Is Root Canal Treatment Painful? When To Seek Help
Dr. Kiran Kaur is a General Dentist in Pittsburgh, PA. She received her D.D.S. from the New York University , College of Dentistry in 2016.She is a member of the American Dental Association, Academy of General Dentist. Dr. Kaur spends hours improving her skills through continuing education. She is an active member of Spear... more
Is root canal treatment painful?
Most people associate having a root canal with pain and discomfort. While most people can expect some discomfort during and after the root canal procedure, having excessive pain is not normal. A successful root canal procedure can cause mild pain for a few days. Although this is temporary and should go away on its own as long as you practice good oral hygiene. You should see your dentist for a follow-up if the pain lasts longer than three days.
Pain management after root canal treatment
Before the root canal process begins, your dentist will apply a local anesthetic to minimize pain. You may feel pressure during the cleaning, but you shouldn’t experience pain during the actual procedure. When the local anesthetic wears off after the root canal, you might experience some mild pain and tooth sensitivity. This is due to the cleaning process. During the cleaning process, your dentist makes a small opening in the crown of the tooth and cleans out the diseased pulp inside the pulp chamber of the tooth. If there is any pain and/or sensitivity following a root canal, it should only last for a few days.
Since the pain experienced after a root canal is usually mild, you can use over-the-counter pain medications for relief. These include acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB). You should check with your doctor before taking these medications to make sure they don’t interact with any supplements or prescriptions you already take. You should also avoid chewing hard foods immediately following the root canal, as this can cause more pain and discomfort.
When to seek help?
The pain from a root canal procedure should decrease over time. If you still experience pain or swelling after a few days, then you should contact your dentist. Fortunately, most root canals are successful. However, some root canal treatments are unsuccessful, and a person can experience more pain over time. There are many reasons why this happens: the restoration begins to leak, poor oral or dental hygiene, the presence of an extra canal in the tooth that the dentist cannot see, an obstruction such as a curved root canal that prevents complete cleaning of the canal, or vertical cracks in the tooth.
If your pain increases over time following a root canal procedure, it may be an indication that your root canal is failing. You should see your dentist right away.
Kiranpreet Kaur, DDS
Kaur Dental of Fox Chapel
www.kaurdentalpgh.com
