I need a t-shirt that says, “I survived my first root canal.” I would proudly wear it around town because the words are true, and I’m here to tell you everything about the procedure went as smooth as the inside of my freshly cleaned tooth canal.

Before – big black hole apparently ate the bottom of my tooth.

This is probably the most xra(y)ted photo I’ve shared on the blog. You can see in this photo the twilight zone like black hole I discussed in this post, which prompted my dentist to think I needed drilling, scrubbing, and plugging.

Naked xray teeth and potentially dirty comments. I’m getting wild today.

In an attempt to not bore those who don’t care, I’ll make this recap quick and dirty.

1. I asked if I could see the stuff that was scrubbed out, thinking a linguine like nerve would still be there. It was not, and the endodontist thought I was crazy.
2. A needle was shoved into my gum to turn the side of my face into a numb pile of jello. This was the worst of it all. Until I went numb.
3. I went numb, and couldn’t tell if I was leaking drool on myself. It was adorable.
4. A dental dam was placed on my tooth, which meant it was the now the appropriate time for conversation. At least that’s what the endodontist thought when he kept asked me questions about Starbucks.
5. Drills were fired, and holes were made. OK just one hole, right in the center of the tooth. Tooth dust flew like magic fairies in the wind.
6. Tiny brushes went in and out, in and out, scrubbing out any residual bacteria inside the canal. There wasn’t much in there. Like an empty saddened soul.
7. Tiny files were also pushed in and out of the canal to size for a cone like plug.
8. The cone like plug was placed into my tooth to close up the hole, some other stuff, some heat was applied, and the hole was covered.

Bada boom, bada bing. 

This process was not nearly as frightening as I anticipated. I was intrigued and totally fascinated by it all. I was able to watch in the reflection of the light a few times and I felt like a kid in a candy store. I think my interest in teeth is returning.

THIS is the end result, like a cool science project. I’m just waiting for the tooth to start spewing lava or something else exciting that kids do at science fairs.

Long story short the procedure was maybe 35 minutes top to bottom, the canal was cleaned, and then it was plugged. After inquiring about the process I was informed the main point of this was to clean and plug the hole so that bacteria cannot grow. Empty spaces are prime spots for bacteria to live. The nerves that usually live within these canals take up the empty space, but mine decided to go on a permanent vacation.

Thus the root canal.

Post procedure I felt completely fine despite not being able to feel my face for a few hours, so I went for a run in the sun and ate as much food as my belly could hold. Including the above cupcake. Recap of my solo foodie adventure in my next post.

I drool in my sleep so this was nothing I couldn’t handle. The only side affect I felt was slight pressure in my ear the next day and some mild inflammation. I literally had zero post procedure pain, and went about my day. It wasn’t at all what I thought.

If you want more, check out this video. Also I’d like to make very clear I did NOT loose my tooth, it’s still very much in tact. Next up – a crown.

Q: Was this at all what you thought? I was terrified for nothing, it was fine. I feel like an elite member of a special club now.