Root Canal?

Question

I had a root canal about 10 years ago on a tooth that has been acting up the last few months. It has been very sensitive to pressure, hot, cold, etc. It can't be a cavity because I had a root canal there. Anyone have/had the same problem or know what it could be? My dentist took x-rays and didn't see anything wrong but there is something wrong because the pain got so bad I had to go to the emergency room.

Answer 1

When they did the root canal did they get the whole nerve out? Possibly a remnant has become infected? Perhaps you need to go beyond your dentist and discuss it with the specialist that does root canals ?

Answer 2

A root canal is basically the removal of a tooth's living tissue, so all that's left is the enamel and dentin. The tooth itself, as I understand the procedure, is dead; so your pain is probably not in the tooth itself but in the gum tissue near the tooth. Your gum tissue may have receded enough to expose some bone and that would explain the heat & cold sensitivity.

I had a similar problem about 3 years ago. I made an emergency appointment with my dentist due to extreme pain. He took x-rays and did an examination and said nothing was wrong. The pain subsided after 2 or 3 days but once in awhile I'd get a small blister on my gum near the tooth that had been hurting. It wasn't painful, and the dentist had said nothing was wrong, so I ignored it.

During a routine cleaning about a year later, the dentist said that the tooth had 'erupted'. It got pushed up slightly from its normal position due to an infection in the gum tissue.

He sent me to a periodontist for a 2nd opinion. Options given were root canal and extraction. The periodontist said root canal was not a good option because the tooth might still have to be removed at some point in the future. So I had the tooth removed & replaced with a bridge.

The important point here is that root canal is not a permanent solution. Whatever problem there is with or near that tooth, is probably not going to heal itself and should become more obvious over the next few months; so that the dentist who said nothing is wrong, will be able to see what is wrong.

Or better yet, get a second and third opinion from different dental professionals. An untreated dental problem will most likely become more severe over time.

Answer 3

KRITAJA,
IT IS VERY LIKELY THAT THIS TOOTH HAS A ROOT FRACTURE. THIS WON'T SHOW UP ON AN X-RAY, BUT ONLY BY DOING SPECIFIC MEASUREMENTS WITH A PERIODONTAL PROBE AND BY REVIEW OF THE SYMPTOMS CAN THIS BE DISCOVERED.
A CONSULTATION WITH AN ENDODONTIST FOR A POTENTIAL ROOT FRACTURE IS INDICATED FOR THIS TOOTH.

Answer 4

Might be an abcess or the tooth is growing everything that was removed back. Get a second opinion asap.