“Is retreatment of the root canal painful?”

Any type of root canal treatment can cause discomfort after treatment. Your dentist will give you an analgesic and antibiotics after treatment.

40 yrs of practicing....generally tooth feels better immediately.

In some cases, after the first Root Canal Treatment (RCT), a second RCT may be necessary due to a lack of healing or the occurrence of a new infection. This second RCT is called retreatment. Since retreatment is performed on a tooth that has already been subject to RCT, no live nerve exists to cause pain. Furthermore, in all dental procedures that may cause pain, local anesthesia is administered to alleviate pain during the procedure, and prescribing antibiotics and pain medication is a common practice after many dental procedures. For these reasons, the patient should not be worried about experiencing pain during and after root canal retreatment.

Not usually. But as always discuss your concerns with your dentist prior to any procedure.

I’ve had many patients need retreatment of a root canal & I have never heard them complain about pain.

If you are anesthetized properly, the procedure should be painless. It is normal for the tooth to be sore for about a week after the retreatment.