What To Do If Your Tooth Still Hurts After Root Canal Therapy
When you first visited a dentist in Flagstaff due to a tooth infection, you were probably ecstatic to hear that you didn’t need to get the tooth extracted. Instead, you were able to get root canal therapy to remove the infection and save your tooth. However, months have since passed, and you are still experiencing pain in your tooth, leaving you to wonder whether your treatment was successful at all.
While it isn’t abnormal to experience some pain after getting root canal treatment near you, persistent pain going on for months after a root canal is an indication that something is still wrong. In this blog post, our team at Flagstaff Smiles tells you what to do when you experience persistent pain after a root canal.
Why Does Pain Continue Months After a Root Canal?
As mentioned above, sensitivity around your tooth after getting a root canal is not abnormal. However, this sensitivity should not last beyond a week. If you are still feeling a significant amount of pain after getting root canal therapy in Flagstaff, the reason may include any of the following:
Infected Root Canal
Your tooth can become infected during the process of root canal therapy. While this procedure is meant to remove the infection, the bacteria from your mouth can occasionally find their way to the edges of the filling if there is a leak. Most dental professionals place a dental crown over the tooth after performing a root canal to prevent this from happening. Visiting a dental clinic near you will easily reveal if this is the issue, and your dentist can easily retreat the tooth to remove the lingering infection.
Missed Canal
Sometimes an obstruction or curved root canal can prevent your dentist from being able to thoroughly clean the canal. When this happens, the procedure will not have the desired effect because of some of the nerves that were left behind. To correct this, your dentist will have to identify and treat the missed canal.
Infection in the Bone
Sometimes, the cause of the pain can be due to the presence of bacteria in the bone around the tooth root, leading to a secondary infection and causing pain. This can be corrected by your dentist removing the tooth nerve that is the source of the infection. You may also need to undergo a round of antibiotics to clear your body of the infection.
Cement or Air Forced Through the Root Tip
Sometimes, dental cement can overflow during a filling and cause you some pain. This is more likely to concur if the tooth infection had not spread to the tip of the root before you had the root canal. Although this is rare, it is also possible that the source of your pain is caused by a small bubble of air pushed out of your root tip.
Visit Flagstaff Smiles
If you have been experiencing tooth pain for several months after undergoing root canal therapy, then please do not hesitate to visit our dedicated team of dental professionals at Flagstaff Smiles. We can inspect your tooth to find the source of your pain and get you the treatment you need to alleviate it. Please contact us to book your appointment today.