i had a root canal 2 days ago, why the pain?

Question

I have had at least 6 other root canals, and never had pain like this after. The therapy was done on tooth number 8 and a post was placed and then filled. 24 hours later, over the counter meds were no longer dulling the pain for more then an hour or 2. My dentist put me on a stronger anti-biotic (clindamycin) which I have taken two doese of thus far. He also gave me naproxen 500mg and vicodin 500mg The pain meds dull my throbbing tooth pain, but dont eleivate it completely. If i touch the tooth with my tongue or bump it against another tooth it shoots a very harsh pain. the pain meds only dull it for a couple hours 2-4. Is any of this normal? Is it healing itself, or is there something more worng?

Answer 1

It is absolutely NORMAL for a root canal treated tooth to be painful for several days after the treatment. Now is not the time to worry. Continue the regimen of medication that your dentist prescribed for you. It is irresponsible for anyone to say that the dentist may have done "a poor job" or that he may have "fractured the root" when they know nothing of what happened. Very often, if the tooth is cleaned very thoroughly just past the end of the root (which all the latest literature says is the best way to clean the inside of the tooth) the ligament that surrounds the tooth and attaches it to the bone may be traumatized by the small, sharp files used to do this cleaning and shaping. It takes several days for the tissue to heal itself as well. If you bite down on your back teeth, and you can get the tooth to hurt, this most likely means that the filling used to restore the tooth is a bit too high. You will need to see your dentist to adjust it if this is the case. Also, the latest literature says that immediate restoration with a good coronal seal right after the treatment is done provides the tooth with the best chance of long-term success. Placing the post and coronal build-up immediately after the root canal was done was the best thing for the tooth. I hope that the tooth feels better over the next week or so, and that you get to keep it for the rest of your days.

Answer 2

It shouldn't be doing that. I'd go back to your dentist and get him to x-ray the area and see if he can diagnose your problem. He could have done a poor job on the root canal or it could be some other damage (soft tissue, etc.) Normally they'll have you wait for a little while before they put in the post and the final restoration just to make sure that there aren't any complications. If he can't come up with a problem and fix it then get another dentist's opinion. Vicodin is a pretty heavy duty painkiller, for a dead tooth you shouldn't be feeling anything.

Answer 3

Depending on where the tooth is, it could be that a bone was cracked during the procedure. Or it could be pain due to pressure caused by an infection or dry socket. Definitely call the dentist and have this checked. I've had 5 root canals and only one gave me any problems and that was because even though a root canal is supposed to get rid of any nerves, that is not always the case. I had to have the procedure redone, but it was worth it to get rid of the pain. good luck!

Answer 4

TITLEIST (do you golf?),
THE PAIN YOU'RE HAVING AND THE THINGS YOU ARE DOING TO ELICIT THIS PAIN MIGHT BE CAUSED BY THE POST WHICH MIGHT HAVE FRACTURED THE TOOTH. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE IF ANY MOVEMENT OF THE TOOTH CAUSES PAIN. THE NERVE IS GONE, BUT THE BONE WHICH SURROUNDS THE TOOTH HAS NERVE ENDINGS THROUGHOUT. GO BACK TO THE DENTIST AND HAVE THE TOOTH EVALUATED FOR A POSSIBLE ROOT FRACTURE.

Answer 5

It is possible they did the root canal on the wrong tooth, or, maybe you needed 2 root canals on adjacent teeth and they only did one of the two.

Answer 6

if the tooth that was root canaled was still hurting-there is a partial nerve that remains. No other explanation.

Answer 7

GO BACK TO YOUR DENTIST - YOU MAY HAVE AN ABSCESS