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You've probably heard the nightmarish tales from friends who had to undergo a root canal treatment. Pain. Drilling noises. More pain. Post-treatment pain. An inability to chew and eat properly. It's all enough to make someone who never had an issue visiting a dentist to suddenly fear – and cancel – their next dental appointment. Well, in my experience at least, it's not all that bad. How it started A few months ago, I felt pain in one of my right upper molars while eating. I assumed it was because I suddenly bit into something hard or a piece of bone. Since I never got the typical toothache-out-of-nowhere, I didn't think the problem was serious. Besides, I flossed daily and used an electric toothbrush. As it turned out, a small and almost imperceptible crack had formed on said molar. Contaminants (food, bacteria, sugars, etc.) made their way inside. So began the decay from within. Soon, I would feel a dull ache on my upper jaw each time I drank something warm or cold. Still, I wondered at first if it might be tooth sensitivity that had developed due to age. Determined to get it fixed, I went to my dentist. We never really think about our teeth until they hurt. (Image: Ozkan Guner, Unsplash) A deeper problem I assumed my dentist would clean my tooth and fill the crack, and everything would go back to normal. He gave me a reality check within two minutes of me sitting in the chair. "You'll need to visit an endodontist – a specialist in root canal treatments." He explained why I needed a root canal and what happens during the treatment. A week later, I sat in my endodontist's chair as she explained how she had to drill into my molar to see how far the rot had spread. If it had gone past a certain point, she would send me back to my regular dentist, who would then extract the tooth and prep me for a dental implant. (FYI: At time of writing, a tooth extraction followed by a dental implant is more expensive than a root canal. I don't believe anyone who says otherwise.) The root canal treatment began with her applying a numbing gel to the spots in my mouth where she would be injecting lidocaine. I discovered that no amount of numbing gel helped when she injected lidocaine into my hard palate (the roof of my mouth). As she did, tears immediately pooled in the corners of my eyes. Then the drilling began in earnest. If you've never watched Marathon Man, I recommend you don't before your next dentist appointment. Surprisingly, I dozed off mid-procedure. The chair was reclined, the room was cool, and the dark goggles I wore to reduce the glare of the lights had lulled me to sleep. Unfortunately, I got woken up each time the endodontist told me that I was doing well and that we were almost done. Round 2 After the "crack investigation" was concluded, I learned that the nerve under the tooth was pretty much a goner. That's why it wasn't so painful anymore. The endodontist applied medication to my tooth and gave it a temporary filling. The following week, I returned for the second treatment, which took nearly as long as the first one. As she put it, the calcification in the fourth and last canal was worse than in the previous three. But the important thing was that there was no post-treatment pain. Dental implants are even more expensive than root canals and dental crowns. (Image: Jonathan Borba, Unsplash) Preparation for coronation Post-root canal, I returned to my regular dentist. The next step was to put a temporary crown, which would remain there till the permanent one was fabricated. Here's the weird thing: He had to shave that poor molar until it became a 'stump'. It sounded strange but then again, the crown needed space – it can't just be placed over my molar. Thankfully, this process was entirely painless, but it was weird to feel that your tooth had become a stump. The temporary crown also felt unnatural, but that was to be expected. Less than two weeks later, I got my permanent crown. It was amazing to see how they had colour-matched it to the rest of my teeth. The only catch? I had to wait an hour for the permanent cement to be fixed before I could eat. (Image: Ozkan Guner, Unsplash) Chew on this After five dental appointments (three with the regular dentist and two with the endodontist) and a permanent crown, all is well. I have a newfound appreciation for being able to chew on both sides without feeling pain or discomfort. This episode reminded me to visit my dentist every six months, while also underscoring the importance of not ignoring any tooth pain, no matter how minor it is. Had I gone to the dentist earlier, my bank account would have a few thousand dollars more in it today. The hardest lessons learnt are the ones that will stick with you forever. For the sake of the rest of my teeth and the ability to still eat yummy food as I get older, visiting the dentist is now as important as regular checkups and annual health screenings. – Jeremy (Main image: Harold Hisona, Unsplash)