Honestly, I was so freaked out before my root canal but ended up being surprised—barely felt a thing after the numbing kicked in. The worst part was actually the bill (ugh, insurance barely helped). Did anyone else find the anxiety was way worse than the procedure itself?
Anxiety was hands down the worst part for me, too. I spent days dreading it, picturing medieval torture devices... but once I was in the chair and numb, it was honestly kind of boring. The bill though—yeah, that’s where the real pain kicked in.
Honestly, the anxiety was rough for me too, but the numbness never really did its job all the way. I kept waiting for that “boring” feeling everyone talks about, but instead I felt a lot of weird pressure and a few sharp zings. Maybe my nerves are just stubborn or something. I will say, the anticipation was still worse than the actual procedure, but I wouldn’t call it boring—more like “tense but manageable.” And yeah, the bill is a whole different beast...
Interesting, I actually had the opposite experience—once the anesthetic kicked in, my whole jaw felt like a block of wood. Barely any sensation at all, just some vague vibrations from the drill. Maybe it’s down to how your body metabolizes the numbing agent? The anticipation was definitely the worst part for me too, though.
Maybe it’s down to how your body metabolizes the numbing agent?
That “block of wood” feeling is spot on—I've had patients describe it as having a cinderblock for a chin. Funny thing is, I’ve seen folks metabolize the anesthesia at wildly different rates, even with similar doses. Makes me wonder if stress before the appointment amps up sensitivity or if it’s just luck of the draw. The mental build-up definitely seems to be half the battle for most people, though.
