an adult but also never a toothache.

Broke a molar Christmas Eve w/ no pain; root canal one week before my first-ever dental insurance kicks in (though it doesn't look like it would have been a miracle in terms of cost anyway). Guess no spring vacation for me.

Fuck 2016.

I have an acquaintance who moved into town last year and while seeming like the really fastidious and responsible type, shortly after we gave him the name of our very good local dentist, I was helping him home from the oral surgeon with a bag of painkillers and a list of irrigation instructions. DON'T NOT GO TO THE DENTIST

also sorry milo that sucks

I can't believe the dentist gave me 30 vicodin for this. A dull ache is not opiate worthy to me.

but i convinced myself to go by telling myself that it would only get worse if i didn't get it looked at.

This is so true. The last time I went to the dentist was to have my wisdoms removed in 2001. 15 years later, my mouth looks like Berlin after WWII, and that's with consistent brushing and not-consistent-enough flossing.

Once my insurance kicks in, I'm going to get the full work-up and find out what's about to go bad. I actually planned to do that before (hence dental insurance) because my dad's teeth are absolutely horrible (aesthetically and for eating and probably heavily effecting his other health problems) but lol2016.

I've actually begun looking at implants in passing. Another tooth broke about a month ago, though, and it's been aching off and on for the last few days (nothing so severe a couple of Aleve won't solve), so it's really just a matter of psyching myself up for a huge procedure (or several procedures) at this point. I think my co-pay is really manageable.

I can't believe the dentist gave me 30 vicodin for this. A dull ache is not opiate worthy to me.

I've had dental pain where I would've killed for vicodin (dentists in Ireland never prescribe anything good). I got an infection in a root canal a few years ago while on holiday and was taking eight nurofen a night just to get a few hours sleep. Fixing the thing was three visits in total, over an hour in the chair each time, massive pain during and after the procedures, no decent pain relief. I've been so observant about the dentist since then. I wear my bite guard every night, I use those interdental brushes after every meal, and I get my teeth checked every six months. I never want to have that kind of pain again.

I think I got off lucky - I fell asleep during the root canal, the worst part was half my face not working for several hours due to the anesthetic. Also learned when eating dinner to be extremely mindful of which side I chew on.

I'm so squeamish about bodies, teeth & especially gums that I didn't go for twelve years, and when I did I had to have nine fillings and three pure-black wisdom teeth chopped out of my gob. It was a good job I was on the dole at the time - it all came free and I got some sedation for the squeams thrown in.
That was three years ago, though, and recently, while eating a fucking ciabatta that I didn't even want, one of those big fillings came out, or a quarter of a tooth did -- I swallowed it and I'm no expert anyway -- and I have to begin again I reckon, this time paying, I suppose.

― Eyeball Kicks, Monday, November 26, 2007 11:34 PM (7 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Haha so I actually went a couple of times in 2008 after the ciabatta business, and the dentist had a root canal thing going on in that tooth but she ran out of time, so she temporarily filled it and I was supposed to go back the next week. But I was broke and didn't turn up, and literally every day since then I have thought "Shit, I should really go see a dentist some time," but obviously I never did, even when that whole area got super-painful and super-swollen for a few days in 2010.

Then last weekend I had a stupid accident in someone's bathroom and totally smashed up my front teeth. Holy fuck, it is a disaster. Had no choice but to go to the dentist twice this week already, and will be going many, many times in the months to come. Torture upon torture! It is like the worst possible thing that could happen has happened. In a weird way, though, it is kind of good because while I fear for my looks at least I'm finally going to get all the other stuff done.

― Eyeball Kicks, Friday, May 22, 2015 1:23 PM (one year ago) Bookmark

I have been to the dentist many, many times since that last post, and honestly it is mostly OK.

The teeth I smashed were fixed superficially though I will never bite into an apple again.

I was lucky, the dentist said, that I didn't lose many of my other neglected teeth: I had left it about as late as I could. In the end, one tooth – the one damaged by a ciabatta in 2007 – had to go.

Recently, I had my first six-month appointment after all that treatment – though I actually left it about nine months of course. And for the first time since I was a kid, I got the all-clear. Nothing needing doing. I very much intend to turn up on time to my next check-up, and the one after that.

+ I remembered that I was allergic to the antibiotic they were just about to prescribe me
+ It probably won't cost more than $1000
- OWwww
- One of the teeth that they are going to take out is a wisdom tooth, and that will probably hurt?

Had a tooth out yesterday.

i need to get 3 wisdom teeth out soon lol

thankfully got decent "bennys" so it won't cost me too much

my dental insurance now isn't any better than it was pre-Obamacare, so I guess this is a fitting thing to happen to me today