Root canal pain not going away.

[zeezee22]

Hi

I am 7 weeks post root canal on my front tooth. Each day is a struggle with the grinding pain. Most of the time it is about 3 or 4, not really bad but constantly there. I went back to the endodontist after 10 days and he looked at it and said it was healing and could take a few weeks, but I cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. It makes me snappy, withdrawn and not wanting to talk as it hurts all the time. I have had a course of antibiotics with no results. I am just wondering if this is going to get any better, but take longer, or whether I should just have the tooth out now. It is my front tooth, though, which brings its own problems in what to do to replace it. The treatment has already cost me around £800, with x rays, CT scan, root canal and medication.

Anyone out there that can offer me a crumb of hope that this will eventually settle??

[grace111]

did you get the anti biotics before the tooth was taken out. or after it was taken out. because if it was after it was taken out then there must be something up with it as they would not have given anti biotics for no reason. even if you got the anti biotics before the tooth was taken out the infection you had was not fully cleared up and if it was not fully cleared up then that could be the trouble. get a second opinion from a dentist. its a pity that you have to pay so much money but as you say its a front tooth therefore it affects your appearance. after 7 weeks it should not be hurting like this. there is something wrong. although it does take time for root canal treatment to settle and the older that you are the longer it will take. wishing you well. sorry i cant help more. love grace xoxo

[zeezee22 in reply to grace111]

Thanks grace111 for the reply, I really appreciate you taking the time to reply. I had antibiotics before the root canal and a course of antibiotics after the root canal about 2 weeks ago. Neither has made much difference. I still have the tooth, so not had it taken out yet and will have to think carefully before doing that, as it is my front tooth. I am pretty fed up at the moment with all this pain. I agree there is something not right. I am 56 so I suppose it takes time to recover, but I would have thought it would be getting better now. My normal dentist cannot see any infection, my specialist dentist that did the root canal, is due to review it in a couple of weeks, so will have to see what he says. Until then I will see how it goes and if it gets worse will ring for appointment.

[grace111 in reply to zeezee22]

yes im 65 but had two root canals done some years ago. i was probably about your age and one of them took forever to get better but it was jaw pain nothing like tooth ache i also got a back tooth taken out a few years ago and that took months to recover from the pain, the dentist was really great he did not just pull out my tooth in one go he loosened it bit by bit each time giving me a few minutes rest. ibuprofen is good for this kind of pain its come under the drug name of NSAI drugs. another name for it is nuerofen. i found those to be good. i do hope that you recover from this and your going to see the specialist who did this, as you say its a good idea to wait and see what he says. or ring for appointment. get well soon. love grace.xoxox

[Cubiczee1252]

I experienced a very similar thing following a root canal with crown. Went back to dentist and got the same advice- give it time. It took many weeks but it did finally settle down. Best wishes!

[zeezee22 in reply to Cubiczee1252]

So grateful for your response. I have since met others that said their root canal took many weeks and even 6 months to settle. At least I know that this might have some hope now. I know that there are no guarantees, but I am prepared to give it more time now to see if it settles. One person said the older you get the more it takes time to settle as healing takes long. Thanks again - this bit of support has made all the difference.

[Cubiczee1252 in reply to zeezee22]

If I remember right it took about 3-4 months and lots of acetaminophen and then one day I noticed it was better. Mine was a back molar, I imagine a front tooth would be very annoying! Stay positive and keep telling yourself " it WILL get better"!

[zeezee22 in reply to Cubiczee1252]

Thank you so much for your reply. It seems at 7 weeks, I could still be in for a few more weeks of irritating pain till it settles. I think the pain is coming from around the tooth, as if it has been badly bruised. It is not throbbing, just annoying and as it is the front tooth, it can be a bit sore. The way I describe it is very sore. But thanks again, it is reassuring that others have had discomfort for several weeks before it settles. Who knows I may be lucky and just like you wake up one morning and it feels better.

[rebecca0706]

How is your tooth now? I am going through almost identical symptoms now. I had a root canal 5 weeks ago and there seems no end in sight to the pain at the moment. My dentist said to give it more time. I've had a course of antibiotics which didn't make a notable difference