Holy freaking eff.... Guess who needs a root canal 5 days before her wedding?

I had a root canal a few years ago, didn't return to work but probably could have (it was an afternoon appointment). The worst part is during the procedure, I mean I had pain after but it was manageable.

A & J... I also take VERY good care of my teeth. Unfortunately my teeth are just very soft and everything goes through them. =( I have never had a dentist appointment before in my 27 years that I didn't have a cavity. I don't get it... I brush twice a day, floss and use mouth rinse and this is the thanks I get. ;-)

Ashley, my dentist warned me before I left the office today about that. He said that this particular antibiotic does cancel out oral contraceptives so be careful. Thanks for the warning though.=)

DaniGee.. I have a very low pain tolerance. I will most likely take the entire day off of work, have a morning appointment and then go home and rest.

I've had too many to recall... lots of steroids when I was a kid made my permanent teeth really weak - like, I broke a tooth eating a french fry weak!

Anyway, here's the thing... are you SURE that this is the best option? I've had root canals that were no more complicated or painful than a deep filling, but I've also had an infection that went into the bone, and the infection actually created a hole in my jawbone :-o Nothing that was life-threatening, mind you, but it complicated the treatment aferwards.

If your situation is that he told you with the infection, he couldn't do the whole treatment, did he explain he could still give you a temp crown and put medication around the tooth, and you can still take antibiotics, but it *might* eliminate the pain?

You just have to carry a small tube of Fixadent Denture adhesive with you everywhere you go - if the temp crown pops out, you just stick it back on with a tiny dab of fixadent. You have to avoid gum and chewy/sticky foods, but otherwise you shouldn't notice a difference, and if it's a molar, it won't show in photos anyway.

Please make sure you have all the info before you decide not to do it ...

NOTE ON ANTIBIOTICS: If you are feeling like you're having a bad reaction to the antibiotics, call your doctor or talk to a local pharmacist if you're already out of town - most of the time, people who feel nauseated or have side effects can safely reduce the dosage by 1/3 to 1/2, and still get a benefit from the meds... but it depends on what you're taking,so get professional advice. The one thing you should NOT do is stop taking them completely, or take them every other day - that is the worst! Also make sure you have a TOPICAL analgesic with you at all times - the gel is easy to apply with a fingertip, but the liquid, while less convenient, sticks to the gum better, in my opinion. If you are caught with a searing pain and don't have any topical painkiller (like Ambisol, sold in the toothpaste aisle or baby aisle, a trick I found while on a trip is to get a real aspirin - not a liquigel, but a white, old-school tablet, and wedge it against your gum where it hurts, between gum and cheek. It may burn a bit after awhile, but within five to ten minutes you should feel relief - it seems to be able to work by absorbing directly through the gum. I found thisout by accident, out of desperation when in Germany on a business trip with an infected tooth.

Good luck!

I have a very high tolerence for pain and I have 4 root canals done on ONE TOOTH! I was in pain for 2 weeks, I kept taking something for it and it finally got better, but in your case I sure hope the medications kick in because a root canal is NO FUN!

Rebecca, thanks for all of the info!

I feel that not doing a procedure 5 days before the wedding is the best option for me. Just out of these 23 comments there are several, including yours, that say they got an infection afterwards. I'm not willing to risk getting a procedure done and being swollen, bruised, etc. (I am often in pain after a filling for a few days anyhow) when this way, my tooth just hurts. As long as the antibiotic doesn't cause a reaction, I will deal with the pain. It's just something very sucky to deal with right before and on your wedding night and then on the honeymoon. It's inconvenient to say the least. There is no telling what will happen to me if I decided to get this done today. I could look like a balloon tomorrow, my jaw could bruise... etc. etc. I have too much going on this week!

I am going to do everything in my power to NOT take a painkiller the day of the wedding. I don't want one of the most special days in my life to be plagued by a painkiller that made me drowsy or not like myself. I want to be present, physically and mentally for the entire night!

I'll be totally honest with you....if it hurts now (how can it not??), start with pain killers now. I took ibuprofen for a few months before I started on vicodin, and I'm completely an all natural girl who hates taking anything like that! All it did was take the pain away, not make me feel anything abnormal. I just built up such a tolerance to the ibuprofen, so I had to bump it up

A&J, I plan to take one tonight to see how I react to it. I don't have much to do when I get home from work so I plan to take it like an hour or an hour and a half before bed. If I don't feel drowsy or anything, I know I'll be good to go. Right now though, honestly, it doesn't hurt bad enough for a pain killer! I know you shouldn't take drugs unless you absolutely need them, but in this case, it's the only night I have to see what my reaction will be like before I DO need them and I make a fool out of myself. lol!

Good luck! What are you taking? If it doesn't hurt that bad, you should be good with ipubrofen or Advil or whatever. Over the counter strength. That doesn't usually make you loopy

I had two (one 12 years ago, one two years ago). Neither one hurt enough to take the pain killers prescribed. Advil was fine. It hurt no worse than a normal filling.

That said, I flew to Italy 2 weeks after my last one - and the first leg sucked. I had to take the pain killers then. The return flight 3 weeks later was fine.

EricaTx, I hope I have the same results you do.

The pain is too much, so close to the wedding and Vicodin didn't help at all last night. I'm calling this morning when they open at 9 to see if they can get me in ASAP.

Wish me luck...I am terrified,

So sorry girl!!! I will be sending you good vibes and wishing you the best! I have never had a root canal done so I am not much help with advice. Rest up, stay calm, try not to stress, drinks lots of water and your body should heal just fine.

I am hoping that your dentist wouldn't schedule a root canal 5 days before your wedding if they knew it was going to effect you the day of your big day!

Oh noooooo!!!!! I can't believe vicodin didn't help, that must be some intense pain

Eat and drink soft foods for a few days, and try to rest up!! I hope you'll be all set for your wedding day!

2:30pm today. The ice pack will not leave my face for the next 48 hours. Yikes!

I had a root canal on my front tooth after falling off a bike. It wasn't too bad. They gave me laughing gas during the procedure and I was all numbed up. Didn't have any pain afterwards.

I has a root canal on one of my front teeth after it being knocked out at my cheerleading practice! It really wasn't bad at all, it was just like getting a cavity filled! (:

I had a root canal last year. It really wasn't all that bad. Just time consuming, I was a little sore after... Mostly from the shots they use to numb you up. I am a big baby with pain, actually... HUGE baby with pain I only took painkillers the day of and the antibiotics and I was fine. 2 days later the soreness was gone. I didn't chew as much on that side because I was paranoid. Wishing you the best!

Thanks everyone! I am still nervous! I hate pain! I know it's little more than a filling, and I am SO thankful they could squeeze me in... but it's the timing that makes me EXTREMELY nervous.

Mrs_M To Be, I also have a super low pain tolerance (and am a total wimp with medical/dental stuff!!) I went into it expecting the worst and it wasn't as bad as I expected. I had more pain/swelling when I had my wisdoms out.

I'm glad you're going in - in my opinion, the recovery is much more manageable than suffering through your wedding & honeymoon!! Best of luck today!!

Oh goodness!! I hope everything works out for you I would be freaking out! Toothaches are the worst!

I had one it was not as bad as I thought. They numbed me didn't feel a thing and was back at work the next day. I didn't have any swelling at all I was just glad it was done.

Ohh goodness. I didn't know you decided to go in. Praying it works out well for you. For the record, mine absessed but it took a good couple of weeks for me to know (and it was BAD).