“I underwent a root canal treatment and it is in pain again. What could be the reason?”
I underwent a root canal treatment 2 months back however I am suffering from pain in the same tooth. What could be the reason for this pain?
31 Answers
DentistRootCanal
It could be cracked or reinfected
Could be that the tooth is cracked or sometimes the tooth can have some difficult anatomy that may not have been able to be visualized. I would go back to your dentist who did the root canal or see a Root Canal Specialist. A CT scan can be taken to see if there is some extra root tissue that may need treatment. These are three dimensional x rays that aid in finding pesky hidden canals. But I would go back to the dentist who performed it initially, Good luck!
No treatment is guarantee in dental treatment. Root canal treatment can last more then 20years in some cases, or in other cases, treatment can only last short as weeks or only days. Infection can caused by accessory nerve or when nerve was not totally removed. You would need to follow up with your dentist or endodontist for evaluation.
Inderpreet Brar
Dentist
Hi there, moderate pain for a few days and slight discomfort for a few weeks is common after root canal treatment as thin ligament around the tooth gets irritated. But if it is more than that, then there might be a problem associated. Either still infection under the root or the root canal might be deficient in some respect. Hope this helps.
Go back to the dentist and let them evaluate it.
If all of the bacteria and necrotic debris what not completely removed or the canals not filled properly the root canal can fail, and will have to be redone. The upper first molar commonly has a fourth canal that can be missed a lot. If that is the case that canal has to be treated for the pain to go away. The tooth many times is weaker because of previous filling done and the root canal and would need a crown. If this is the case and the crown is not done the tooth can crack and fracture. This can cause pain. If the fracture is minor it can still be fixed, but if it is sever it can cause the lose of the tooth
I would recommend that you contact the doctor that completed the RCT on this tooth and let them know that you are still having discomfort. There are many potential causes that would need to ruled out with x-rays and examination.
Could be a couple reasons. The only way I can tell is for me to examine the tooth along with an X-ray. Hope this helps.
The most common reasons are:
1. Existing crack or fracture in tooth, especially if it's a vertical one
2. Missed canal
3. Recurring, persistent infection
4. Incomplete root canal filling
Best thing to do is see your dentist or endodontist about this.
Regards
Dr Fernando
1. Existing crack or fracture in tooth, especially if it's a vertical one
2. Missed canal
3. Recurring, persistent infection
4. Incomplete root canal filling
Best thing to do is see your dentist or endodontist about this.
Regards
Dr Fernando
There are several possibilities. I don’t have enough information to give you a specific answer so I can only answer in generalities.
Some teeth following a root canal can have lingering pain anywhere from a few days to 6-8 months following the procedure. This can be part of the healing process and often resolves by itself.
Other reasons can include infected nerve tissue inside the tooth that was not removed. Either it couldn’t be removed (may depend on the tooth and the anatomy of the tooth) or the diseased tissue was just missed. There are few teeth that this is more likely to happen to so again, I can’t really comment specifically in your case.
More reasons: the tooth may have fractured. The great majority of teeth that have had a root canal procedure, need to have a cap (crown) placed because these teeth become dried out and brittle. As such, they are susceptible to breaking which can lead to pain. As part of that, your bite needs to be adjusted properly so that you are not chewing too hard on the tooth.
And finally, in a very small percentage of patients, the procedure does not solve the initial problem. No dental or medical procedure works 100% of the time for 100% of the people.
If you have not already had the dentist who did the procedure reevaluate the tooth, I would suggest you do so.
Hope this helps. Keep smiling,
David M. Kaffey, DDS
Some teeth following a root canal can have lingering pain anywhere from a few days to 6-8 months following the procedure. This can be part of the healing process and often resolves by itself.
Other reasons can include infected nerve tissue inside the tooth that was not removed. Either it couldn’t be removed (may depend on the tooth and the anatomy of the tooth) or the diseased tissue was just missed. There are few teeth that this is more likely to happen to so again, I can’t really comment specifically in your case.
More reasons: the tooth may have fractured. The great majority of teeth that have had a root canal procedure, need to have a cap (crown) placed because these teeth become dried out and brittle. As such, they are susceptible to breaking which can lead to pain. As part of that, your bite needs to be adjusted properly so that you are not chewing too hard on the tooth.
And finally, in a very small percentage of patients, the procedure does not solve the initial problem. No dental or medical procedure works 100% of the time for 100% of the people.
If you have not already had the dentist who did the procedure reevaluate the tooth, I would suggest you do so.
Hope this helps. Keep smiling,
David M. Kaffey, DDS
If the root canal was done right, then it could be high filling, that is if it hurts on biting or chewing and it is sensitive to hot and cold.
In order to answer your question, an X-ray must be taken to examine the tooth and the symptoms you r having.
Teeth can be sensitive for up to about a year after a root canal treatment. It could be the ligament holding the tooth into the bone is inflamed. It could be your bite is off a little. Check with whoever did the root canal.
This could be a lack of healing. I would recommend you get back in to have an x-ray done to see how the area is healing.
There could be another nerve that was missed or a fracture of the root. I recommend that you contact the dentist who performed the procedure for you for a follow up.
I would call the treating dentist and tell him your issues. There could be additional treatment needed or in the case of some teeth, more time is needed for it to calm down. Follow-up.
The root canal fill could be inadequate....there could be a crack in the root..the restoration on the tooth could be 'High'...you should go back to the Dr who treated you.
There are several possible reasons for your pain. Reason one would be if the root canal was completed and definitive treatment was not completed by a dentist. This can lead to reinfection of the area or root fracture which may both cause pain. Reason two would be if the tooth has a lateral canal that was missed and not filled. This could cause pain as well. If it was completed and the crown and/or buildup placed has the wrong occlusion this can lead to inflammation of the ligament holding the tooth into the
socket. This can lead to pain as well. Referred pain from a different tooth is another option which can cause pain.
socket. This can lead to pain as well. Referred pain from a different tooth is another option which can cause pain.
Alvin H. Arzt
Dentist
Possible causes for continuing pain: If a multiple rooted tooth, one or more of the canals was not treated completely or only partially treated.
On a treated canal, it may have over treated into the periapical space (area beyond the tooth tip.)
Tooth maybe cracked or fractured. Go back to your dentist.
On a treated canal, it may have over treated into the periapical space (area beyond the tooth tip.)
Tooth maybe cracked or fractured. Go back to your dentist.
The x-ray needs to be taken to evaluate the problem. There might be several reasons that needs to be excluded.
It has been my experience that root canal treated teeth can still be painful after treatment mainly due to excessive grinding. The periodontal ligament is what is causing your pain. Sometimes after a root canal, the inflamed ligament can actually cause the tooth to extrude out of the socket a bit causing grinding and pain. If it is a molar, try to get full crown coverage on the tooth and make sure you are not biting prematurely.
Root canal treatment while statistically, are approximately 95% successful, can still have reasons for failure. Because of the micro anatomy and diversity of the tooth structure, as well as bacterial infections, cracked teeth and other possibilities, some teeth do not respond as hoped. While retreatment, surgery or removal and replacement of the tooth may be required. It is best to have the tooth reevaluated by a competent and able dentist or Endodontic specialist to provide you with a sound clinical diagnosis and prognosis for the tooth.
Maxim Bondarenko
Dentist
It could be a number of reasons such as incomplete removal of nerves or residual infection or simply the tooth may have cracked vertically and usually no treatment helps that situation other then extraction
Were you given any antibiotics and did you finish all of them? I would go back to the dentist who did the root canal and have them take a look, it is difficult to give a reason without clinically evaluating the tooth.
The root canal treatment may require to be redone, as it appears that infection persists.
Go back to your dentist. There can be multiple reasons for this.
This can result from a missed canal that remains I filled or there may be another nearby tooth that is infected as well.
Other common reasons are small fractures in the root
Other common reasons are small fractures in the root
There should be less pain from the tooth two months out as you described. It's possible some of the nerve remnants may be left inside the root canal and still be sensitive or the tooth maybe in what's known as hyperocclusion and need adjustment from the opposing tooth in order to decrease the pain you describe. In either case your dentist needs to determine which is contributing to your discomfort. It's also possible the root itself maybe fractured which would not show up on traditional xray and require further treatment.
Not all root canals successful. If everything goes 100% right during the procedure, roughly 96% will succeed. (Which means 4% will fail). Possible causes for continued pain after a root canal include: a possible extra canal That was missed during the treatment or the treatment not being completed to the end of the tooth, a root fracture, or possibly the pain could be coming from another tooth.
There could be several reasons. Without seeing a radiography (X-ray), it's difficult to say. Contact your general dentist, or the specialist who performed the treatment.
I would recommend you see your dentist or whatever dentist performed the root canal therapy. They can fail even when well done due to a crack in the tooth.
