I have almost the exact same problem, thus my question about the novocaine. I hate going to the dentist with a passion. When I awoke Sat. morn with swelling near prior work, I called my dentist as soon as I thought it would be a reasonable time to make the call - 8:00 am :0). He readily returned my call, phoned in an antibiotic to my pharmacy, and scheduled me to come into the office this morning.

Sue, I am not sure there is a person on this earth who could hate going to the dentist more than me. While my dentist is very nice, and I realize it is a necessary evil, I would much rather visit my gyn.

Good luck with your tooth. If I were to venture a guess, you may have the start of an abcess. Don't put off a trip, as the next time it flares up, it will be much worse. Ask me how I know this?

I wonder if everyone doesn't have some degree of "dentist" phobia of some sort. I don't know anyone (other than DH) who doesn't mind going to the dentist. My father started taking us to the dentist regularly as soon as we could sit in the chair, you would think I'd be used to it at my age.

I had a similar problem several years ago. What you are describing sounds more like a "chronic" abcess and not and acute infection. There would be much more pain and swelling if it were and acute abcess. My chronic abcess appeared after a root canal as well. I had an abcess first which prompted the root canal. Then when I had the chronic abcess, I had an Apico procedure to try and clear the infection. Eventually the tooth was pulled. Everything leading up to the tooth extraction was relatively painless, and I just sat in the chair with my iPod to keep distracted. The tooth extraction was painless, but not really a fun procedure because I was awake. I would recommend getting some nitrous oxide for that if your situation comes to that.

Les, I love my dentist too. He is a wonderful guy and he babies me because he knows I'm so phobic. My hands sweat as soon as I walk thru the office door, even for a routine cleaning. I am such a rational person in every other area of life, but I am wreck about the dentist. I have had one root canal and you're right, it wasn't any worse than having a regular crown done. For anything other than a regular cavity (which I haven't had in years -- but now I seem to be replacing old, large cavities with crowns about once every couple of years) my dentist now gives me Conscious Sedation, which is the best thing that's ever happened to me! I highly recommend it! If I didn't have it, they wouldn't be able to get me into the office. I take an anti-anxiety drug (forget the name now) an hour before my appointment, and by the time it's time to go in, DH practically has to carry me, I'm so out of it. Then I have regular novocaine and after the procedure is over, I barely remember a thing. It unfortunately "loses" a day for both DH and me, because he has to stay with me when I get home (so I don't do anything stupid in my drugged state) and I usually have to take a nap when I get home... but that's what we have to do. Fortunately my teeth aren't SO bad that this has to happen too often!

I told my dentist once that I would rather give birth than have a cavity filled!

Just to follow up -- Abcess. Need root canal. Waah. But I have drugs to help me through. :)

No fun. I feel your pain-I have awful teeth (why oh why didn't I inherit father's great teeth rather than mother's terrible ones). Heading in tomorrow to have a crown due to a broken tooth-fourth time in recent years that this has happened.

Hope your root canal is quick and easy (thank goodness for meds and the abcess subsides quickly as well.