Life Style Coach. Yes I had a root canal earlier this year and it went very well. I was scared to death but my back, upper right molar was so painful (and cracked) I had to do something. I have a 40-year old large filling in the tooth so it was either pull the tooth or try the root canal. I decided to go for the root canal.

I have RSD in my left arm. It started in my elbow (ulnar nerve surgery) and moved to my hand and up to my shoulder, so I have had some spread. I started with this RSD problem back in November, 2006, and it is with me all the time.

Anyway, I went ahead with the root canal and had absolutely no problems. If you do a search on this website, there are a few older threads that talk about it. I read them, along with the dental protocal on the rsds.org website, and that made me realize I had to ask for a little extra numbing agent and to take a pill beforehand to keep me calm. I don't take much medication for my RSD, except when it flares, due to the side effects so my nerves were not "cyto" protected like maybe they should be. What I did was to take a 2 mg tablet of Ativan (for anxiety) and to calm my central nervous system. That, and a very good endodontist, made the procedure go well.

It was back in March when I had this done and at times my tooth is still a little sore, but it is 100% better than before. I have residual soreness because the crack in the tooth is very large so I may end up having to have it pulled due to the length of the crack, not from the root canal. I was told this before the root canal, so I am just hoping the crack does not get any worse.

I am a complete scardy cat when it comes to RSD (and it spreading) so I was a nervous reck and I put it off for too long. You should read all you can it get informed. Be sure to have an endodontist and your meds and you should be fine.

I hope this helps you,

Lisa