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

[cold_play_fan_numberone]

morekare--

while I know it might seem like this pt. has a case for litigation(?????) the FACT IS that when teeth are extracted bone gets chipped...and sometimes works it way out---TEETH SIT IN BONE---so its within the normal realm of dentistry for bone chips to occur--

besides------- the above patient?? had RCT not an extraction.

[hazmat319]

What kind of Rx's can affect dental health? I'm on some chronic meds and wondering if it could be doing something to my teeth.
Thanks!

[cold_play_fan_numberone]

hazmat:

all kind of rx can affect dental health.

but always the most important thing to realize is that dental disease is a bacterial infection.....whether its poor teeth or poor gum health.

the only way to combat that is to brush + floss CORRECTLY
and see your dentist ( hygienist) for very regular ( 3 to 4 times a year) cleanings....

that gets rid of the harmful bacteria that lives in your mouth.

[hazmat319]

Do you have an opinion as to which technique cleans better by the hygienist . Normal hand tools or that ultra sonic device (can't remember the name). Do you think it makes a difference.

[cold_play_fan_numberone]

very good question:

BOTH: a combination of both works best: ultrasonic first or second its doesn't really matter....
then handscale........

the ultra sonic machine works the best followed by handscaling......or vice versa....but both used in
COMBINATION......work the best.....

[hazmat319]

are you talking in the same visit? Or handscaling then 3 months later ultra sonic? It seems dentists do either or. The last dentist I went to only used the ultra sonic but he was a crook (commited insurance fraud) charging insurance one amount and me another amount.

So the new dentist I'm going to only does handscaling. I don't really want to go to two dentists....hmmmmm

[cold_play_fan_numberone]

I almost always do both

I tell my patients the ultrasonic does in 10 minutes what it would take me 1 hour to do by hand but.......

you must follow up with hand scaling as the ultrasonic is used for large deposits on your teeth; hand scaling removes the smaller ones....

[incognitofemme]

I don't have any advice but to tell you sorry about your situation, I know how horrific physically and emotionally it can be to have a health problem. I had 3 root canals done a couple years ago (that's what I get for neglecting my teeth!) and it went perfectly, but it took several hours and visits for the procedure and the follow ups (caps/crowns), let alone if anything went wrong after which thankfully it didn't.

Good luck.

[vaancee]

Hello all. I found this thread on Google. The tooth I am in concern about is tooth #25 (a front tooth). A little history on this - I had a little accident 15 years ago and broke off about 1/4th of the tooth. I had a root canal performed and did not put on a crown. It was fine for about 11 or 12 years until I noticed the filling started to wear off. Even then, the tooth had no pain and was not bothering me. When I consulted a dentist to redo a filling on top, I was recommended to place a crown. Okay now that's done and dealt with, I still had no problems at all with this tooth. 3 years later, I went to 1 dentist which told me I had an absess and that my root canal needs to be retreated. Several months later, I went for a second opinion and she agreed with a retreatment and that the crown I have was defective. Still then, nothing was bothering me other than the rant about long term effects (losing teeth around it).

2 months ago, I started to retreat this root canal. There still was no pain. But 2 days ago, I went in for the final treatment but just 1 day after this, I started to have a pain that radiates to the surrounding teeth; the teeth around it all feel very tender and weak. I contacted the Edodontist and she prescribed me some vicodine and antibiotics.

I am worried that I might lose this tooth. It was not bothering me anymore after the first root canal. But after the retreatment, I started having these pains. Can anyone experienced with these situations tell me is it normal to have pains after a retreatment of a tooth that was not even bothering me? I really would not like to extract the tooth since it is a front tooth. Any comments would be great.

[frazzedmom]

Hey Vaan--Happy New Year = ) (forgive me...have been hittin' the vino after all these rellies are gone--LOL! But...the dental ass't in me is ready to roll & help you out! Retired after 20 yrs, but still knowledgable...I think!)

1st of all, what was your 1st DDS's reasoning for not following up w/ a crown? Esp. when that much tooth structure was gone? Composite flg's (like what you had placed) are not meant to be long-term, and yes--will break down & leak after a few yrs. No, you wouldn't have had any pain, since the nerve was gone. The 2nd DDS you saw was right on the money in doing a full crown.

You *can* have problems with accessory canals (extra teeny nerves, not visible to the naked eye) that cannot be properly filled...& that will lead to retreats on the RCT (root canal treatment) In 20 yrs of assisting, I have only seen 1 case of a guy who let 1 bad abscess, travel on & affect the neighboring 4 anterior (front) teeth...he ended up needing RCTs on FIVE teeth due to his negligence on the 1, & the infection spreading 😞 He was a die-hard farmer who just couldn't take the time away from his work to treat the 1 tooth....so in turn it was 5 teeth that needed work (and money!!)

Anytime you have anything done in your mouth, your teeth can ache & act up...this doesn't mean anything bad...just means the nerves around the tooth were stressed, and are letting you know = ) Keep up w/ the antibiotics--DO NOT END EARLY--and take your pain meds as needed. This tooth is used to laying low...all of a sudden it has more pressure & attention due to the retreat...it is gonna let you know it is mad = ) The antibiotics & pain meds will help. If you cont. w/ inflammation--call your DDS, and perhaps they could prescibe a short-term steroid pack. (my brain escapes me now, but it is a 6 day supply...the 1st day you take all the pills, and each day you taper off by 1. I think it's a Z-pack... It made a world of difference for all my RCTs & retreats--(no, dental professionals are NOT immune to tooth problems = ) The only 'downfall' is that this Rx gives you some increased energy. You may find yourself dusting your house at 2am. Eeewww!

I know my DH has one of these steroid packs in his truck--I'll run out later & double ck the name & dose. I know it's 4mg......am pretty sure z-pack....jeez, I used to call these into the pharmacy...you'd think I'd remember. Wine is a funny thing = ) But we NEED this medicine after relatives--ha!

[vaancee]

Thank you for your response Frazzed. I do not know why I never put a crown on the tooth after the first RCT. Since I was only about 11 or 12 years old then, I remember something about the DDS saying something like "let him get older first." And from what I've been reading, it appears that putting a crown on front tooths are optional whereas it is highly recommended for molars. But the DDS's have come to the conclusion that the crown as defective and caused a leak which infected the canal.

I really am hoping this pain will go away since I start my new job tomorrow, and I also have an appointment to place a new crown onto the tooth. But I guess I am just very disappointed how a tooth that never bothered me became so troublesome after I had it taken care of as a preventative measure.

Tylenol seems to be working well but the Endodontist had prescribed me some Vicodin as well. But the recommended dose of the Vicodin is only 1 pill, so I take 1-500mg pill of Tylenol as well. I am not convinced this pain will go away though and am actually lost faith in this Endodontist and my tooth. The pain is just getting stronger and stronger. (Someone please put a bullet in my head)

[bayjumper]

I had a root canal in a back tooth 6 years ago and there was always a dull pain after the procedure.
Now I am having periodontal work done on my whole mouth.
The periodontist I am going to said that there was a fine crack in this tooth, which led to bacteria traveling up the tooth and infecting the jaw bone and surrounding tissue around this tooth.
This periodontist also mentioned that sometimes when a root canal is performed, since rods are placed in the area where the nerves in the tooth are removed, that this placing of the rods can cause the tooth to crack and allow for the bacteria to infected the area around the tooth and cause pain.
In my situation, the back tooth had three roots and the crack was in the smaller of the roots so the surgeon was able to clip the root to end the bacteria problem.
There is no pain in this tooth now.

[frazzedmom]

Ok Vaancee--now that I know you were only 11-12 when the root canal was done, it makes more sense. Your perm. teeth haven't fully erupted yet, so if the DDS at that time, were to do a crown, the margins would be short as you aged, and your tooth erupted more = ) So all is good there! I would say that crowns are needed 99% of the time following endo---imagine the lead inside a pencil...you remove that, and the outer frame of the pencil is weaker. same with the nerve in a tooth. Plus, the nerve has the blood supply to keep the tooth hydrated.

And as for the bullet in the head--I know. I've been there myself. I went to work with my 'perfect-teeth' hygienists & other asst's, and they thought I was just being a wimp...I was in tears during procedures and labwork. Needless to say my boss sent me home, fully understanding how painful toothaches can be. I slept (tried to!!!) sitting upright on my couch that night, chugging my vicoprofen. Nothing helped.

Y'know....it might be a good idea when you have this new crown placed, to ask that they use temporary cement until your symptoms calm down. Just to be on the safe side 😛 They won't think anything of it--just ask. It's WAY easier to treat a tooth with a crown that can be taken off, rather than sectioned off!

[vaancee]

Frazzed, today I have just went into the Endodontist as an emergency visit. I spoke with her over the weekend over the phone and knew that this pain was unbearable. As soon as I got in, she gave me a shot, and started to cut open my gums! I had no clue that she was going to do such a thing and it doesn't seem as if it helped. Now I have an open wound to worry about. Her intention of cutting my gum open was to release pressure, puss, and inflammatory blood. Since the last message, the pain has actually migrated onto the top tooths as well! When I told the Endodontist that, I was just laughed at and was told that that is not related. I do not recommend this Endodontist for anyone.

[vaancee]

As a second thought, (sorry for the double post; couldn't figure out how to edit my post) it may not have helped the pain itself. But it seems to have gave pain killers it's effect back. Maybe the inflammatory blood was immune to the pain killers I was taking.

Also, the Endodontist did not stitch the cut back up because she had told me that she wants blood/puss to flow out on its own. But it took me a while to stop the excessive bleeding on it! There was no puss, only blood - lots of it.