sensitivity after root canal?

Question

i got root canal done my two front tooth 4 days ago as i am getting cosmectic correction (i have very healthy teeth, no decay whatsoever) done on them this friday. the whole procedure was painless. however i noticed that now when i tap my two front teeth even lightly, i'll get a sort of ache akin to biting into an ice cream with sensitive teeth. is this normal? or is it a sign of infection? thanks!

** Doin root canal as i'm going to "shave" off a considerable part of my teeth to do crowns, ala what you see on extreme makeover when the contestants get perfect teeth in no time =)

Answer 1

My dentist says it's normal to have mild pain or sensitivity following root canal for a while. My last one hurt for about 3 weeks, but now it doesn't hurt at all.

If you don't have pain all the time, or a fever, its probably not an infection.

Answer 2

I always tell patients that after a root canal you should expect the tooth to be sensitive, especially if you tap or hit it. That should only last a day or 2. This is because fluid and or a little blood can build up under the tooth during the root canal. It takes a couple of days for your body to remove that extra fluid and let the tooth settle down. Certainly if problems persist longer then a week, then I become concerned. I would recheck my final x-ray and if that looked good, I would put the patient on an antibiotic to fight any infection and closely monitor them to see if that fixes the problem. If by two weeks there is still some tenderness, I would reconsider opening the tooth up again, but in 15 years this has happened maybe twice.
Root canals can be done prophylactically or ahead of another procedure because the dentist believes that in doing that procedure the nerve of the tooth will be affected. If you don't do the root canal first then later you will have a problem.

Answer 3

They should feel dead as doornails since the nerves are gone. Why on earth would they do root canals on healthy teeth?