Root Canal On #31 - What Am I In For?

I've never been a fan of the dentist. I'm 27 years old. I'm a bit of a
baby - can't stand needles, pain, and I really psych myself out about
things. I was recently diagnosed with diabetes, so I'm getting better
with the needles, but the whole idea still creeps me out. And again, I
hate pain and the anticipation of pain.

In 2000, I went to the dentist for the first time in about 8 years. I
had 4 cavities filled and two crowns redone (#8 and #9 - yep, my two
front teeth). I busted them out in a playground accident when I was
little, and eventually had to get a root canal on #9. All of these
traumatic experiences probably are the reason for my uneasiness and
anxiety when it comes to anything to do with the dentist. My entire
experience in 2000 was good, though - sure I don't like the shots, but
it's just a pinch, and I got over it. The crown replacement went well,
the cavities got filled painlessly, and everything was a much better
memory in my mind.

Still, I failed to go to the dentist regularly, despite the fact that I
have dental insurance. I just put it off, and put it off, and before I
know it, it's 2006. I hadn't been to the dentist in 6 years AGAIN. And
to top it off, I don't floss - ever. One day in August I noticed by
feeling with my tongue on the back of #8 that there felt like a crack
or chip in the crown. So I went to the dentist. They confirmed there
was a small crack, did a deep cleaning on my teeth, and I've also had 4
more fillings since August. They again, were positive experiences
compared to my memories and the pain I had been telling myself would be
coming.

The last filling that I got was in #17 - the wisdom tooth. It was
pretty uneventful, except when I got the shot prior to the filling it
felt like he hit a nerve because after the slight pinch I've come to
expect and tolerate there was a very sharp, very real, very extreme
pain for a few seconds. This SUCKED. But I got the filling and that was
last Friday, and all is well, no pain.

The thing is, while I was there, they did an x-ray of the area of my
previous filling (I think to just check to make sure the bite was right
in that area) and they found another cavity on #31. He told me that is
close to the pulp of the tooth, and told me to go to an endodontist to
have it checked out to see if I would need a root canal, and told me I
probably would. However, on the referral slip he gave me it has
"Endodontic Therapy" checked instead of "Consultation and Diagnosis
Only". This leads me to believe he didn't have the heart to tell me I'm
definitely going to need one. My appointment is for next Tuesday and
I'm freaking out.

Before I get into this, I get it. Flossing is important. Regular
cleanings are important. I realize it, I get it, and I'm going to do
it. Floss nightly, checkups and cleanings every six months. It's free
and painless. Believe me, I'm going to do it. Lesson learned.

However I've got to get through this first. I have no idea what to
expect. It's #31 in the back so I'm bracing for another really painful
shot like I had on the last one. But I'm willing to go through that
because it lessens the pain for everything else. But tell me - what am
I going to experience? How much is this going to hurt? What exactly are
they going to do? This tooth is pretty much alive and well, and they're
essentially killing it, right? It sounds really painful. The cavity is
sort of near #30.

Again, I'm just freaking out. I want to know, plain and bluntly, what
they're going to do, what kind of pain to expect, how long I can expect
it for, how many visits it should take, how much it should cost (I only
have $450 more of coverage left over for this year), and anything else
you can tell me to comfort or prepare me. I want to scream! I want to
hear that once I am numb it's a fairly simple and standard procedure. I
want to hear that I wont have pain after. I want to hear that they do
this everyday and I have nothing to worry about. But I only want to
hear that if it's the truth!

.

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