Done!

 

The root canal procedure.  It took a little longer than the endodontist anticipated - seems that this tooth has 3 roots (which I already knew), but it has 4 canals.  Yes, I am an over-achiever. 

This was better than the two previous root canals I've had, by a long shot.  The dentist and his assistant worked like a well-oiled machine.  There was very little talking between them, other than him asking for a particular millimeter drill bit and letting her know when he wanted suction.  It was confidence inspiring.

The only pain was during the last shot, into the roof of my mouth, to finish numbing the area, before the actual procedure.  Plenty of pressure during the procedure, but no real pain.  And, now that it is done, my jaw is aching - to be expected after having a block in there holding my mouth open for over an hour.

On the bright side: the crown is fine (they have to drill a hole in it to get to the roots).  It didn't crack and there was no other tooth issue underneath it.  They repaired and sealed the hole in the crown - it should not need any further treatment.

They sent me home with instructions: do not eat on that side for a week, but I can eat whatever I want.  Expect "discomfort" (that means: pain) for 3 to 4 days, with the pain being commensurate with the pre-procedure pain... which, in my case, was pretty darn nasty.  Take Tylenol and/or Ibuprofen for the pain.  Finish taking the antibiotics prescribed by my dentist.

Joan came along, in case I needed her to drive home.  That turned out to be a good decision - after being with my head lower than my body for an hour, I was a little woozy when I first got up out of the chair. 

Glad to have it done.