Canaling my roots | SouthernPaddler.com

Canaling my roots

islandpiper

Well-Known Member
After some discomfort on and off for a couple of years and some badly done dental repairs by someone claiming to be a dentist, i turned out today and had the ENDODONTIST do a re-treatment of an old root canal today. It was a more or less straight forward job, only two roots, working through the old gold crown.

Times have really changed at the Endo office. Lots of things have gone high tech, and much for the better. first, the Endo and his assistant demanded ( !! ) that i feel no pain what so ever. then, they used a rubber sheet to cover the whole mouth and clamp it on the tooth, and then none of the grindings end up in your mouth. And, he used a rubber bite block to keep my mouth open with no strain. Some of those things i have had before. But, the full time x-ray on the real time screen, and lots of little cordless pushers and cleaners, and fillers, and sealers, etc were all new. Also, he worked through a binocular microscope with its own built in light. Altogether, a pretty good experience....expensive, but good.

Had my first root canal in about 1979 from Dr. Molar (not kidding here) and it was not a good time......

piper
 

bcwetcoast

Well-Known Member
Feb 11, 2012
92
0
I just finished a 5 day kayak trip to the West Coast of Vancouver Island (I'll write up a trip report soon). One of the people on the trip was a dentist who specialized in how the teeth and jaw worked with the other systems of the body, and weren't just a separate island onto themselves. He was totally against root canals and crowns. He was of the opinion that implants were better. Unfortunately, I can't remember all his arguments.
 

oldsparkey

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2003
10,479
123
Central , Florida
www.southernpaddler.com
The implants cost a bundle and in time along with money. The root canal is normally done in one sitting but sometimes requires a couple of visits. While the implants means a lot of visits and prodding , probing and fiddling around.

The rubber sheet he used on piper is called a Dam. It has a little hole punched in where the tooth will be and is slipped down over the tooth to the gum line to create a water tight area to keep any saliva away from the area. It is normally stretched over a squarish frame work to keep it tight. This is necessary for after the nerve is removed then the channel is cleaned out using files of gradguating sizes , smaller to larger. The washed and treated with medication. Then filled with a rubbery substance ( gutta percha ) which is warmed to soften it and forced into the canal to harden , where the nerve use to be.
Sometimes the tip of the tooth root is remove to protect the tooth.
I have had 5 root canals from a foot ball injury in High School and later spent several years with the Navy as a corpsman helping the doc's do them.

As far as dentists go , went to one for over 30 years then he decided to retire and sold his business. The new guy is really good but pushes the patients to have work done that is not needed. Then he wanted to charge the wife $2,500 for an adjustment on a three unit bridge that I made for her wile in the service. She went to a dentist here in town for a 2nd opinion and he did the adjustment for $50.00 so , as you might of guessed that other dentist lost two patients real quick.

Chuck.
 

Kayak Jack

Well-Known Member
Aug 26, 2003
13,976
171
86
Okemos / East Lansing Michigan
islandpiper said:
It dawned on me, too late of course, that there are probably a number of folks who would love to have me strapped onto a chair with a rubber sheet stretched over my face. Luckily, this Endo was not one of them. piper
Wildly waving hand in the air - - I'll help! I'll help! :|

Usually, after a dentist shoots in Novocaine to numb your face and throat, straps in the rubber dam to block off breathing, clamps you tongue to the roof of your mouth, he then casually asks, "How's your summer going so far?"