One standard procedure dentists use to treat specific kinds of tooth pain is a root canal. The dentist will carefully remove the damaged, infected, and dead pulp from the inside of the affected tooth during the procedure (developed teeth can survive without the pulp), which will stop the pain.
We will go over the top five reasons why patients still feel tooth pain after a root canal despite the fact that this procedure is very effective at treating pain. Contact a dentist in Fairfield, ME to learn more.
Reasons you may be experiencing pain after your root canal
- Post-Procedure Inflammation
Inflammation, which can result from the treatment itself or the infection causing the tooth
ligament to swell, is one of the most frequent causes of pain following a root canal. In these situations, the pain will go away on its own, & the swelling will go down in the days & weeks after the root canal.
- Infection
Since the infected pulp inside the tooth is frequently removed during a root canal, it’s possible that some bacteria remained after the procedure, which could result in infected tissue and increased pain. Similar to swelling, the issue should go away on its own once your immune system eliminates the bacteria; however, if it doesn’t go away, your dentist or doctor might suggest taking antibiotics.
- Fillings That Are Too Large
After removing the pulp from the inside of your tooth, your dentist will use a material that resembles rubber to fill the empty space. On the other hand, if more than the necessary amount of filling is used, the tooth will sit higher & cause pain when you bite down. Although this problem will not go away on its own, your dentist can quickly correct it by making minor filling adjustments.
- An Incomplete Root Canal
Multiple canals are common in some teeth, particularly molars, and a dentist can overlook one or more of these while performing the treatment. In these cases, the root cause of the pain is never addressed, so even after the root canal, you will continue to feel pain. Similarly, you might still feel pain when that tooth comes into contact with acidic materials, heat, or cold if the dentist happens to fail to locate any of the damaged nerves within the tooth that require it to be removed.
- Damage to the Surrounding Tissue
Tissue damage can happen during a root canal if a tooth’s interior is cleaned with a file that moves past the base of the root and protrudes into the tissue underneath, if too much filling is used & flows past the root tip, or if bacteria are inadvertently injected into the surrounding tissue. In these situations, the pain will subside as the injured tissue recovers.