Dental Bridge, Root Canal, Ibuprofen

[Dimsumkid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard4444 Thanks for the repair ziggy29. Usually root canaled teeth do require crowns, but this tooth has a bridge already on top of it (which is a number of crowns), so unless the bridge gets ruined in the procedure, it can continue to be used.

I would ask about this, since they don't normally reuse a crown or bridge when the underlying tooth gets changed. My guess is they need to make you a new bridge

[Dimsumkid]

I should comment that some endodontists will not bill the insurance until after the procedure is complete. So, you can have the pain removal portion completed and then wait to finish the work. In this scenario, you could start in late Nov or Dec, then finish in 2013. Of course, check w/the endodontist first.
You could also wait with the temp for months at a time, if you're careful and don't chew on that side. I had to do this when the endodontist and dentist wanted to monitor my tooth for 6 months to make sure the problem was resolved before puttin in a crown.

[Richard4444]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dimsumkid I would ask about this, since they don't normally reuse a crown or bridge when the underlying tooth gets changed. My guess is they need to make you a new bridge

If the bridge is removed and the underlying tooth has been changed at the margins of the tooth (where the tooth meets the gum), and not where access to the root canal system is, then this is correct. Most likely the root canal procedure will be done right through the bridge without removing it. I've done a few thousand or so

[tgotch]

Thanks for all the feedback.

The Endodontist said he could perform the root canal through the bridge without any damage to it, and will just "cap it" when done.

I am scheduled to have the root canal June 5, and will most likely do it then (The Endodontist has been on vacation all week, so I have not had a chance to discuss this more with him). The wuss part of me is just procrastinating...I had an emergency root canal several years ago from a "yellow pages" dentist that was working on the weekend. The pain during the procedure had me in tears it hurt so bad!

My only other concern, which I did not mention in my original post, is that he thinks the tooth that is giving me problems may be a wisdom tooth (lower jaw). I had my wisdom teeth taken out in high school, but for the life of me don't remember which ones they were. The Endodontist said wisdom teeth have "funky" roots, and he may not be able to get all the root, which may also not solve my pain problem.

Worst case - root canal does not work, they yank the tooth, eliminate the bridge, and look into implant(s)..ugh!

[Midpack]

Very good call IMO...best of luck.

[Richard4444]

Yes, good luck !!

[Brett_Cameron]

My dentist told me that an extremely effective pain relief is to take two 200 mg ibuprofen tablets at the same time as two 500 mg acetaminophen in the gel cap form. He said this is more powerful pain relief than some narcotics.

I have been using this 3 times a day since my 5 crowns and temp bridge was installed. I have had previous experience with getting a crown then having to do a root canal afterwards to get rid of the pain.

YMMV

[easysurfer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tgotch Thanks for all the feedback. The Endodontist said he could perform the root canal through the bridge without any damage to it, and will just "cap it" when done. I am scheduled to have the root canal June 5, and will most likely do it then (The Endodontist has been on vacation all week, so I have not had a chance to discuss this more with him). The wuss part of me is just procrastinating...I had an emergency root canal several years ago from a "yellow pages" dentist that was working on the weekend. The pain during the procedure had me in tears it hurt so bad! My only other concern, which I did not mention in my original post, is that he thinks the tooth that is giving me problems may be a wisdom tooth (lower jaw). I had my wisdom teeth taken out in high school, but for the life of me don't remember which ones they were. The Endodontist said wisdom teeth have "funky" roots, and he may not be able to get all the root, which may also not solve my pain problem. Worst case - root canal does not work, they yank the tooth, eliminate the bridge, and look into implant(s)..ugh!

I was in such pain from my toothache on and off in the couple of months or so, that the procedure and price of getting my teeth (what was left of it) yanked out and then start the implant procedure sounded like salvation. The implant process is not for the faint of heart (lots of blood, drilling into jawbone), but the end result should be great.

As for price, it wasn't practical for me to continue getting crowns and having them fall out in a year or two, and the potential pain. A bridge was less than an implant, but I prefered to go the implant route so the dentist didnt' need to touch any surrounding teeth.

[Amethyst]

1. I am so sorry you are going through this misery.
2. Nothing is too much to spend on one's teeth and eyes, is my view. Also, $900 sounds pretty reasonable for a root canal. With my insurance, it would be ~1200.00. (Regular price for noninsured: $1920). My dental office will space out the payments, if I ask. You may wish to ask about this.
3. Never let hurting teeth go on hurting, if you can possibly afford to have them fixed. It's a slippery slope to worse misery. Let your car die, let the roof leak...but get your teeth fixed.
4. Others have cited the gastrointestinal risks of long-term ibuprofen use, but did you know that it can also damage your hearing permanently?
Ototoxic Medications


ASPIRIN, NSAIDS and other ANALGESICS

Aspirin and Nsaids (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents) -- are commonly used, and apparently are only toxic to hearing . These include Advil, Nuprin, Motrin (Ibuprofen), Aleve, Naprosyn, Anaprox (Naproxen), Feldene, Dolobid, Indocin, Lodine, Relafin, Toradol, Volteran, Salicylates: Aspirin, disalcid, Bufferin, Ecotrin, Trilisate, Ascriptin, Empirin, Excedrin, Fiorinal. Arthrotec (diclofenac and misoprostel) has been associated with tinnitus and hearing reduction (Bombardier, Peloso et al. 1995).

So, get thee to the endodontist! Good luck!

Amethyst

[Mulligan]

Tgotch, you have my sympathy. Never underestimate the power of the " wuss factor". I spent 2 months in mental anguish over wisdom tooth pull that took maybe 15 seconds. Of course I didn't have all the potential variables you may be facing. I just had a simple wisdom tooth pull. I read these infrequent dental threads with morbid fascination and fear at the same time. I have never had to have an extraction, bridge, or implant and thanks to this forum I found out my dental fillings are 10 years past their expected lifetime already. I have this urge to go floss and brush my teeth right now. Good luck!

[Ally]

Ibuprofen was the most likely cause of my kidney disease. I took it regularly for a year, as advised by my doctor. Then I developed kidney disease and now have to visit a kidney Dr. 4x annually to monitor it. I wouldn't advise taking it daily for very long.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIREd In addition, pain is a sign that something is wrong and masking the pain with drugs could leave more serious problems like an infection go undetected.

Usually it's a sign that you've been exercising and your muscles/joints are microtorn/swollen. I've taken it daily (but not all day long) for several years with no noticeable adverse effects.

One of the best ways to make sure your digestive system is handling the dose is to take it after food and with plenty of water... like a pint or more.

Quote:

Is it safe to take 1600 mg of ibuprofen daily long term?

But holy crap that seems like a huge dose. I thought 800 mg was pushing the envelope...

[KingB]

Today, I went to an endodontist who confirmed my dentist's suspicion that I may need a root canal. I have no pain, and my dentist based his suspicion on the routine x-rays of my teeth. The tooth already has a crown and so the endodontist can not see the condition of the tooth under the crown. It may be that when she starts the procedure that she will find out that the tooth can not be saved and will have to be pulled out. The crown will not be removed for the procedure, rather, it will be done through the crown. Then, it will be up to my dentist to see if I need a new crown or just fill up the hole(s). This tooth also holds my partial. What bothers me after reading the info regarding the root canal is that there is a possibility that it will have to be redone again in the future. Would it make sense to just pull out the tooth and have an inplant? How much does inplant cost. The root canal will cost me $500 plus additional cost for the crown.

[easysurfer]

I had a root canal done as a teenager and throughout the years, had several replacement crowns. It came to a point that even with the cementing the crown would only stay on for about a year before falling off. The final straw was that I then had a terrible toothache that after antibiotics, would go away but come back. Finally, talking over with my dentist, we decided to just have the remaining root pulled out and have an implant. The entire implant (from start to finish) costed me about $4000.. spread over the course of a year.

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tgotch In the meantime, my family dentist said I could take 800mg of Ibuprofen 2x per day to ward off pain. This seems to be working, although I still can't chew on that side without minor discomfort, but the pain is in check... So I have a few questions/thoughts: I would like to wait until 2013 so my insurance/flex spending will cover the entire procedure. Are there any hazards with taking this amount of Ibuprofen for 6-7 months? I understand that the pain may get worse, and/or the Ibuprofen may lose effectiveness, but anyone see any issues with waiting to have this procedure, or any recommendations?

That is a potentially dangerous dose long term, gastric bleeding and kidney damage being among the more important concerns. A call to the prescribing physician seems appropriate including what can be done to reduce the risk and monitor for problems early rather than after they occur.

Every case is different, but it sounds like a bit more communication would be useful. Good luck with the dental issues.

[Badger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by easysurfer I had a root canal done as a teenager and throughout the years, had several replacement crowns. It came to a point that even with the cementing the crown would only stay on for about a year before falling off. The final straw was that I then had a terrible toothache that after antibiotics, would go away but come back. Finally, talking over with my dentist, we decided to just have the remaining root pulled out and have an implant. The entire implant (from start to finish) costed me about $4000.. spread over the course of a year.

I just received my quotes for an implant. The work is being done by two highly recommended dentists - one specializes in the surgery and the other in the crown. I have waited at least 5 years to have this done. I would have done it much earlier but when I had insurance it would only cover a bridge and that wouldn't prevent the bone from slowly deteriorating under it. I also don't like the idea of having the teeth on either side of the bridge being modified. So now it looks like I am facing a bill of just under $5k for the one tooth. I'll "bite the bullet" on that but I sure don't look forward to the long process.

Cheers!

[easysurfer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Badger I just received my quotes for an implant. The work is being done by two highly recommended dentists - one specializes in the surgery and the other in the crown. I have waited at least 5 years to have this done. I would have done it much earlier but when I had insurance it would only cover a bridge and that wouldn't prevent the bone from slowly deteriorating under it. I also don't like the idea of having the teeth on either side of the bridge being modified. So now it looks like I am facing a bill of just under $5k for the one tooth. I'll "bite the bullet" on that but I sure don't look forward to the long process. Cheers!

For me, the toughest part was having patience as the entire procedure took over a year. Though, I have total trust in my dentist, he didn't explain the procedure that well. For example, one time I went in and thought he was going to finish installing the implant but it was more just a check to make sure thing were going okay. The end result was was definitely worth the wait though as now the implant feels and functions just like a normal tooth and I can even use it to chew where in the past I needed caution to not get the crown loose.

[athena53]

Quote:

Originally Posted by easysurfer I was in such pain from my toothache on and off in the couple of months or so, that the procedure and price of getting my teeth (what was left of it) yanked out and then start the implant procedure sounded like salvation. The implant process is not for the faint of heart (lots of blood, drilling into jawbone), but the end result should be great.

I wanted to comment on the observation above on dental implants: I've had 4 (2 each time) and, while there's some post-op bleeding, other than that I found it to be an easy procedure. The drilling is done under a general anaesthetic. I took a couple of ibuprofen after it wore off (and wistfully thought about the street value of my refillable prescription for 25 Hydrocodone before I threw it out). The rest is pretty much painless.

In your case, you may need more than one implant. You mentioned that the tooth is holding up a partial. Mine was holding up one end of a bridge. My oral surgeon (a DDS as well as an MD) said that it wasn't good to have an implant and a natural tooth connected by a bridge because the natural tooth has some "give" to it (it moves minuscule distances) and an implant is rigid. The movement of the natural tooth could put pressure on the implant. Happily, the jawbone under the bridge was still in good shape, although I had bone grafts to support both the implant replacing the tooth under the old bridge and the one in the gap. (And now I'm deferred from donating blood for a year because the bone graft is from cadavers. )

My 2 implants will end up costing about $9K total. (Haven't gotten the dentist's bill yet but he gave me an estimate.)

I just hope the teeth under my bridge on the other side hold up for awhile because if/when one goes bad I'm going to do the same thing on that side.

[easysurfer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by athena53 ...And now I'm deferred from donating blood for a year because the bone graft is from cadavers. ).

From cadavers?

As Wayne Campbell from Wayne's World would say "I was not aware of that!"

I'm glad I DIDN'T know that before my bone graft

[Chuckanut]

FWIW, I balance my pain relievers between acetaminophen, ibuprofen and aspirin. The body processes them differently (acetaminophen by the liver, ibuprofen by the kidneys, IIRC. Not sure about aspirin.) . Many chemicals that are dangerous to us are dose dependent so I figure this limits my dose of any one medicine to below what may be harmful. Of course, I try to not take them unless the pain/discomfort demands it.

I have found that a vigorous walk or listening to happy energetic music does wonders at driving out pain. YMMV.