Root Canal Surgery: The Bane of Equalisation?

[G1der]

Hi there: I'm a VERY new Scuba-ry convert (well, actually I get my first wetting next Tuesday!). In the meantime, a quickie: I've been reading up on stuff for an Open Water certificate I've got coming up in August and one thing's got my attention: Reverse Squeezing in the tooth!

Anyone got any tales of this ACTUALLY happening? Reason I ask is 'cause I had a root filling about 3 months ago but the thing is the root was too long and winding to be properly filled etc and it suddenly occurs to me that THAT little space could be a REAL sore point at some given depth!!

Wierd and nutty, I know, but does anyone have any feedback?

Cheers!

G1der

 

[Ladydiver]

Hi There,

I have also had a lot of dental work done so this issue is of major concern to me also. I have been to 60 feet and haven't had a problem yet but I have heard from other people that have had it happen. Some say it can cause a little bit of discomfort and others have told me they learned to ignore it and that it wasn't that bad. Overall, most of the people I have talked to say it has not been a problem for them. So far I have been lucky but I hope to be doing some deeper dives soon and pray my luck will hold.

If there is anyone out there with some advice on how to handle this, I would also really appreciate the input.

Cheers,

 

[missy]

sorry m8 but it happens. my dive buddy told me about a student of his that suffered badly because he recently had a cavity filled but the dentist didnt do to good a job and some air got in underneath on the ascent it took quite a while to clear but he got there in the end, needless to say that the dentist was none to popular.

 

[King_Neptune]

missy,

You mentioned a dentist that "was none to popular" ...
I got to thinking about that and just thought I would ask, "Is there any such thing as a 'Popular Dentist', do they even exist?
hehe

=-)

 

[missy]

well that all depends on how good the pain killers are i suppose )
he he he

 

[frank]

Provided that the filling is properly sealed, you should not have any problems. The air space it self is not the cause. Any air that is trapped under the filling would contract as you descend and re-expand to its original volume as you ascend. The problem is created when air leaks in under the filling, (essentially new air) and then can not escape fast enough as you ascend. Its the same principle as free diving. You can not receive any type of lung expansion injury by holding your breath and diving to depth, the problem is caused by breathing (again new air) and then surfacing without releasing that air.

Hope this answers your questions.

Frank

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I was just wondering how it came out, but then I noted the OP only made 1 post, so maybe it was fatal?

Does anyone know of an older post we can resurrect?

 

[spectrum]

If it's any consolation or reference I was diving Friday, a few days after a root canal and it was all fine.