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Is jaw pain a week after RCT normal?

  • Thread starter Thread starter ReginaPhalange
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ReginaPhalange

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Tomorrow it will be one week since I had root canal treatment on a lower left molar. It went well as far as I know. Much less scary than I thought.

The dentist said it was quite inflamed and the nerve was bleeding, but there was no infection. It has a temporary filling now and I'm going on Friday for a crown, so I've tried to avoid eating on that side.

I have a couple of questions though:

1. Is it normal for my jaw to still be sore on that side? It's not constant, just when I try to open my mouth quite wide. I'm a bit concerned that on Friday it will be too sore for me to open wide enough for the remainder of the treatment.

2. Is it worth taking Ibuprofen? Would it help it to heal faster or just mask the pain? I took some at the start but stopped because I wasn't in pain generally. I don't want to be taking pills all day if it's not really going to make a difference, but maybe I should have continued. Should I "exercise" it or anything? Or is it best to rest it?

3. Will it be OK to eat as normal soon after getting the crown? I've to get RCT on two more teeth on the other side. I don't know when that will be yet, but I'd like to think I'll be able to chew on the left side while the right side is recovering, but I don't want to risk anything, so if I have to stick to soup I will.

Thank you in advance and thanks for volunteering your time to help people like me!
 
Yes, It is very normal to have a sword job for a while after a lower route canal. When the endodontist is working on that tooth they are putting a lot of pressure on that jar which can irritate the muscles and tendons. I would take add Bil it is very normal to have a sore jaw for a while after a lower route canal. When the endodontist is working on that tooth they are putting a lot of pressure on that jar which can irritate the muscles and tendons. I would take ibuprofin, as in, to my knowledge, will not impede healing, and will relieve some of the pain.
After the crown is placed, you should be able to eat normally, but I would start with soft foods and move to regular foods.
 
My jaw was really sore after root canal on my upper second molar. The treatment was 2 x appointments at 1h 45 minutes, so a lot of open mouth - I expect you were similar time, so I think it is to be expected! I actually didn’t take ibuprofen because I worried it would hide any issues with the tooth, but the dentist told me to expect it to be sore and that I should.

I didn’t get the crown for about six weeks - in the U.K. there’s usually a lag, more x-rays to make sure all is well, then the crown - but I ate on it as normal once it was on. I had a temp crown while it was being made, and was gentle on that but did chew on it. You might be getting a same-day crown in which case there won’t be nearly as much faffing about!
 
Regina,

Glad to hear you are getting a crown on Friday :) I hope it goes very well for you , building some strong positive momentum. Sorry to hear your jaw is sore. As for crowns, Usually I eat prettty quick on those I might stick wtih soup or soft foods the first day and gradually get more daring with food by that tooth. Wishing you the best!
 
Hi Regina,
If you had a i d block injection (that's the one they put right at the back of your mouth which makes your front lip and tongue go numb), then the jaw can be sore on opening for a while because the muscles that open and close the jaw can occasionally be traumatised by the injection. Ibuprofen, if you are safe to take it, can help. It should resolve on its own. Rest the jaw by avoiding very chewy foods.

If the pain is located right under the tooth itself then that would be a different matter. Again, it is not uncommon and may well resolve.

Hope it all settles down soon

Lincoln
 
Thanks @Paige2018 and @Judythecat

I didn’t get the crown for about six weeks - in the U.K. there’s usually a lag, more x-rays to make sure all is well, then the crown - but I ate on it as normal once it was on. I had a temp crown while it was being made, and was gentle on that but did chew on it. You might be getting a same-day crown in which case there won’t be nearly as much faffing about!
I'm in Scotland, when I first got the NHS approval (11 weeks after that first appointment), I was told to make 2 appointments a week apart, and when I was there last week he said the second appointment (this Friday) was for the crown. I hope all is well and that having it so soon isn't a negative thing!

I'm now starting to realise all my treatment could take all year. I had been hoping to be done by summer but that might be wishful thinking, I'll probably need time between treatments so I can still use my mouth in the meantime. Oh well, what's another few months/years after 20 something??

Thanks @krlovesherkids777, the pain isn't really a big deal (I wish I could have told 20 year old me that I'd be saying that in the future!), I was more worried that it wasn't normal or that I won't be able to open wide enough on Friday, but that's still a few days away, I might take some ibuprofen just before I go if it's still annoying.
 
Hi Regina,
If you had a i d block injection (that's the one they put right at the back of your mouth which makes your front lip and tongue go numb) , then the jaw can be sore on opening for a while because the muscles that open and close the jaw can occasionally be traumatised by the injection. Ibuprofen, if you are safe to take it, can help. It should resolve on it's own. Rest the jaw by avoiding very chewy foods.
If the pain is located right under the tooth itself then that would be a different matter. Again, it is not uncommon and may well resolve.
Hope it all settles down soon

Lincoln
Thanks Lincoln.

I'm not sure what he put in exactly. He just said anaesthetic. I can't remember exactly where but it numbed the side of my tongue/mouth/face.

He did suggest ibuprofen, which I had bought in advance anyway, so I took a couple of them. I just didn't think so much about the jaw, I was looking out more for pain in or near the tooth, presuming it would just be a day or two, but it does make sense about the jaw and the injection. There's no pain at all near the tooth, I hope that's a sign it's gone well.

Thanks again, I'll be gentle with it.
 
Thanks @Paige2018 and @Judythecat


I'm in Scotland, when I first got the NHS approval (11 weeks after that first appointment), I was told to make 2 appointments a week apart, and when I was there last week he said the second appointment (this Friday) was for the crown. I hope all is well and that having it so soon isn't a negative thing!

I'm now starting to realise all my treatment could take all year. I had been hoping to be done by summer but that might be wishful thinking, I'll probably need time between treatments so I can still use my mouth in the meantime. Oh well, what's another few months/years after 20 something??

Thanks @krlovesherkids777, the pain isn't really a big deal (I wish I could have told 20 year old me that I'd be saying that in the future!), I was more worried that it wasn't normal or that I won't be able to open wide enough on Friday, but that's still a few days away, I might take some ibuprofen just before I go if it's still annoying.

Sorry, I assumed you were in the US, where I think fast or immediate crowns are the norm. I am also in Scotland, but have had root canals done in two appointments, then the crown later on once everything was completely settled. I guess each dentist is different though. Maybe mine is super-cautious! Is the crown being made at the dentist’s? From memory I had an appointment for crown prep and impressions, with a temporary crown when I left, then the permanent crown fitted a couple of weeks later. Some surgeries have machines that make crowns, but mine was made in a lab, so it took a bit longer. I think my last root canal appointment was in March, and it was May or even June before the final crown, so you are really lucky it’s happening so fast! Hope it all goes well. ?
 
Sorry, I assumed you were in the US, where I think fast or immediate crowns are the norm. I am also in Scotland, but have had root canals done in two appointments, then the crown later on once everything was completely settled. I guess each dentist is different though. Maybe mine is super-cautious! Is the crown being made at the dentist’s? From memory I had an appointment for crown prep and impressions, with a temporary crown when I left, then the permanent crown fitted a couple of weeks later. Some surgeries have machines that make crowns, but mine was made in a lab, so it took a bit longer. I think my last root canal appointment was in March, and it was May or even June before the final crown, so you are really lucky it’s happening so fast! Hope it all goes well. ?
I don't know if it's getting made there. Maybe I'm mistaken, I really got the impression this appointment was for the crown, but it's possible he was saying he'd finish the root canal then do the crown at a later date. As long as he knows what he's doing I'll leave it to him! I'll try and ask him more questions in future.
 
I don't know if it's getting made there. Maybe I'm mistaken, I really got the impression this appointment was for the crown, but it's possible he was saying he'd finish the root canal then do the crown at a later date. As long as he knows what he's doing I'll leave it to him! I'll try and ask him more questions in future.

I think that whizzy crown machine (it’s called something like Cerec) is mainly in private surgeries. Mine is a mix of NHS and private (I am NHS) and they don’t have it. I am sure you are in excellent hands - my anxiety is the worst when I start questioning myself about what the dentist told me, when really I trust her 100%. I need to repeat that like a mantra sometimes!
 
Other than affirming that yes, ibuprofen is amazing, I can't offer you any advice.

But I do wish you luck.

You are well on your way. In fact, you are further along than you realize. Keep us posted!
 
I was sore for about five days, each day incrementally better. My endodontist had recommended taking ibuprofen every 4-6 hours like clockwork the first two days, then to take as needed. I followed that advice (I even set my alarm for the middle of the night like he recommended) and felt really good. The third to seventh days I still took ibuprofen but only when I experienced soreness. My doctor also told me to call her if my jaw was sore after a week for one or two doses or Valium to be taken at night - in her experience that helped jaw pain significantly - but I didn’t need to ask her for it.

Also I was naturally kind of ginger on my root canal side in terms of food for about two weeks. I believe the dentist said avoid anything hard like nuts for three days.
 
Oh, and my experience was:
First visit - endo - 90% of root canal procedure; everything done but he put in medicated stuff
Second visit - endo - week and a half later - took out medicated stuff, did whatever else was needed; put in temporary stuff that felt like grout; said to avoid hard foods until crown was in
Third visit - dentist - week and a half later - crown put on, said to avoid nuts for three days, then go back to normal
 
Mine is a mix of NHS and private (I am NHS)
Same here. I do feel like I'm in good hands. I just don't have any experience to be able to know if something is wrong, I can only compare with other people. Trying not to do that too much and just trust the dentist who has so far made me feel perfectly at ease.

:thankyou: @Dg6300

@CourageAndBraveryASAP thanks, that's reassuring. I think I've just taken one ibuprofen today. It's not really in my head to do it because it's not sore most of the time. But if it speeds up the process it's worth remembering.
At my first visit, he said it's about 75% done. I thought that meant that basically the root canal was done and the remaining 25% would be the putting the crown on part of it. He did a temporary filling on that first visit that feels like cement, or grout. It was badly broken so it's nice to feel the tooth kind of smooth now.

I'll find out on Friday for sure what is happening and what will be next. My guess is a couple of appointments each for the other 2 root canals (I don't suppose they're likely to do 2 teeth in the one appointment? They're right next to each other. I really should write a list of questions to ask as soon as I arrive.) Then maybe it'll be the "few fillings", I don't think I even want to know how many, probably almost every tooth! Then the perio treatment/deep cleaning, probably multiple appointments for that. However, I truly feel like the worst is over (deciding to make the first appointment and going through with it), and that now I just have to schedule in "Dentist" as part of my regular routine, like my job or any other responsibilities. And then one day in the distant future I'll have the relief of being able to post in the Success Stories that I don't have to go back again until the 6 month check up... but that I'll have chosen to because then I'll be ready to work on the teeth looking as good as they feel! :rolleyes:

Sorry if that ramble doesn't belong in the Ask a Dentist section, I couldn't stop!
 
Could you ask for a written treatment plan, if you don’t already have one, Regina? That might help you know what’s coming. If I need anything done I get a printout which shows a diagram of each tooth on it, and any that need work are highlighted. Under that is printed the name of the tooth, what it needs done, how much it will cost, and the details of the appointment.

As an example, it might say “UR6, amalgam filling, ££, 9 April, 2.15” Something like a root canal would be 2 x treatment appointments, then 2 x crown appointments at my surgery.

I have to sign a copy that the dentist keeps, which basically says I agree to have the treatment done and to the price of it, and I get a copy to take away too. I have never asked for this, and have always been given one, so I assume it’s something they give to every patient as standard.
 
You are doing so great, @ReginaPhalange ! Can’t wait to read your success story or journal!
 
Could you ask for a written treatment plan, if you don’t already have one, Regina? That might help you know what’s coming. If I need anything done I get a printout which shows a diagram of each tooth on it, and any that need work are highlighted. Under that is printed the name of the tooth, what it needs done, how much it will cost, and the details of the appointment.

Yes, this is what should happen according to GDC guidance (Standards for the Dental Team):
  • 2.3.6 You must give patients a written treatment plan, or plans, before their treatment starts and you should retain a copy in their notes. You should also ask patients to sign the treatment plan.
 
I might do that @Judythecat . I signed something at the very first appointment, but I didn't get a copy and I can't remember what it was about. It was all a bit of a blur, being the first time inside a dentist's this century! I think it would have been to do with the NHS approval. A few days later I emailed to ask what the treatment was exactly and they replied with the general information, but we couldn't make any definite plans till the approval came through. When I called to make my first RCT appointment I paid a £30 deposit. The rest gets paid at the end of all the treatment.

I think I'll also ask if I can make the appointments in advance. I'm not going to be available for about a month in summer so I'd like as much as possible done before that. I don't know if that would be possible or if they would prefer to keep appointments open for their private patients. I have no basis to think that, I just imagine having to book as I go and waiting for ages!
 
Yes, this is what should happen according to GDC guidance (Standards for the Dental Team):
  • 2.3.6 You must give patients a written treatment plan, or plans, before their treatment starts and you should retain a copy in their notes. You should also ask patients to sign the treatment plan.
Maybe I should email reception and ask them if they have a treatment plan for me to sign, and whether I can make some of the appointments in advance. That would at least give them a couple of days to get back to me. It seems to be busy when I'm there, and waiting to ask the dentist himself will take up precious time that he might not have.:unsure:
 
I might do that @Judythecat . I signed something at the very first appointment, but I didn't get a copy and I can't remember what it was about. It was all a bit of a blur, being the first time inside a dentist's this century! I think it would have been to do with the NHS approval. A few days later I emailed to ask what the treatment was exactly and they replied with the general information, but we couldn't make any definite plans till the approval came through. When I called to make my first RCT appointment I paid a £30 deposit. The rest gets paid at the end of all the treatment.

I think I'll also ask if I can make the appointments in advance. I'm not going to be available for about a month in summer so I'd like as much as possible done before that. I don't know if that would be possible or if they would prefer to keep appointments open for their private patients. I have no basis to think that, I just imagine having to book as I go and waiting for ages!

I always book my next checkup or any treatment before I leave after having one, so I am sure they will be happy to do that for you. My dentist can actually do it on the computer in her room rather than me waiting at reception. I do the same at the hairdresser. That said, my partner moans that I am unable to be spontaneous - I like a plan!
 
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