I last posted about ‘hitting the wall’ so badly I could barely walk home, and was quite worried about it.
Well the next day the ‘silent’ abscess that had been developing under my lower left canine decided to let me know its presence- resulting in an emergency dental appointment over the Bank Holiday weekend. By Sunday my face had swollen up so much I was having difficulty swallowing, and was in terrible pain.
I’m now on Metronidazole, which doesn’t make me feel great, and really getting to know the staff at my dentist surgery better than I thought I ever would, with daily visits to drain the wicked abscess, so that eventually the root canal filling can be done.
Needless to say any thoughts of training, or even a long walk, are completely out of the window at the moment.
Has anyone else had a similar root canal experience, and if so how did it affect their training?
Written by
MadDave
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I’ve had root canal work, though not since I began running. I’m a terrible coward but have to say the only pain was the injection to numb my mouth. I felt shaky after (the body doesn’t like surgery, even minor the work involved in filling teeth), but I was fine next day. I can understand not running while you’re fighting infection, but I don’t think the actual root canal work should pull you down. You might need time to build up after being on antibiotics though.
Yes! I started C25K a few days before having a root canal. Well ok that's not similar but running and root canal have a link in my mind. I did the first bit as an emergency with a lovely not very local dentist as I was traveling to China the next day and I had no idea what that agonising pain was (large abscess). A few weeks later, I had the proper cleaning out and after a week the filling in. Neither hurt. I actually flew back to France to have it done as I didn't trust my Uk dentist anymore (I have since found that some of my friends had her and changed and logged complaints). Anyway got prescribed a medical mouthwash and all good since. I don't know why I shared all this except as a cathartic expression!
The thing is an abscess is an infection so it makes your whole body feel odd and off so I wouldn't have run with that. As soon as the abscess went then I could do stuff again and I would probably have gone running (had I started). I started running and went on running around the secondary steps no problem.
If you feel shaky, not well, just rest, you are not going to lose much fitness as it will only be a few days! Good luck and hopefully very soon the abscess will be gone.
Thanks Couch! Yes I think the abscess, which is proving to be very tenacious and has been developing for a long time, has been affecting my performance for some time.
My dentist has warned it could take weeks rather than days of treatment before the abscess is completely removed so the tooth can be filled.
Oh no sounds awful! But hopefully it will go faster than expected. If you want my dentist contact in France, happy to share as i think it was £80 or something for the root canal so with £40 flights still way cheaper! Good luck
Thankfully I’ve got a good NHS dentist here, but I quite fancy the idea of getting away to France for a few days to take my mind of things! Doubt I’d be able to convince my work about that though!
Hopefully that explains 'the wall'. I'm sure once the infection is gone you'll be good to run again. The dentistry shouldn't have any impact I wouldn't think. Feel better soon.
Never had root canal but have had a tooth pulled for abscess many years ago. Way before I ever began running. It was a one day affair too. Sounds like you have a more serious situation. Best to take things slow as you recover. Hope you manage OK though it all.
Dental infections are often underestimated and yet can have very serious consequences. Keep on the tablets and get that cleared. Once the infection is gone then you can start thinking about getting back out there 👍🏻😁
I'm sure they told you already but do not try to drink alcohol with metro, the results are not good.
The actual dentistry following will seem like nothing after the abscess. 👍🏻
Thanks jo jo - yes I read about the alcohol issue and even a mouthwash could cause a reaction. Not that I feel like a glass of anything at the moment!
I’m now wondering if this abscess has been going for some time and been causing low haemoglobin levels, due to my immune system over-producing white blood cells, and producing fewer red blood cells than normal. I read somewhere that could be an issue, and could explain why at peak effort my CV system is fine but my muscles just won’t deliver peak power?
It’ll be interesting to see if my performance picks up when this is all behind me!
I'm sure it will. Infections will throw your whole system out! Dental abscesses can be a very long time dormant before becoming an identifiable issue. That's why regular dental x-rays can be useful, they can be spotted before they reach this point.
Gosh, Dave - that definitely explains why you struggled on that run! Haven't had an abscess or root canal myself but here's hoping you are feeling better soon.🤞
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a good dentist is worth a lot!
London 2018, here I come!
When the mind takes over sleep!
Chester 10K training runs, are training runs generally a thing? 
Counting down and pre taper terrors.
