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Topic: Root Canal? (Read 776 times) |
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crausman
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To all well-read and experienced CHs:
I am new to this, and my question is: can I have a root canal done without making CH worse? It is a needed root canal in the tooth that seems to have brought all this on, but my dentist referred me to an endodontist, who said to go see a neuro. Wow, imagine a dentist and endodontist too "scared" to treat me!
When this tooth started to go (about 3 months ago), the CHs came. This is all too much of a coincidence for me, since it is that tooth that is also felt during the headache, especially at the end. From my reading, it is quite possible that having a root canal will alleviate the pain (see the last line in the Wikipedia article on cluster headaches).
The CHs started out really vicious and got a lot better when I stopped my nightly beer drinking. Now I can stop them by chugging quickly a double-strength coffee.
I am a 50-year-old female, 3 years past menopause. I have bad gum disease, so I have no idea what will happen as each tooth goes bad.
I have read about a lot of you going to doctors, trying various and sundry drugs and other therapies. It sounds like a lot of hit-and-miss that I cannot afford. It's hard enough, even with insurance, affording the dental work as it's needed.
Actually, I strongly suspect that having this needed root canal done would alleviate my CHs, but I, like my endodontist (who doesn't know much about CH), am also scared it might make them worse!
What do you think?
Thanks
Candi
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Jonny
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Re: Root Canal?
« Reply #1 on: Sep 1st, 2006, 5:08pm » |
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on Sep 1st, 2006, 5:05pm, crausman wrote:| I am new to this, and my question is: can I have a root canal done without making CH worse? |
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Yes.
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It is up to YOU to educate yourself and then help your doctor plan your treatment. If you just sit down in front of your doctor and say "make me better" you are setting yourself up for a great deal of pain.
- Guiseppi
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crausman
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Re: Root Canal?
« Reply #2 on: Sep 1st, 2006, 5:40pm » |
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To Jonny --
Thanks for the answer; do you have personal experience with this? If you do, please tell me about it.
To all others:
What's your take on this?
Thank you all.
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GeorgiaPeach
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Cheers!
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Re: Root Canal?
« Reply #3 on: Sep 1st, 2006, 7:12pm » |
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In my opinion (and its just that, my opinion) I would get the root canal done. CH's will come and go as they please and you will endure and survive to fight another day
but rotten teeth are forever
CH's are hit and miss for a lifetime. Treatments will work, then fail for no reason. It's the nature of the beast (and that is why/how he got his name)
Good luck!
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Barry_T_Coles
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Re: Root Canal?
« Reply #4 on: Sep 1st, 2006, 8:21pm » |
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Hi Candi
As Jonny said yes; you can have your dental work done & it won’t worsen your CH & it won’t make it any better either.
You’ll find that most Clustreheads have had unnecessary and expensive dental work done thinking that was the cause, I now only have one tooth on my left upper jaw because of this thought line & the nerve has been removed from that one but I still get the god awful jaw pain.
Most Doctors don’t know about CH and by my reckoning even more Dentists don’t & assume that root canal work is required.
Keep the teeth
Kind Regards
Barry
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Jonny
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Re: Root Canal?
« Reply #5 on: Sep 1st, 2006, 8:29pm » |
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on Sep 1st, 2006, 5:40pm, crausman wrote:To Jonny --
Thanks for the answer; do you have personal experience with this? If you do, please tell me about it.
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These are my teeth.
I had the tops out all at once, I had the bottoms out three at a time once every week....but we are all different I guess, eh?
Chronic since 1974
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It is up to YOU to educate yourself and then help your doctor plan your treatment. If you just sit down in front of your doctor and say "make me better" you are setting yourself up for a great deal of pain.
- Guiseppi
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paulc
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Re: Root Canal?
« Reply #6 on: Sep 1st, 2006, 8:55pm » |
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I had several root canals done-I have chronic Ch-and didn't have any problems. Whatever the anesthetic that the dentist used numbed me up so much that my ch pain disappeared for hours. The procedure is not as bad as it is often made out to be so if you fear getting it done, remember that you'll probably have some CH free time afterwards and will save you're tooth.
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Paul C
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kcopelin
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good grief
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Re: Root Canal?
« Reply #7 on: Sep 2nd, 2006, 11:00am » |
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Root canal won't make it worse or better-probably. No guarantees with these. Just realize that alot of us have had root canals, tooth extraction in order to alleviate the pain-we now are missing teeth and still have the beast. Get the tooth fixed since it is obvious to your dentist/endo that it needs it. If they are just guessing though-if there's no obvious reason for the root canal-save your money for O2 and preventatives.
kathy
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no-one
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Re: Root Canal?
« Reply #8 on: Sep 3rd, 2006, 9:30am » |
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YES have the RC done just ask the endodontist to use carbocaine (with out a vasoconstor ) and stay away from laughing gas. You can ask the dentist to use the O2 while he is working on you, it won't be a non-rebreater mask, but it can't hurt.
If you let the tooth go,the infection will NOT go away and that in it self will cause alot of other problems.
If you have any questions on how a RC is done pm me and I can explain it in great detail  as of you really want to know
PF wishes
By the way Root Canals don't hurt, also ask to be started on a antibiatic for a few days before the work is done.
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thebbz
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Re: Root Canal?
« Reply #9 on: Sep 3rd, 2006, 1:49pm » |
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 As long as your doing it to treat the tooth and not CH. Root canals suck bad enough alone, but with CH? Ow. I hate it for ya.
jb
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crausman
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Re: Root Canal?
« Reply #10 on: Sep 4th, 2006, 4:43pm » |
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And, when I DO get that root canal, my anesthetic of choice will be lidocaine!
That's what they gave me, anyhow, for my previous one, pre-CH.
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no-one
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Re: Root Canal?
« Reply #11 on: Sep 5th, 2006, 6:42pm » |
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Of course it is your choise but lidocaine has epi in it and it is know to cause hits.
good luck
b
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"Be who you are and say what you feel...Because those that matter....don't mind....And those that mind....don't matter."
Man is what he believes. Anton Chekhov
Unless you believe, you will not understand.
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crausman
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Re: Root Canal?
« Reply #12 on: Sep 5th, 2006, 7:19pm » |
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Luckily, I have the option of lidocaine without the epi.
Yay
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no-one
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Re: Root Canal?
« Reply #13 on: Sep 5th, 2006, 11:10pm » |
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lidocaine without the epi=carbocaine
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"Be who you are and say what you feel...Because those that matter....don't mind....And those that mind....don't matter."
Man is what he believes. Anton Chekhov
Unless you believe, you will not understand.
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