I had a room canal done about 10 years ago and the last couple of days feels like that tooth is hurting. thought it was the one beside it but now I'm almost positive it is that tooth. Can you get pain years after having a rootcanal. Can you get an infection or something in the tooth. Just wondering.
2007-01-24 02:24:37 · 5 answers · asked by julieg_68 3 in Health ➔ Dental
To answer your question, yes you can get another infection in a root canal treated tooth even after 10 years. Decay can still develop in this tooth simply because the tooth is there for plaque to form on. Decay is more likely in teeth that aren't flossed regurarly. You probably have a crown on the tooth, and decay may be found up under the crown, it usually starts at the margins of the tooth, where the crown meets the tooth, just under the tissue. Your x rays won't show what is under the metal of the crown, only if it's decayed down the root of the tooth is it visible, by then there are usually symptoms of pain due to bacteria from the decay. Sometimes the crown can be removed and just have a new filling placed and re prep the tooth for a new crown. Other times the tooth may need to be re-treated to be saved, or in the worse case, it has to be extracted. If the tooth is bothering you with symptoms of pain it's better to get it checked early, sometimes it can be just a filling at the root and there is no need to remove the crown or re treat the RCT. The earlier it's treated the better the chances of saving the tooth are. Good luck!
2007-01-24 03:17:18 · answer #1 · answered by HeatherS 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am not a denitist, but I worked in a dentist office so I have seen this happen many times. It can be many reasons why the tooth that had the root canal is causing pain. It could be that the crown on that tooth needs to be adjusted because too much pressure when you bite is being placed on that tooth. Or new decay is starting to form under the crown. Or the dentist that did the root canal did not fill the tooth in completely before putting the crown on. But with all of this said, a dentist is the only one that can tell you exactly what the problem is and can fix it. But go soon because you don't want to loose the tooth!!!
2007-01-24 03:29:42 · answer #2 · answered by flowergirlsdy 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes on both accounts. You can get pain on a tooth that has had a root canal, and you can get an infection in the tooth.
However, what's really fun about teeth is a little diddy called "pain transferrence." This means that your back right tooth on the bottom could hurt, so your top canine can feel like it's in pain. I had a root canal done, and when that same tooth started hurting again, I went to the doctor. The root-canal tooth was fine, the one two teeth over was in trouble. I have no idea why, maybe after the root canal your tooth is more sensitive, or more likely to feel pain, or you're just a little used to it (mentally or physically) hurting.
I dunno....
Get it checked out, though. You may have actually needed a crown instead of a root canal, or you may need one now.
Best of luck to you.
2007-01-24 02:38:04 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I ibelieve that is possible. But for a root canal to start to hurt after all these years, makes me think the dentist didn't do a really good job. I had one done many years ago (and will never get one again that is for sure) but it hasn't bothered me at all. I only wonder if maybe it wasn't done right, or maybe an infection has started in your gums and spread to the tooth where the root canal was done. I recommend you calling your dentist asap and get some answers. I hope you tooth gets to feeling better. Take care.
2007-01-24 02:34:42 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
If the root canal was not done properly, yes to both of the above. How ever it could also be phantom pain.
2007-01-24 09:56:27 · answer #5 · answered by Kevin H 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋