Hey guys just had the first part of root canal therapy a week ago. Am going next week to finish the procedure(fill the tooth and prepare for a crown). I had a sizable infection around the root, so the dentist did the first part of the procedure, and prescribed me Penicillin V for the infection. The cavity that necessitated the root canal was quite deep and well into the nerve; far enough into the tooth that part of it had broken off(a small piece well above the gum line). AFAIK the dentist had to clean out quite a bit of the decayed tooth. The open root canal is currently filled with temporary filling putty. Number 19 molar by the way.
So my questions seem to be as such: Is it normal to be having pain a week after a root canal? Nothing particularly sharp or severe, but biting down on the tooth lightly generally causes a certain amount of internal pressure and aching. Are the nerve endings around my root bruised, or do you think I might need a retreatment and second course of antibiotics? I am also afraid the tooth might have cracked from the work considering how deeply decayed it was, but I'm told the pain from that would be more severe.
The aching isn't severe, maybe a constant 4 but calms down somewhat to a 1 or 2 at times. An 8 or 9 being the original pain from the decayed tooth and exposed nerve. The dentist prescribed me 15 Vicodin and I find taking half of one calms it down well enough to function normally(wish I had them earlier lol). The tooth itself doesn't seem overly sensitive to hot or cold which I'm told is good.
What I am being told by others though is that there should be no pain at all after a solid week. It seems mostly centralized in the jaw and gum more than the tooth so it might be the infection being stubborn.
i think you may just have answered yourself there.my guess is that the infection hasnt been eradicated.are you still on the antibiotic?the trick with antbiotics is to take them all and not to quit when you feel better.you probably know this already.your dentist will be your best source of info on this.
Yep I am definitely aware of how important it is to finish antibiotics. I just finished the course today.
I seems to calm right down sometimes like it's not even hurting right now but if I accidentally bite down or get something stuck around the tooth it will start getting irritated again. Have been brushing and flossing around the tooth very gently in an effort to keep it clean.
Guess I'm just trying to get some opinions as I won't be able to see the dentist until next Thursday. I'm probably just being paranoid but I want this to go well and avoid pulling the tooth.
Well there's not a whole lot to do about it until I go in for my next appointment. Have been told after that, hours should be a bit more open for this kind of thing, but currently he's booked up. The pain hasn't really been getting worse, per se, but it hasn't really gone away either.
