Pain after root canal after 5.5 days normal?

[aaronpdx]

It's been about five and a half days since I had a root canal on a lower right molar tooth. The first few days I took ibuprofen and acetaminophen regularly and avoided chewing on that side.

Today I thought I was good to go. I took almost no ibuprofen. And I chewed on the right side, including some crunchy food.

This evening I got a couple of intense, achy pains from the lower right.

Is this anything I should be worried about? Or should I just resume the pain meds and avoid chewing on that side?

Unfortunately my dentist office doesn't open until tomorrow morning. Any responses appreciated! Thank you.

 

[Mugz]

Hi Aaron,
I am not a dentist but I have had two root canals on the same tooth and can tell you it was at least 7-10 days before I wasn't feeling effects from the actual root canal procedure, especially when eating. Eventually that subsides. Your bite may also need to be adjusted. If it feels like you hit your root canal tooth first before any other teeth when closing your mouth, chewing etc. your filling may be too high and needs to be "dusted" down a bit. Not a big deal for the dentist to do - doesn't actually hurt and is very quick. They can check for you if you aren't sure that's what is happening. When my fillings were too high the root canal tooth hurt AND the one above that it was hitting. Hopefully that's all that is going on...either a little healing or high filling or both...and in time your tooth will be back to normal....or a new normal.

 

[aaronpdx]

Hi Aaron,
I am not a dentist but I have had two root canals on the same tooth and can tell you it was at least 7-10 days before I wasn't feeling effects from the actual root canal procedure

Thank you for the reply! That makes me feel better. Someone else on a different forum said something similar:

"Sounds like you were doing pretty well for the first few days. Just go back to avoiding biting on that tooth until you get a crown. Normally, the tooth could be tender even up to a week after a root canal, so don't be too worried. You can check in with your dentist when they open if you're worried the tooth fractured, but maybe give it a day or two to see if the soreness calms down on its own."

 

[FearfulInMA]

I totally agree with everything Mugz said. Especially if you need a crown on the tooth, I would avoid chewing much on it prior to that because you don't want to risk harming the tooth prior to the crown. I've had 4 root canals and some have taken longer to settle than others. If the pain is not keeping you up at night and is manageable with ibuprofen, it's probably ok and just needs more time. Like Mugz said, the bite may need to be adjusted a bit which is super simple. If you're worried, give the dentist a call and they can take a look.

Best of luck to you!