“I had a root canal and the area still hurts. Is something wrong?”
I had a root canal last week. It seemed okay within the next few days, but I am now having pain again. It feels like it's throbbing. Is this normal? Should I go to the dentist?
22 Answers
Yes, go get it checked out.
You need to call your dentist. Throbbing is an indication of infection. Your tooth may have been infected before, being the reason for root canal. Some patients that were placed on an antibiotic do not take them. When a tooth is root canaled, it is instrumented and some bacteria may have fallen to the end of the root. One thing everyone has to be made aware of: NOT ALL ROOT CANALS ARE SUCCESSFUL. Everyone is different. It is not that anything was done WRONG. For some patients, root canals don't work. If your root canal is not hurting you, make sure you are doing good home care, flossing, brushing every day, etc.
This is not normal and you should see the dentist immediately. Pain is nature's way of telling you something's wrong.
Hendrik B. Lai
Dentist
There is likely a residual infection. This can occur if not all of the infected material is removed. You may need the tooth removed or to have endodontic retreatment. There is a small chance of a root fracture. This will not normally cause throbbing pain - more pain in biting.
Definitely go back to the dentist as soon as possible. You may need a simple bite adjustment, or you may have a reinfection of the tooth. Your situation may not improve with time, so I suggest being seen as soon as feasible.
Yes, present to the endodontist that performed the root canal.
Definitely should go to the dentist. Was the tooth completely restored?
Could be infection or an extra root that escaped treatment. Revisit your dentist quickly.
If the dentist said the treatment was completed you may need to see a specialist. there may be an additional root canal that needs to be treated. If you waited too ling with the temporary filling, the filling may be leaking and causing the root canal to fail. if the tooth was never restored with a crown, the tooth may have fractured.
After a root canal procedure is done, you might experience discomfort for up a week. On the first couple days your pain will be mild, and the last couple of days the discomfort will have peaked, meaning you might feel a sensation in that tooth a little bit more. If after 10 days, you are still having pain, go to a General Dentist. If there is throbbing, it could indicate there is still an infection, a Dentist will be able to write you a prescription for Antibiotics.
This can be normal due to the use of certain injection techniques for anesthesia. Due to the recent time frame, I would recommend on visiting the individual who treated this tooth,m for further examination and treatment.
Michelle B. Deutch
Dentist
Yes, you should definitely go back to the dentist/specialist that did the root canal.
Its not normal for you to have throbbing pain. See your Dentist as soon as possible for evaluation and treatment
Definitely, go to your dentist. It could be the gum tissue that is irritated, or the tooth may be cracked. Either way your dentist can help find the source of the problem.
It is possible that to root canal procedure left the tooth in traumatic occlusion which is easily adjusted by revisiting the doctor who preformed the root canal. A slight adjustment in your bite might be all you need to allay the pain.
It is normal after any dental procedure to be uncomfortable but should settle after a couple of days. You should go back to your dentist and have it checked.
Sometimes pain might start within a few days after a root canal treatment, but this is not the norm. There is normally some tenderness immediately after the root canal treatment, which subsides over the following days. Wait a few more days if the pain is something you can handle. It may subside. If it continues or gets worse, go and see your dentist.
I would recommend to contact your dentist. While some discomfort is normal to still be present throbbing or swelling would require a follow up to make sure normal healing of the area.
It could be normal. Any time you have a question like this you should ask your dentist. In this case, ask the dentist that did the root canal.
While it is not uncommon for recently root canal treated teeth to experience some post-operative sensitivity, especially to biting, it is definitely a good idea to go back to the dentist and check.
Yes, it is normal to have little bit of pain for a few days post-RCT, as long as the pain keeps going down from the day of treatment.
Hope that helps.
Hope that helps.
Yes, you should go back to the dentist as soon as possible. Or an endodontic specialist (root canal specialist). There could be a recurrent infection present.
Regards,
Julie Izen, DMD
Regards,
Julie Izen, DMD
