I just learnt a sore tooth of mine is caused by my tooth root never fully closing (due to getting braces and shifting my teeth around). Now at 30 I need a root canal.
I’ve never even had a cavity before. I’m legit terrified. Teeth are the one thing that are much worse than nails on chalkboard for me.
How was your experience been? Any words of advice or words of encouragement? I could use it :(
I really appreciate the play by play 🩷 I’ve had an implant and wisdom teeth extracted so those steps all checked out. One thing that really causes anxiety for me is experiencing those sounds, vibrations, smells, lighting. They all blend together for me when I’m stressed (or high) and it can cause a really terrifying experience for me. I’m hoping that I can get either nitrous oxide or a general anesthetic or just take an anti anxiety pill beforehand
I think a general anesthetic, where they just knock you completely out, is usually considered unnecessary for a root canal, but you can ask. If you have anti-anxiety pills prescribed, that might work, just let the dentist know beforehand. Some places have movies or some other kind of “patient distraction” because yeah, it can get a little unnerving hearing all those sounds.
I’m being referred to a specialist who apparently offers general. From the sounds of it here it’s probably overkill but knowing how I respond to tooth trauma, I’ll pay extra for it 🥲 I have a prescription for Xanax that I’ve never used or tried. I don’t know how it affects me though so I’m hesitant to go that route.
Xanax would probably help, but be careful using it for the first time because sometimes it can make one just fall asleep.