Oral Health Community

It happens. It's also possible he didn't get all the root. That also happened to me. My dentist ended up sending me to an endodontist who had better tools for the job. Still, I had pain for months afterwards. A lot depends on how bad your tooth was before the root canal.

Rinsing with ice water seems to help: This is not good. There is no longer a nerve in this tooth, therefore you should not have sensitivity in this tooth if the root canal is actually completed. Delay the crown. You don't have to have the crown down asap. You may need another regimen of antibiotics or you will need to have this tooth retreated by an endodontist. Your dentist may not have found another canal or he didn't reach the tip of one of the roots. Best advice, consult with an endodontist.

Let us know what happens. D

Similar experience with #18 but done by endodontist. Pain started on 8/3. Went to dentist on 8/5. Had root canal on 8/7. Only relief I had was that day from novacaine. At wit's end with pain and taking meds. Can't go more than 3-4 hours w/o pain returning. Alternate between advil and vicodin depending on whether I need to work/drive. Worse at night and no continuous sleep/rest. Endodontist changed antibiotic from amoxicillin to cephalexin (keflex) on 8/10. Another difference from you is that cold water increases throbbing/pain.

Did the antibiotic help? Hot and or cold shouldn't make a difference. You may possibly need a medrol dose pack too, which is a steroid. See what your endodontist has to say about that. You shouldn't be in that much discomfort. Also, you can alternate the vicodin with the ibuprofen. Every 1-2 hours. Take vicodin, then 1-2 hrs later, take the ibuprofen.

The endodontist took another xray and saw increased infection under 18 & 19. Sent me to an oral surgeon the next morning. He drained (popped) it and says I need to return in one week for oral surgery (can't remember procedure name) to address the deep infection and will put me out for 30 minute-$3,700 procedure.

Pain has eased to manageable level with advil. All puffed up again and am swishing with salt water 5x a day. Also added antibiotic cleocin to keflex.

This pushes back crown for a whole month...hope temporary stays on...which means softer brushing and no flossing that tooth for a month. Will this ever end?

Do you need an apicoectomy? On the same tooth that was root canaled July 14th? When we do a root canal, or a retreatment, then the patient needs an apico, we don't charge the patient. Get another consult with another endodontist. If it's an apico, get it done by an endodontist.

Yes, they've recommended an apico on 18 & 19 and want maxo/oral surgeon to do it tomorrow. Pain has subsided and I've finished antibiotics

Let us know how you're doing

OMG! This sounds like me. I was on the cancer board due to my mothers breast cancer. She recently passed though. So now i am here for myself.

I have gone through the same thing. First RC had pain long afterwards, Went back, second RC performed. Lump in bone of gum and pain. Went back............my dentist of 5 years had left the practice. Saw a fellow dentist. Who examined and advised me to have tooth pulled.So i did. Pain was TERRIBLE and has gotten worse each day afterwards. Pulled last Thursday btw. Went for re-check today. She felt the lump and could see the pain i was in. She took panoramic x-rays. Which showed possible cyst or benign tumor. Long story made very short............I had 2 root canals, temp crown put in and tooth pulled for NOTHING! It was not my tooth and a healthy tooth was pulled.

Now i have an appt with a surgeon Monday for a consultation. I can't walk, talk, bend over anything. Without constant pain.

When i left dentist, i asked what do i owe this time............they said nothing and we will be calling you with a charge back for the work that was needlessly done. I sure hope they do so i can pay for the surgery i now have to have.

Moral to my story...............listen to your gut instincts and seek outside opinions and advice. I hope you all on here that share the same experience i have had, do not suffer as needlessly as i have. I wish you luck.

Anybody know what my now oral surgeon may do to me? Is it gonna cost 3,700 bux? What is recovery like?

Hi, Jim,

I've had 19 root canals & a full dental reconstruction. The longest any root canal has hurt was 2 days. Most of them only caused mild pain for 1 day.

I had a crown prep on Jan 4. Within 24 hours I had intense, continuous pain like I have never felt before. It kept me up at night and prevented me from eating. I have had two child via c-section and that did not touch this pain! I went back to my doctor on the 11th and he told me that the nerve had been traumatized and that I needed a root canal. I had a root canal the following day by a endodontist. He completed the root canal with my temporary crown in place and after the novacain wore off I was in terrible pain. The temporary crown had been dislodged, pushed in against the neighboring tooth and prevented me from biting down because it was so low. Again the pain was intense. The temporary crown fell off within 24 hours of the RC and I felt immediate relief (not complete relief). When I returned to my dentist to replace the temporary crown he was not able to replace it due to the pain I felt with any touch. It is now the 16th and I am still requiring OTC pain medicine, cannot eat on that side of my mouth, feel pain with brushing, touching or any pressure. Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas of what is happening?

I had a crown done after a big filling left me feeling pretty awful. The temporary crown never helped me feel ok. When I got the permanent one, I felt a lot better (the dentist said that the material used and the seal for the permanent crown were different than the temporary one). Since I had so much pain, the dentist put on the permanent crown with temp. cement so I could give it about a month to see if it would get better. It never did. I ended up having a root canal-- no pain to hot or cold or aching from the tap test. It only hurt when I bit down. The endo said it could be inside the tooth, but with pain only happening when I bit down, it could be a crack in the root of the tooth (which means, taking the tooth out to get rid of the pain). But I could tell that the pain was inside the tooth when I bit down.

After the root canal (it's been 9 days now), still feeling pain when I bite on the tooth, but not nearly like before. And this pain feels like it's on the outside of the tooth. Could it just still be sore from the trauma done to it? My permanent crown was put back on with temp. cement again so we can make sure the first part of the root canal helped. I go back in 2 weeks to get the rest of the root canal done. I sure hope it feels better by then. Don't want to fork over another $500 to then have to have the tooth pulled and maybe get an implant or bridge! BTW, my insurance covers NONE of this!

have been up all night in pain from seeing the endodontist at 1:00pm to finish a root canal. i am on z-pac anti biotics because it became infected, i take vidcdin extra strength, oxycontin, motrin every few hours. nothings seems to work. thank God i am not a drug addict. the pain is pulsating, and as soon as the pain killer helps a very little bit, it only kast s for 1/2 hour, i am back to where i started. it is very depressing. the pain goes from my bottom gum line on the right side all the way back , my jaw is swollen, g umshurt, ear hurts. nothing seems to help . it ried an ice pack - nothing. heat (hot water bottle) nothing. i tried to keep a piece of cloth in my mouth ANYTHING to be comforted. i do not know what to do. the endodontist was a professor at a university, bright and experienced guy, but nothing he said could have prepared me for this. by the way, this is the second root canal in 2 months, second round of antibiotics. first one severe diarreah. question: other than taking more and more painkillers, mixed with motrin which I do not want t odo, what can i do. in all honesty, it is the weekend and i can not even go out of the house, the pain is so bad. please help. thank you

I am in the same boat as you. Two root canals on the same tooth (lower left molar), but still cannot bite down on the tooth. My dentist says the tooth will have to be extracted if pain is not any better by next week. I really trust and respect my dentist, but I am calling an endodontist next week to visit with him/her about an implant should my tooth have to removed. Don't know what else to do.