PAIN IN TOOTH LONG AFTER ROOT CANAL

[newenglandnew]

I'm wondering if anyone can help me.
I've been going to a dental school to get cheaper prices on my dental work. The first thing they did was to tell me I needed a root canal and so I let them do it.

That was six months ago and it hurt after they did it. They kept saying the pain would wear off. I think it's also making my sinus blocked up and I have a sinus headache all the time.

Finally they did xrays and the head of endodontry said that the root canal looked beautiful. He tapped on my teeth and I almost went through the ceiling when he tapped lightly on the root canal tooth.

The he tested my teeth for cold and he said that it was the NEXT tooth to the root canal tooth that the gum was sensitive to cold.

He says THAT tooth needs a root canal.

Meanwhile, the original root canal tooth that they did is killing me. I can't chew on that side and even if I put my finger on that tooth it hurts.

I always though that after the nerve had been removed from a tooth you couldn't have pain. This is horrible. Can anyone help? TIA

[newenglandnew]

I'm not fighting either, the intention of this thread was to ask for opinions and help. I'm not angry, I'm just grateful to all who have pitched in to offer help.

For the record, the medical people whom I respect the most are the ones who will honestly say, "I don't know" when they don't have an answer. They can't have ALL the answers and none of them are God.

Lately a lot of doctors (Not ALL) and dentists seem to care more about money than about helping people. I have loads of examples from older people being told there was nothing wrong with them when there was, women being told that it's "just nerves", and two prime examples from a few years ago when I was very very ill.

The last two definitely only wanted to make more money for their department and they each told me wrong things to do. In one instance, the assistant called me MONTHS later to see what I had finally done. When I told her, she said, "Thank goodness, I was worried about you. If you had done what he said, it wouldn't have been good for you."

I am respectful to doctors and dentists and I usually get on very well with them but when they are telling me something that is dead wrong, I go elsewhere. There are good ones and bad ones, just like anything else.

[**good_rockin_faith**]

New England, I know a couple in their upper '60's that were talked into getting their teeth recapped because they were wore down. They had private insurance & paid with cash. They could afford to. They have nothing but trouble with their teeth now, where as before they didn't hurt. They went in for a routine examination. The Dentist was not poorer for it though.:( I feel very sorry for them.

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

[without.a.face]

Hi, I've just read the entire discussion and hope someone can help. I had my root canal done in May of 2007 and a crown was put in. 5 months later, the tooth still hurts. It's fine if I chew soft food but I don't bother chewing anything crunchy on that side of my mouth anymore. I believe the tooth is #19.

My gums around that tooth are ALWAYS sensitive now. They always feel inflamed. It hurts all the time. It's a dull but painful ache. Almost as if someone had been pushing really hard against my gums for hours and finally stopped. I don't know if I'm explaining it well. Imagine if someone stood on your foot for 3 hours and then stopped. Imagine the pain your foot would feel. Not sharp, but you'd still feel it aching and aching long afterwards.

When I tap on the top of my tooth, it hurts. If I put pressure on my gums around the tooth, the pain kills. When I went to the dentist, he said everything looked fine and that gum sensitivity was normal.

Fast forward 2 months. Still hurt so I went back and they too an X-ray and said that now, my bone looks "fuzzy". He compared the new X-ray to an old one and said in the old one, my bone looked straight.. but now it looks "fuzzy" so he gave me Doxycyclene which I suppose is helping somewhat but it's still really sensitive and still hurts and I'm on my 21st (as well as last) day of antibiotic treatment. He said it was a gum infection but after 21 days of antibiotics, it still hurts.

This cannot be normal. What does everyone think??

My dentist has adjusted the bite of the crown but it hasn't helped.

[frazzedmom]

It's possible you have an accessory canal (4th canal) that was not visible during the initial root canal, and that is the culprit that's flaring up now. Or, the RCT has failed OR root has fractured. Gum sens. like what you are describing is not normal~~for the DDS to say that, he was lookiing for an e-z way out, IMO. And, since you have been on antibiotics w/ no relief...I'm leaning toward a fract. root. Did your doc ever offer to send you to an endodontist for their opinion?

Just a shot in the dark here, but was there a post placed as well as the crown? I've seen too many patients that have had post-op probs due to the post being placed improperly, too much pressure being placed on the root, causing fractures, or even plain old going right thru the root wall!, etc....

[**good_rockin_faith**]

I hope you feel beter soon! I would definitely be going back to a Dentist.:(

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

[dehiguey]

Hi everybody. I read yesterday everything also, because I'm in the same situation. In my case, I had the RTC back in March, and I'm still in pain. I even had a CT Scan of my head in august, but they found nothing but a sinus infection, for what I was treated with antibiotics that somehow helped for a few days with my pain. I have visited my dentist 3 times after march and he always says and does the same things...Takes an X-Ray of my tooth and says that everything is fine, and he does a bite adjustment, but the pain is still there. I have a post but refuse the crown because of all this trouble. I was one of the innocent people who thought that my initial pain would be gone after the RCT, but I feel cheated, this should not be happening at this point and the doctors I don't think that know what to do. It is scary when you start thinking that you will be in pain for the rest of your life unless you do what I have been thinking more and more and is pull out the tooth and end this nightmare....May God help us because the dentists, I'm afraid, will not!

[glennaday]

Hi - I just read all four pages of posts and am thoroughly confused. =( I had a root canal done last February. It took three visits because of an infection and because the dentist wanted to re-scrape out some of the roots. I did not have the crown put on because the tooth really never stopped hurting.

The gum line ABOVE the tooth always hurt when I touched it or smiled. Now if I chew on that side at all, my tooth throbs and the tooth on my LOWER jaw hurts as well. A small abscess keeps forming next to the gum line on that upper tooth.

I have a sore throat and joint pain in my right shoulder and arm. Are they related or are they just coincidental problems? I have no idea. I saw my GP, today for the bumps and pain in my throat and she took a culture for strep. She had no knowledge what-so-ever about post-dental health problems.

I WANT to take care of my teeth and problems but I just don't know what to do!!!

** redo the RC vs. apiodectoy vs. extraction ???
if extraction,
** bridge vs. implant vs. nothing ???

I have read about horrendous side effects for EACH of these options - focal infections, teeth wandering, trigeminal nerve pain, perforated sinuses. The "experts" disagree with one-another. Dr Meinig, a pioneer endodontist, now disavows much of what he used to believe, indeed most of what is recommended by MY endodontist.

WHO CAN WE BELIEVE??? WE have to live with the pain.

It doesn't help that no one mentioned to me that there even WAS a failure rate for root canals (which, btw, seems to be much higher than 5%, given all of the stories I've heard from friends and acquaintances and read about in forums.)

And if I am one of that 5%, is there any reason to hope that I will fare any better with subsequent RC work, implants, etc?

I am scared and apprehensive about ANY decision.

[glennaday]

Spelline error: apicoectomy! =/

[glennaday]

OK - I'M tired... spelline=spelling 😉

[**good_rockin_faith**]

glenna day, My guess is that they are related & the infection is in your Lymph nodes. So sorry to hear about your pain! My Root canal was done in when I was eight years old & again when I was older, twice. The caps kept coming off & the tooth finally split in two. I always had pain in that tooth. If root canals are only going to last for less than 5 years to 10 years then why bother with them, is my question? Especially if you still feel pain. Obviously it is an internal condition that affects the tooth & it's area. I have read many things about it & most alternative things I have tried have helped but tooth removal is the key if you want the pain to completely subside. Some teeth can be helped. Cavities, chipped teeth, etc. But when a problem is internal, I don't believe so. In fact, I think by Dentists drilling & scraping it just causes more bacteria & infection to spread.

Opens the area up so to speak & causes a whole new host of problems.:(

You can try taking garlic oil pills & rinsing with peroxide & water. Once a month vinegar & water rinses to clear the tarter build up away.:)

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

[without.a.face]

Frazzedmom,

I asked my dentist to Xray the area to see if it was ok and he said it was. The endodontist he sent me to said that my canals were tiny. My opinion is that they probably didn't clean them out well enough but hey, I'm not a dentist so they generally don't care what I think. I think the Root Canal definitely failed but everyone tells me I'm crazy and that I'd be in much more pain if it had.

Today, my gum line is red and dark. Not normal at all. Brushing the area makes the gums bleed and I still feel that inflamed pain.

My doctor did not offer to send me to an endotontist for their opinion. I would like to see one so I will see if I can get an appointment. And yes there was indeed a post placed in there as well as the crown.

Now I'm terrified because of what you wrote!!! How can you tell if the post has been placed improperly?? Will an xray detect that??

[frazzedmom]

It depends on the angle of the x-ray--but yes, if the DDS suspects it has perforated the root, he'll have the ass't. snap 2 different angles just to make sure.

So it was an endodontist that did the original procedure, eh? That's good! And yes--some canals can calcify to the point of being very tiny & restricted. Am assuming though that it was your general DDS who placed the post & did the crown, correct? Hmm....and when you say that the canals were tiny...and a post placed...makes me wonder if in fact the post just put too much pressure on the root structure. You do have regular cleanings/exams, right? Not a perio patient either? (just want to cover all bases!) If hygiene is poor, then that may be a huge factor in the problem.

I guess I'd go see the specialist & see what he/she thinks, and >please< don't worry!! (I know, easy for me to say, huh) Please keep us posted ok??

[without.a.face]

Frazzedmom,

I will have them take a few x-rays then to make sure and yes, it was an endodontist who did the root canal. My dentist sends all his root canal patients to an endodontist. But yes, my regular dentist put in the post and crown.

I am hoping there isn't too much pressure on the root structure, as you say. It sure feels like there is, though. I feel the pain deep in my jaw bone. Some days it's fine, others, it's terrible. If I lean my face in my hand at work, like you know that relaxed pose where you have your arm up on a desk and lean the side of your face/jaw into your hand.. if I do that at work, I get a really bad headache and my jaw hurts which leads me to believe that something is pushing down into bone somewhere... and is causing all the pain.

I see my dentist regularly.. especially since the root canal. I've been in and out of there complaining about pain. Nope, not a perio patient. Brush regularly. It's hard to floss between the tooth with the crown and the ones next to it, but I manage as best as I can.

If hypothetically I didn't brush or floss at all, would that cause severe pain? That's not the case, but I'm wondering how much hygiene has to do with it.

[frazzedmom]

Poor hygiene will lead to tissue infections, bleeding when flossing, bone loss, etc--the list goes on & on. So yes, improper hyg. can cause pain! Perio patients can attest to ongoing, constant, nagging aches = )

*If* the root is fractured, that is a constant 'wicking' of infection & bacteria traveling along the length of the fracture, causing inflammation--so I can understand why it's uncomfortable to floss there. Try some warm salt water rinses, mix a bit of peroxide in as well, that'll help bubble out any debris that my be stuck & adding to the tenderness. That may help with the discomfort some (jeez...yes--we were taught to use the term "discomfort"...but you know, when I've had toothaches, it's called "DA*N PAIN"!!)

[glennaday]

Thank you for your response, Faithfulwings. Today, my throat continues to hurt and my upper (rc) and lower (non-rc =/) molars are both throbbing. They feel very much like they want to explode or pop, if that makes sense. The throat and teeth and tender gland in my neck all feel related. The Strep test came back negative, and I'm running a lowgrade fever and feel tired, grumpy and upset.

The endodontist did not sound encouraging about a positive outcome to an apioectomy, saying that I probably have a "fractured root" and that waiting to put on the crown compromised the tooth. I didn't do the crown because the tooth hurt from day one after the root canal!

So, should I opt to have it pulled? Who does that, the dentist or endodontist? Once I have it pulled is there a good chance that the pain will disappear? How common is a "dry socket"? If my immune system can not handle a root canal, how will it handle an implant? (just thinking ahead on this last one 😉