My First (and Hopefully Last) Root Canal

About a week ago, I went back to visit Dr. Heath, to determine whether or not I needed a root canal.

Turns out I did need one after all, and I’ve got a few photos to share with you regarding the experience.

I was given a list of places by Dr. Heath, and I picked a place that was located in Oak Lawn. When I set up my appointment over the phone, I mentioned to the receptionist that I was a bit nevrous (this being my first root canal).

The response I got from her: “Oh, it’s your first? Congratulations!” I was a bit puzzled, and after stumbling a bit… I asked why she said “congratulations” to me. She then told me that root canals were incredibly common, so much so that she was surprised this was my first.

In fact, of the 5 or 6 locations I had to choose from, each one had about 7 or 8 dentists who worked there, and who specialized in nothing but root canals. That’s all they did, all day, every day.

Go figure.

Outside the office circa 8:30 AM. My anxiety level at this moment is pretty darn high.

Moments prior to sitting down in the chair. Note the cute dog background on the monitor.

Sitting in the chair, looking up a bit… I spotted another monitor with just the cute dog. This was nice to see, but a little unnerving, truth be told. It’s the visual equivalent of someone standing next to you saying “Don’t worry, everything’s going to be just fine. Don’t worry, everything’s going to be just fine.”

You know the person means well, but the mind keeps thinking “Jeez, what is it you’re meant to protect me from?”

To my left, the x-ray machine and lead apron.

To my right… a set of machines that I didn’t recognize, but knew would end up being used on me in some fashion. A slight concern was the “System B” machine, and the smudge/dirt marks on its side.

At that moment, my mind starting spiraling with thoughts like “how old is that machine? Is it accurate? I hope it’s accurate.” And so on. Silliness.

In the chair, looking up. After the Novocaine (I got three shots, and the one near the roof of my mouth was the most uncomfortable (a slight stinging). And honestly, the Novocaine was the worst part of the whole experience believe it or not.

One of the most uncomfortable moments: waiting for the Novocaine to set in, and listening to the sounds of drilling nearby. I know there’s nothing to be done about this, but it just added to the sense of anxiety, prior to.

Of note: the room I was in had two entryways, and no doors. I was pretty fascinated by this, and thought a lot about it at the time. I guess the last thing you want is for someone to feel like they’re in a small room somewhere with no escape. The fact that I could look out and see the Receptionist area and the women working there was a comfort to me. Sort of like I knew they were watching, and were keeping an eye on things.

My dentist was Dr. Chad Wiersema, and his assistant was named Lisa (she was pretty great with making sure I was comfortable, and had no problems with me taking photos prior to the procedure). Dr. Wiersema was pretty much all business, and didn’t engage me in a lot of talk. But I gotta stress – I didn’t really feel a thing during the entire procedure.

After the Novocaine, they took off my glasses and gave me a large pair of shades. Given how bad my sight is, I didn’t see a ton after that. I kept my eyes open part of the time, but after getting glimpses of the different utensils being used… I just ended up closing my eyes altogether.

At the onset, I had my left eye closed, and my right eye open. I’m guessing to everyone else, it must have looked like some kind of perpetual grimace. Since I wasn’t sure what to expect (I was expecting a great deal of pain), it seemed necessary for me to have my eyes open somewhat – to anticipate it, to see it coming.

A dental dam was used (something that’s sort of like a tarp they place inside the mouth, to prevent stuff from falling down into your throat). And I also got a bite block, which helped keep my mouth open without too much strain on my part.

The whole procedure was about 40 or 45 minutes in total. After about 20 minutes, I started to relax a bit and settled in to the whole process. I had my eyes closed, and just more or less tried to think about other things and focused on how much time passed/remained.

A few times throughout, Dr. Wiersema was humming a bit to the music that was playing over the loudspeakers. Oddly, I found this comforting. I didn’t have a “Stop singing and concentrate on what you’re doing, man!” reaction, but a “He’s done this so much, he’s incredibly experienced” reaction instead.

Near the end of the process, Lisa and Dr. Wiersema were talking a bit. I remember Lisa say “Were you able to save it?” and Dr. Wiersema saying “No.” I figured they were talking about the temporary filling I came in with… but for a few seconds there, I thought they were referring to my tooth. Small spike of panic there.

Here’s the bottom line: the root canal was PAINLESS. A few moments of slight discomfort, but that’s about it. The anxiety leading up to the procedure and the Novocaine were the worst parts, the rest was (as Lisa phrased it) “easy sailing.”

The biggest discomfort I had was after they removed the bite block, and I felt how sore my mouth was after being held open for about an hour. Other than that though… wow. Zero on the pain scale.

My tooth was a little tender, and I took some Advil after I got in to the office. And when I ate lunch, I’ve avoided the left side of my mouth. Other than that though, no real pain, no real discomfort. Even near the end of the day, hours after the procedure… there was no additional pain.

Which I’m happy about. Despite the fact that it was way better than I imagined, I don’t think I want to go through another root canal anytime soon. Here’s to not waiting around for six years in between dentist visits.