I've gotten to the point where I trust my regular dentist. When he said I needed a root canal and would have to go to an endodontist I began to get anxious. I looked up "root canal" on the Internet - big mistake! The first article I read said something like "Root canal therapy is one of the most feared procedures in all of dentistry. It may be very difficult to achieve pain control before performing a root canal." I took amoxicillin for a week and most of the symptoms (i.e. pain) went away. I fretted for a week but followed through on going to the appointment. I explained to everyone that I was dentally abused as a child and told them the story of my childhood dentist and his use of Valu-Caine. Dr. Landau and his staff were reassuring and supportive. They said this is 2007. Dentistry has changed a lot since you were little. You won't have any problems today. Instead of a big, scary syringe, he used a little plastic thing like a Bic pen. It seemed like he used four times the novocaine that I would have had for a filling. He placed novocaine all around the affected tooth and then gave it a good half-hour to do its work. The entire procedure was completely painless. I was amazed! The best advice I can give is to find a supportive dentist like Dr. Landau and tell him how you feel. You won't look silly. It helps him do his job and helps you get the care you need. Remember what that tooth felt like before the root canal? Ouch!
Reply With Quote

This was a decent dentist. He is actually an Endodontist if I have that correct. I had to have a root canal done on a wisdom tooth so I was referred to him. He was very nice and the office was also very nice. He was not as gentle as my regular dentist but everyone is used to someone else. Overall he did a great job. I recommend highly.