Post by Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe on Jun 5, 2024 14:19:06 GMT -6
Time for a Root Canal and continue Chicago Astronomer activities
05 June 2024
05 June 2024
This tooth has been bothering me for some time now. Irritation would come and go and pretty much the discomfort was manageable with antibiotics and pain meds. But that just was a stop-gap measure and an exam determined I had two options...Extraction or Root Canal. Now, I have extracted several molar teeth already and had no desire to lose more, so in consultation with dentists, I agreed that a Root Canal procedure was in my future to save my natural tooth, which is always preferred.
The initial X-rays showed that there was a deep cavity under the failed filling that I had done decades before....
Approaching the pulp and nerves....too late for just a filling.
Made the date and committed to the procedure, but not happy about it.
The staff is very nice and welcoming, (unlike some other dental offices I have been in where grumpy staff want you in and out without a smile or two. Checked in and they took a CT Scan of my jaw...
One bites down on the plates and it whirls around your head for views all around the tooth.
I look around while waiting and observe the implements that will be utilized on me...
Sigh....
Had a dental dam installed after the initial drilling...(Procedure pics not mine - only for reference).
Numbed the area first with a topical, then several injections around the tooth to kill any sensation of pain, although I could still feel pressure.
Drilling with several size bits, this took awhile as the endodontist entered and hollowed out the canals. No pain at all, but I could smell the and taste the grindings as the rot was removed. Cleared, he discovered that I has four nerve leads and one was precariously close to the upper main nerve bundle. This was his limit, as I could feel the probe with little bit of pain. Also, there was some calcification surrounding the nerves that had to be removed.
With all that cleared out, it was rinsed and filled with the rubber-like material gutta-percha. A plastic substance from a Malaysian tree called a percha tree is melted and sealed with tooth cement.
The the hole is sealed and topped off with a temporary cap. A crown will be fitted in a couple of weeks for a permanent fix. Perhaps a rod will be installed for the crown, we will see.
I am experiencing some discomfort and a bit of pain with applied pressure as of this posting, but I understand that this is normal and it should subside. They did have me intake a 600 mg pain reliver/Ibuprofen and continue the antibiotics that I have been ingesting these past few days.
I believe this was well worth the trauma and expense...but I feel like I have beat up...not that I have ever been, ('cause I am Joe and stuff.)...but would imagine what it might feel like.
But after my procedure and recovering, the house mascot Cappuccino raised up and laid his paws on my leg in an act of comfort and stayed with me for awhile. Good boy.
Onward...
Astro Joe
