Root Canal

Not as bad as I expected. I had one when I was pregnant with C & E, twice sort of, because they had to reopen it two weeks later to put some medicine in, and it wasn't horrible.

My dentist sent me to an endodontist for a second opinion, but told me he could do the root canal if it were needed. However, I loved the office and the endodontist so much upon my first consultation that I decided to go back to that office to have the work done.

I waited from December to February because I wasn't absolutely sure I needed the root canal. The affected tooth was in the upper back part of my mouth and I was having sinus problems there and wasn't positive the problem was the tooth vs. the sinus cavity. Continued pain convinced me it was the tooth.

Once the endodontist got in there he found a pulp stone which is a tiny calcification within the pulp cavity.
These are not my teeth, but you can see a shadow on both of these teeth and I believe the one on the right has the pulp stone. Anyway, the endodontist said it can form to protect the nerve from irritation of some duration. So I guess something was going on inside my tooth.

I've been taking 600 mg ibuprofen since I got home, but honestly, I hardly need it. It's already easier to chew my food (no pain!!) and I'm really glad I got it done and most of all--got it DONE WITH!!

Next up: go back to the dentist for the crown that is waiting in a tiny envelope in his drawer and be DONE with this tooth once and for all.