Dental work

Brody

Went to the dentist to the first time in years today because my tooth has really been hurting. Turns out I need a root canal. The way they have it set up, they won't be putting a crown on it until the third of four visits. I'll have to push most of those visits until 2020 for insurance purposes.

How long is it safe to leave a root canal without a cap? Can you do the cap at the same time as the canal?

Also they suggested getting SRP done. Which is something about cleaning between teeth and gums. Is this a real/important thing?

dispatch.o

If there's infection to drain, they wont put a temporary crown on it after the root canal so it can drain.

If there's no infection they will take a mold and put a temporary crown on until the mold can be sent out and manufactured. It can take a few weeks, but the permanent crown is more durable and a better fit to ensure that food bits don't get in there. The temporary crown wont be as sturdy and will crack/break if you try to use it long term.

If they're suggesting an SRP then you probably need one. The gumline plaque and scale can/will cause inflammation, gum recession and bone loss. Mine was done once every two weeks for four sessions, each time a different quadrant of my mouth because they numb you up and there's going to be swelling/soreness.

Bone grafting and gum grafting don't sound super fun so I was willing to get it done. I am glad I did and it actually made flossing much easier despite having janky teeth. It's also a bit of incentive for future dental care because I never want to go through that again.

LostNinja

Brody wrote: »

Went to the dentist to the first time in years today because my tooth has really been hurting. Turns out I need a root canal. The way they have it set up, they won't be putting a crown on it until the third of four visits. I'll have to push most of those visits until 2020 for insurance purposes.

How long is it safe to leave a root canal without a cap? Can you do the cap at the same time as the canal?

Also they suggested getting SRP done. Which is something about cleaning between teeth and gums. Is this a real/important thing?

Some places can do a cap in a same day visit.

I’d just be upfront with your dentist about the timetable you have, and they’ll tell you if it’s doable or not.

They’ll either seal it after the root canal or put a temporary cap on (not sure if that’s usually same day or a second visit, my most recent root canal was done by an endodontist who just sealed it and let my primary dentist do the cap).

Brody

They said it would just be a root canal and some build up, and then a crown later. I guess I'll just have to call and clarify, just trying to make sure waiting two months after the root canal won't ruin things (more than they are).

Also, I grew up going to a dentist that we had known for a while through church, so we were just always super trusting, but with all these stories coming out of dentists doing unnecessary work, I'm a little slow to trust people with so much of my money.

Quid

SRP is a deep cleaning and absolutely real and highly recommended and beneficial for your dental health.

Ideally you get a regular cleaning every six months. If it's been years then you are incredibly overdue.

zepherin

I've had SRP done twice (both times when I didn't have insurance and didn't see the dentist for a while), and the cost wasn't excessive (it's 30 minutes or so), but it made a huge difference. 10/10 recommend. Also, make sure they do a full mouth ultrasonic debridement (FMUD) as opposed to a traditional SRP. It's one sitting, and if you don't like anesthesia/novocain it's less uncomfortable than getting a cavity filled. With insurance the cost was minimal, without insurance the cost they listed was 90 bucks, but it's been a while.