• Dental Phobia Support

    Welcome! This is an online support group for anyone who is has a severe fear of the dentist or dental treatment. Please note that this is NOT a general dental problems or health anxiety forum! You can find a list of them here.

    Register now to access all the features of the forum.

Tooth still sore even after root canal treatment

L

laceygirl78

Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2018
Messages
51
Location
British Columbia, Canada
So I apologize in advance, this will be a fairly long post. I am really hoping by sharing my whole story I might be able to get some good advice and relieve some of my anxiety.

First of all I am 39 years old, female. I have never really had any major problems with my teeth except for few large silver fillings on my two upper first molars (left and right side). I have had these fillings for about 30 years now. The whole experience of getting these fillings (when I was a kid) left me terrified of the dentist because I wasn't frozen properly but told to deal with it. Despite the bad experience, I have managed to get to the dentist for all of my regular checkups and have taken really good care of my teeth to avoid having to go through that again.

One day, about 4 months ago, I realized that it hurt to bite on my first upper molar (tooth with giant filling) when I bit on anything hard. At my next dentist appointment (new dentist because I had just recently moved), I was very surprised to find out that I had 5 cavities, albeit not huge ones, and a cracked molar (the one causing the pain). I had no cavities at my last appointment, so I couldn't understand. Anyhow, new dentist recommended a filling in the cracked tooth (cusp had fractured off) and then a crown. If I would have known what was going to happen afterwards, I would have ran out of that office and never went back!

So he did my fillings (including the cracked molar) and everything was great. The cracked tooth stopped hurting and I decided to go for the crown while I still had the coverage. I was absolutely terrified of the whole process but did a good job of dealing with my anxiety. Made it through the scary prep appointment, got my temporary crown placed and as soon as the numbing wore off, things took a turn for the worse.

My tooth started to hurt straight away. But nothing I had ever felt beforehand. It was dull ache, but not unbearable at this point. As soon as I tried eating I was in agony. I couldn't even chew cupcakes without pain. I knew something wasn't right so I went back to my dentist. He wasn't there but his mother (yes, his mother is a dentist too) was and she tried to take off the temp crown to have a look and holy hell did I scream! She immediately numbed me up and although it took 3 needles I was finally comfortable. She adjusted the bite, put it back on and told me to come back in 3 days to see my dentist. She said at this point he would decide if we were going to do a root canal (as it's best to do it before permanent crown placement).

By now I was is horrid pain. My tooth throbbed. I couldn't sleep, eat or think. I was constantly taking extra strength Advil and it was destroying my stomach. I finally got in to see him and he had me bite on a metal thing and asked me if it hurt, it did (especially when I released the bite!) He said it didn't need root canal. He said it was either a bad seal on the temp crown or there was another crack and once the perm crown was on, it would resolve itself. If not we could do the root canal through the crown.

A few days before I was scheduled to do the permanent crown, I started doing my own research (which I wish I had done so much sooner). I decided I wanted a second opinion. At this point, my insurance was maxed out so everything since has been cash out of pocket. I made my own appointment (no referral) behind my dentist's back with an endodontist that came highly recommended by my husband. Paid $100 for the consult. He xrayed my tooth and said that the filling was really close to the nerve and root canal was necessary as my tooth was "hot." WTH. My dentist said it was fine. I was so confused o_O

I went ahead and made the root canal appointment ($1400) and this brought on a whole new level of anxiety. I was such a mess and didn't know who to trust. My husband had to drag me there but I made it through and was really proud of myself! I was really hard to freeze but once I was numb, I didn't feel anything. It was weirdly cathartic to know that that horrible angry little tooth was being killed:giggle: The endo said that there was still a crack (right to the nerve area) but nothing too bad.

So after the root canal I had the expected level of soreness. However, the endo put my temp crown on wrong and I couldn't close my mouth without feeling like there was bead in between my teeth. I couldn't eat or close my mouth but my appointment for my perm crown was the next day so I dealt.

Then I got a phone call the next day saying my dentist was sick and couldn't do the crown. I was like "um no" I can't even close my mouth, I need to see someone. So his mother saved the day again. This time she took my temp right off and told me is was better to let the tooth breathe for few days. I thought this was weird because my little tooth is so fragile and already cracked, but didn't have much of a choice in the matter.

So I got home and looked at my little mini tooth and figured I would see if it was still sensitive. I took my nail and lightly tapped it and got that familiar "zing" of pain. My heart sunk. The throbbing was gone but obviously the original issue was not resolved. This was two days ago. I left a message with the endo's receptionist to call me back as i would like to discuss this with him before my permanent crown appointment, which is tomorrow.

I don't know what to think? I am so anxious and confused. I feel all alone on this. I am so scared I will have to have this tooth pulled after everything. I feel like I should have never listened to my dentist in the first place. What does it mean when your tooth is still sensitive to percussion after a root canal. Am I doomed?
Should I go for my permanent crown and see if it helps? I couldn't even tell you if it hurts to chew as I am not allowed to chew on that side.

Anyone?:cry:
 
Oh my goodness.

I’m sorry to hear you’ve been through so much.

Especially since you’ve been trying to do the right thing.

I don’t have any advice, but do send plenty of sympathy and encouragement.
 
Hi Laceygirl,

thank you for sharing your story here on the forum, I am really sorry to hear what you are going through right now - anxiety and confusion is bad enough even without being in pain at the same time. With pain it all sounds like a nightmare.

I do not have any medical advice for you (hope you soon get a reply from a dentist or someone who can help for this part), but would like to offer a bit of support and tell you that you are in a good company here on the forum.

You rself-discipline is astonishing since you have managed to attend regular check-ups and cope with treatment despite your traumatic experience as a child. I am very sorry for your recent experience with the dentists mother as she caused you pain trying to take off your temp crown and this must have had quite an impact on your anxiety level. How should you trust a dentist when she doesn't make sure you have no pain and this especially since having pain during the treatment was the cause of your anxiety.. this makes me speechless and would, for me, be a reason to run and never come back. Insecurity about if what the dentist suggests is the right thing to do would be an another reason to change the practice.

I totally get how scared and alone you feel. Wish you get the right answer from your endo very soon.

Hope your tooth will be saved and hopefully you will find a dentist you can trust an rely on. All the best wishes and let us know how you are doing.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for everyone for your kind words :)

I am so scared regarding my appointment today to have my permanent crown placed. There will be more drilling (temp filling has to come out) and lots of poking and prodding of my poor tooth! Not to mention the needles again. Every time I get injections I am left with swollen and sore gums. Probably because I have had about 15 injections in the same spots over the last month.

My main problem is that I don't trust my new dentist. I feel like he talked me into my crown and ruined my tooth. I should have just followed my gut instinct that told me to run that day! Uggghhh... If I would have listened to him, without getting a second opinion, I would currently have crowned a "hot tooth" and be in agony. How can I trust him? I am going to get second opinion from my endo this morning before going in. I will do what he says. I am basically going to tell him that despite all this treatment it still hurts to bite and to tap on my tooth! And ask if getting a permanent crown cemented will help or if its pointless.

Please if there are any dentists on here or someone with a similar experience, your advice would be greatly appreciated :)
 
My main problem is that I don't trust my new dentist. I feel like he talked me into my crown and ruined my tooth.

This is the point. Not trusting a dentist means more anxiety before an appointment and also more anxiety during it and a lot of doubts about the diagnose and the suggested treatment. It also means more physical discomfort during a treatment since you just cannot relax and let the dentist do his work. I am really sorry you are going through this and wished you could do the treatment with a dentist you feel comfortable with.

I should have just followed my gut instinct that told me to run that day! Uggghhh... If I would have listened to him, without getting a second opinion, I would currently have crowned a "hot tooth" and be in agony.

It is not easy to follow the gut instinct when it comes to dentistry. It's difficult to differentiate between fear and intuition when you are a nervous patient and feel something goes wrong. Also taking care of the own comfort and limits is not that easy. I fully understand that you relied on the dentist. On the other hand - you finally got a second opinion which is good.

Good luck for today, may your endo give you a good answer to your questions and may you get the right treatment and may it be comfortable and painless.

Keep us updated.
 
Ok so I just got back from my dentist appointment. Earlier this morning, my endodontist called me to touch base and after hearing my symptoms suggested having my dentist do some sensitivity testing to my tooth before permanently cementing the crown.

Well as soon as he tapped it with that metal thing I jumped. It hurt! He looked confused which was very unnerving for me (no pun intended lol). He thought about it and said since the whole tooth was sensitive he didn't think it was coming from the crack. He said we should leave it (no crown whatsoever-temp or perm) and reassess each week for two weeks to see if there is any improvement.He told me worse case, if the tooth doesn't settle, then extraction would be the only option. Wow. Not what I was hoping to hear at all.

So now I am left wondering what the heck happened... I went from a filling to an extraction in a month. I don't know who's opinion to trust and am already seeing images of the dentist coming at me with pliers :(

My endo will call me tomorrow and hopefully he will do some of his own testing to see what he thinks.

I am so lost and now wondering how I'm going to afford an implant after paying $1400 cash for a root canal. My dentist did say that if I don't get the crown, he won't charge me. So at least that helps.

Thanks for listening. I am hoping that someone, somewhere will benefit from me chronicling my experience as I know reading other's stories has helped me immensely. Number 1 lesson- TRUST YOUR GUT INSTINCT. Always get second opinion. No matter how much the extra consult costs, the long term cost could be much, much greater:cry:
 
I'm glad you posted an update.

You've shown considerable patience and grace with this situation.

I think, though I of course have no way of knowing, that this situation will start to get better.

Thanks for the excellent advice.
 
Re.: Tooth still sore even after root canal treatment

Please keep us posted! I hope the endodontist can help you! I’m facing a retreatment of a root canal that was done in September and never calmed down. Everything looks good on the X-rays and 3d scan. I’m so confused as the original root canal was done just so they could crown it without issue. I paid for that root canal, like you did, in cash and now will have to pay another 1400 in cash for a redo. I’m terrified it will just end up in an extraction and like you, wish I had never done anything in the first place!

I sure hope you find relief and become pain free soon! Not trusting your dentists is awful feeling - I know first hand! Take care!
 
laceygirl,

sorry for the outcome so far.. you for sure hoped to get some better news and I understand how upset you must be now, especially after having troubles and pain with that tooth quite a long time now.

It might be helpful to concentrate on curbing your worries as much as possible, since you have some waiting time ahead of you and cannot tell exactly, what the outcome will be. You shoudln't let the anxiety make you worry about things that are not clear yet.

First of all, it sounds like your current dentist had listened to you for the first time and did what you suggested, which is quite an improvement. You also have an endo that seems to care and be competent so maybe he has some more ideas.

If you and your dentist decided to let the tooth be and observe it for some more time then it implies that there is still a possibility for it to settle. I totally get how worried you are about the possible extraction, but it might be also helpful to acknowledge that there is no extraction at this point and that you do not know for sure if it will happen. I know that's quite vague and that insecurity can be worse than bad news that you know for sure, but from what you write these seem to be the facts. Don't let your anxiety come with the worst case too soon.

I have reread your post few times and it seems to me that the only real mistake / wrong judgment from your current dentist was, that he didn't recognize that the tooth needs a rct (I'am not a dentist, just trying to put the things from your post together) and wanted to crown it, which you were able to successfully avoid by getting a second opinion and having the rct done. If you got the second opinion earlier, you for sure would have saved money but we do not really know how the tooth would react. So do not feel having got the second opinion too late because in the end you do not know if it would have helped. The human body is not always predictable.
What I absolutely get is that you do not trust the dentist, which is absolutely valid. I hope you can find a new practice as soon as possible.. if I were you, if financially managable, I would even start to look right away to get even a third opinion and a place to trust.

My point is: trying to concentrate on the facts and trying to discern between what your fear is telling you and what is confirmed could at this stage help you to come through the waiting time. You can still worry about an extraction and an implant later.

I am wondering how you cope with the pain at the moment.. do you have pain constantly at the moment or do you got any medication?

Hope you get some better news and more hope from your endo.. sending prayers for your tooth to make itself comfortable and happy so that you two can stay together forever.:clover:

Keep us updated
 
Last edited:
Thanks everyone again for your kind words.

Spoke with the Endo's office this morning and he will see me next week (after my dentist). He said that the tooth was in a lot of pain before the root canal, so he wants to give it more time to see if it calms down.

I am cautiously optimistic, but beginning the scary process of inquiring about implants. I feel better and will be less devastated if I have a plan.

I am wondering, has anyone reading this ever been in a similar situation and had a positive outcome?

One more weird thing to mention: my teeth on both sides of the "angry" tooth (which I know fondly refer to as my "mini tooth") feel strangely loose. When I push them with my tongue, I can feel them move. Not a lot, but it's as if I put my finger into a sponge and it slowly pops back up, if that makes sense.

I will keep you all posted on my progress :)

Cheers!
 
Following up with my dentist on Monday and my endo on Tuesday. Tooth still feels tender and starting to lose hope? I don’t understand why teeth have to be so complicated.
 
Hello. I am sorry you are suffering.

You've done the right things: contacted professionals to set up times to meet with them and face this directly.

It is going to be okay. Just keep doing first right thing. Keep us posted.
 
So not really too sure where to go from here...

Endodontist did a CT scan of my tooth to see if there was anything wrong with the root canal that could be causing the tapping pain. He said it all looks great, but did mention that there was fluid in my sinuses. He thought perhaps it could be contributing to my pain. The weird thing is that I had a severe sinus headache a few hours after my root canal treatment that lasted all night. I wonder what's up with that? He have me a prescription for steroids to help calm all the inflammation as I seem to have a lot going on around the tooth. He said give it some time and come back and see him if it still hurts after about a month. He said I should have my dentist put a temporary crown back on my tooth and leave it for a while.

When I saw my dentist he tapped the tooth (it still hurt-but a little less) and said that I needed to put the permanent crown on next week. No temporary necessary. They can adjust my crown if my teeth move at all. I feel like he is pushing me to put the crown on because he wants to get paid (he said he wouldn't charge me if the crown didn't go on) and he's done with my tooth (I can tell by how I am treated when I walk in the door). He basically said put the crown on and deal with the pain (for 3 months-1 year-he figures) or pull the tooth.

I don't know what i should do here? Please help???:confused:
 
So I decided to get a second opinion from a different general dentist. I will probably end up switching practices at this point. I have now been without a temporary crown for 3 weeks and am still not ready for the permanent one. I will ask her to make me another temporary crown so I can leave the tooth for a few months before committing to the permanent one. I just wish my original dentist would listen to me instead of looking at me like his biggest problem :( I have no idea why he is refusing to make me another temporary and is insisting on me getting the permanent one against the advice of the endo. I just don’t trust him. After all if I would have listened to him originally, I would have placed a permanent crown on my very angry tooth and destroyed it getting the root canal I knew I needed and he denied. Thank goodness I did my own research and referred myself to an endo for a second opinion! My new appointment is on Monday. I’ll keep you all posted ;)
 
Hey laceygirl, thanks for posting an update. You decided to trust your gut instinct and not to let anyone push you into something you don't want - that's a right thing. Hope the other general dentist will listen to you and take your concerns seriously. Keeping my fingers crossed for you and the tooth.
 
Great news! I finally found a dentist who will help me.

She said she would never recommend putting a permanent crown on a tooth that is still symptomatic (root canal or not). She also said that one should run in the other direction if a dentist ever suggests to do so. I hope someone reading this will listen to this advice and it will help them.

Anyhow, it will end up costing me more money but I have decided to go ahead and have her make me a temp crown and do the permanent filling to replace the temp filling put in place after the root canal. We will give it a full month to see if it settles and then reassess after that.

The good news is that the tooth hurt much less when she tapped it and when I chewed on a cotton roll. Although, it did ache slightly afterwards.

We will not go ahead and send away for the permanent crown until we know for sure that the tooth feels good. This way no one is out any money if it doesn't work out.

I go get my temp crown on in 1 week. I will keep you all posted regarding my progress:)
 
This is lovely, laceygirl! :jump:

I know the journey is not over yet, but this sounds like a very different direction compared to your first posts here. So happy to hear that the tooth hurts less and, most importatntly, that you have a dentist you seem to trust finally and who suggests solutions you are happy with.

You, your dentist and that tooth: you are a strong team and you can make it ;) Keeping my fingers crossed for you. look forward the update. :)
 
I am reading your posts with interest and anticipation as we are in a similar situation. I completely agree with the latest advice you received - no dentist should every permanently crown a tooth that still has an issue.

I still have major pain in my retreated root canal tooth, done 3 weeks ago. My endo has now recommended I have a new temporary crown put on by my generalist dentist to see if it might be the temp itself causing the pain (or it's not sealed enough). As they said the RCT went well and on looking at new X-rays today there are no issues, it's a possibility I am praying for. Of course the worst thing is a tooth can fracture at any time and having repeat treatments on it makes it weaker, but I guess it's worth a try.

I too am paying for all of this out of my own pocket - my insurance policy ran out many appointments ago (and didn't even cover the cost of one full RCT!) and am finding this one of the most stressful experiences of my life due to my longheld phobia, but I have also surprised myself how strong I have been just getting in the chair time after time, let alone all the procedures.

Wishing you all good luck and please keep posting updates.
 
So just got back from my temp crown appointment and all went well. Filling was a breeze (zero pain) and new temp fits great. Freezing has mostly worn off now and my pain is barely there. This is great news as one of my biggest concerns was that the tooth would hurt more after they messed with it again. I guess I'm still paranoid after the whole ordeal. Sometimes I forget there is no nerve left in my tooth lol. Anyhow, the dentist told me to try out the temp for one month. If the pain doesn't keep improving I am to follow up with my endo. If it does, than I can make an appointment to get the permanent crown placed.

It was confirmed for me that my previous dentist did a horrible job prepping my tooth and my dentist will have to redo the prep if/when I get a new crown. Basically, the tooth was hacked. I am not even angry at this point, just very glad to finally be in the hands of capable professionals. Apparently not all dentists are created equal. Lesson learned!

I will keep updating every week with my progress as far as pain goes. I still haven't tried chewing on it so that should be interesting. I think I will wait few days though. I am honestly terrified. I really don't want there to be any pain because I really don't want to lose this tooth. Wish me luck :(
 
Please keep posting on your progress with this as I am just one step behind you!

I went to see a different endo today for a second opinion on my pain in root canalled tooth with temp crown. His was incredibly sympathetic to all the procedures I had endured. He examined me thoroughly and took another x-ray. He reassured me that there was no massive sign of infection that I was most concerned about. He said (in polite terms) that the first endo had done a pretty poor job with the temp crown and that he could see the cement line under the microscope and had no surprise that I had such a foul last in my mouth. He said it was poorly fitted an needed replacing asap. I am having a new temp crown fitted on Monday with my general dentist so fingers crossed.

With regard to the pain, the second endo said bear with it if possible and I should have been offered a CBCT scan by the first endo when the pain did not cease after RCT. He said he would not consider extraction without one when there was no obvious diagnosis. Unfortunately that means going back to the first endo as they are the only ones near me with one of those scanners.

I am really glad I got a another opinion and I think you are too. I think my fear really put me off going sooner so my advice to anyone reading this is, if you are not 100% happy with the way you are being treated, grit your teeth (no pun intended) and go elsewhere. You are not obliged to stick with one or another - you have the choice and you need to go where you feel you are getting the best care.

Good luck!
 
Back
Top