Here’s something I didn’t know until after my first root canal—endodontists actually use microscopes for a lot of procedures. Like, tiny little tools and everything. I always pictured them just poking around with regular dentist stuff, but nope, it’s way more high-tech than I thought. Made me feel slightly less freaked out about the whole thing, honestly.
The weirdest part for me was how numb my face felt afterwards—like, I tried to drink water and missed my mouth completely (twice). But pain-wise? Not nearly as bad as the horror stories you hear. Actually, the toothache before was way worse than anything during or after the treatment.
Has anyone else learned something surprising at their endodontist appointment? Or maybe had a totally different experience? I’m curious if it’s just me who found it oddly fascinating…
Root canals and “not as scary as they sound”... I wish I could agree with that, but honestly, my last one was a bit of a circus. The microscope thing is wild though—mine looked like he was prepping for a moon landing, not fixing my tooth. But here’s the thing: all those fancy gadgets didn’t help with the fact that I felt like half my face was missing for hours. Tried to eat soup after and it just dribbled down my chin. My wife still brings it up when she wants a laugh.
I’ll say this—pain-wise, you’re right, it wasn’t the horror show I expected. But the noise? That high-pitched whine from their little drills—felt like it rattled my skull. Maybe I’m just more sensitive to sound these days (old ears, what can you do). They offered me headphones but then started asking questions mid-drill and I had no clue what was going on.
Not sure if anyone else got sticker shock at checkout either. Insurance covered most of it but there was still a chunk left over. For something that took less than an hour, my wallet definitely felt some pain.
One thing I did find surprising: they let me see the x-rays after and explained what they did in plain English. Never had a dentist walk me through stuff before. That part actually made me feel better about the whole ordeal.
So yeah, maybe “not as scary,” but still pretty weird in its own way. Anyone else think the numbness is almost worse than the toothache itself?
That numb face feeling is such a weird one. I remember after my own root canal, I tried to take a sip of coffee and basically poured it down my shirt—definitely not my most graceful moment. The sounds are tough too, especially if you’re sensitive; sometimes we forget how much that part gets to people. The cost side is frustrating, no doubt... wish insurance covered more, honestly. Glad they explained the x-rays, though—transparency makes a huge difference in how people feel about the whole thing.
That numb face feeling is such a weird one. I remember after my own root canal, I tried to take a sip of coffee and basically poured it down my shirt—definitely not my most graceful moment.
Haha, I’ve been there—tried to eat soup after mine and ended up wearing half of it. The numbness is just wild, isn’t it? Honestly, the worst part for me was the anticipation. Step-by-step, it was: get comfy in the chair, a little pinch from the numbing, then mostly just weird sounds (agreed, those drills are no joke). The cost stings more than the needle, if you ask me... but I do think the clear x-ray explanations help take some of the fear out of it. Once you know what’s going on, it feels much less mysterious.
My kid had to get a root canal on a baby tooth (didn’t even know that was a thing until it happened), and I was way more nervous than she was. The dentist let her pick music and explained every step, which helped both of us. She was mostly annoyed about not being able to eat her favorite crackers right after, but honestly, she bounced back faster than I expected. I think the anticipation is worse for parents sometimes.
