I had an urgent dentist appointment today. I had a regular appointment in June and my only complaint was that I was made to rinse with peroxide for 30 seconds (yes, it was timed). This time I was given regular old Crest oral rinse, so that was a nice surprise. When I called from the car, the receptionist asked the screening questions. When she got to headache, I said "Well, the pain from my tooth is referring to my head, but that is not what you are looking for. So let's say 'no'".
My options now are root canal vs implant. I had an implant a few years ago, and the process wasn't horrible, but it is expensive and takes about a year for all the steps. A root canal is much faster and costs less. The dentist said there was no strong reason to recommend one over the other. I have heard of someone who started implant treatment, but was unable to check his progress and have the next steps done in the appropriate time while dentists were shut down. The post didn't "take" and it was too late to rescue by the time he saw a dentist, so he has to start over. That possibility was the last push I needed to choose root canal.