Pain during final stage of root canal

[TeaMatcha]

Updates: Tried chewing soft bread and cakes on that tooth. Was okay but th crust of the bread cause some pain.

Actually I am having some on off pain in my ear and jaw and teeth on the same upper left side of my RCT since 23rd Dec.

I still can't figure out if it's the RCT tooth or the 2nd molar (tooth behind the RCT) that is causing the pain or what.

I'm seriously considering of extracting the tooth if I ever need a retreatment of RCT.

 

[NETWizz]

If you do need retreatment there is no guarantee it will be painful just because it was the first time. Sometimes procedures are just more painless than others for everything medical.

Case in point having taken the flu shot for years, occasionally one actually hurts (feels sharp and burns) however, in most cases it doesn’t hurt, and sometimes I don’t feel it at all.

Teeth and nerves are funny.

 

[TeaMatcha]

If you do need retreatment there is no guarantee it will be painful just because it was the first time. Sometimes procedures are just more painless than others for everything medical.

Case in point having taken the flu shot for years, occasionally one actually hurts (feels sharp and burns) however, in most cases it doesn’t hurt, and sometimes I don’t feel it at all.

Teeth and nerves are funny.

I'm going into another consultation with a new dental clinic tomorrow for dental implant. He's very well known for it so I will definitely ask him to take a lot at my RCT tooth and the tooth behind it too.

Currently I do not have the financial stable to go for a retreatment. A retreatment cost SGD2000 and as per the endodontist, the success rate will be lower.

I'm actually considering extracting it and putting in partial denture while saving up for implant.

 

[Enarete]

You mean extracting it now or in the case the root canal fails? Are you still in pain?

 

[TeaMatcha]

You mean extracting it now or in the case the root canal fails? Are you still in pain?

I just came back from consultation with a new dentist for my root canal tooth and about dental implant for my missing tooth.

I won't extract it now. It's just in case the RCT fails.

I found out the reason for my pain. It's because of the tooth behind my RCT tooth. It got refilled last month but it seems that the dentist did not manage to get all the decay out. Now, I'm having decay under the new filling which is very near to the nerve. The dentist I went to today mentioned that either I go back to the dentist who did my filling for a redo or he himself could help me to refill it from the side when I go in for crowning. He mentioned that he didn't wanna to take out the whole filling again as it will be very traumatic for the tooth and the area.

He say all we can do now is wait for the RCT tooth to settle down before crowning. He mentioned that some dentist prefer to do crowning right after RCT to prevent fracture but for him, he prefer to wait for it to settle down first before crowning it.

It seems that the endodontist who did my root canal was quite well known among their own circle. This dentist say that the root canal was done perfectly but that doesn't mean that it won't fail as everyone heal differently and every treatment, just like like surgery isn't gonna be 100% successful.

So.... Now I got to wait and pray that RCT tooth will settle down soon. I got a feeling that my second molar need RCT too as it has been hurting more and more daily. It's making my head hurts too.

Anyone got any experience with temporary crown? Is it okay to chew with that on? I'm afraid that it will fall out while eating and accidentally swallowing it. Lol.

I got quoted SGD5000 for dental implant including crowning. Not sure if I need a bone graft, dentist will only do a CT scan to see if I have enough thickness for bone once I decide to go for it. But he did mention that from 2D x-ray, I have enough bone height and that it will be a easy case.

Also, this dentist mentioned that root canal is not gonna last a life time. It is just buying time for extraction. Eventually bacteria will set into the canal through tubules and an extraction will be required. He say that dental implant for upper molar, don't always require sinus lifting. There's a thing called short implant (not mini implant) that can avoiding the sinus.

Didn't heard about it before but okay.

Thanks everyone for their concerns!

Now, all I need to do it hope for my RCT tooth to settle down, go in and have the zirconia crown down and try to refill the tooth behind it to see if it settled down. And, save up for dental implant. Sigh. Why is dental treatments so expensive.

 

[krlovesherkids777]

Angelcatmei,

Sounds like you got some good answers , really down to earth and understandable from this dentist. He seems really personable from how you explain the answers.

"Anyone got any experience with temporary crown? Is it okay to chew with that on? I'm afraid that it will fall out while eating and accidentally swallowing it. Lol. "

ohhh.. I so get this thought and fear...it is one of my big ones.. I have had many temps and a few fall out. I've not swallowed one in all my years ,though it can be alarming and inconvenient. I've went a few times and they pop them back in.. Because of my fear of this happening. I always ask for extra security. I had one dentist use a little permanent cement with the temp to give it more hold.. it is harder to get off, but doable.. He also sent me home with a small container and showed me how to pop it back on for emergency sake. Actually I had one fall off about 10 years ago. I called the dentist on a Sunday, He came from the gym to the office to help me pop it back in. .. If you let them know this is a fear of yours they have some creative and good ways to reassure you on this and help! My current dentist did some etching on my last temp which held it in better after one did come off. Actually one of my temps lasted 6 weeks which was absolutely amazing!! I would definitely talk to them about this.. I do to all my dentists . All in all temps are pretty good at holding in there. I am really pretty careful what I eat around that tooth in general.

 

[TeaMatcha]

Angelcatmei,

Sounds like you got some good answers , really down to earth and understandable from this dentist. He seems really personable from how you explain the answers.

"Anyone got any experience with temporary crown? Is it okay to chew with that on? I'm afraid that it will fall out while eating and accidentally swallowing it. Lol. "

ohhh.. I so get this thought and fear...it is one of my big ones.. I have had many temps and a few fall out. I've not swallowed one in all my years ,though it can be alarming and inconvenient. I've went a few times and they pop them back in.. Because of my fear of this happening. I always ask for extra security. I had one dentist use a little permanent cement with the temp to give it more hold.. it is harder to get off, but doable.. He also sent me home with a small container and showed me how to pop it back on for emergency sake. Actually I had one fall off about 10 years ago. I called the dentist on a Sunday, He came from the gym to the office to help me pop it back in. .. If you let them know this is a fear of yours they have some creative and good ways to reassure you on this and help! My current dentist did some etching on my last temp which held it in better after one did come off. Actually one of my temps lasted 6 weeks which was absolutely amazing!! I would definitely talk to them about this.. I do to all my dentists . All in all temps are pretty good at holding in there. I am really pretty careful what I eat around that tooth in general.

Hi!! Thank you for your reply! Will definitely ask the dentist to secure the temp crown more than usual ?

Dentist say is fine to wait till early February for crowning as he really want the tooth to settle down first and he want me to enjoy eating during Chinese New Year. However, I already made an appointment on 14th January for in case. Will reschedule it if it didn't settle down yet.

I would just like to know how will I know if the tooth have settle down or not? If it's still tender to press on should I proceed with crowning? Understand that I should have ask all these questions to the dentist instead of here but I totally forgot about it during consultation.

Just an updates, the upper left second molar is dying, I believe so. I had a major jaw pain since yesterday night. My ear and throat hurts too. So I believe the decay under the new filling have gotten to the nerve. I'm currently debating to extract it and do an implant in the future or to go for another root canal.

Will appreciate it if you guys can give me your opinion about this. Thank you ?

 

[NETWizz]

Sorry to hear that. Sometimes a new filling hurts a bit taking time to settle down. I had a tooth or two that I thought would need a root canal but eventually the pain stopped.

Particularly sensitivity to cold in my experience settles down.

Basically you know it settled down if it quits bothering you and begins to feel normal like the rest of your teeth.

Just because a filling is close to the nerve doesn’t mean it won’t settle down provided they got all the decay and sealed it. A great job sometimes involves a pulp cap from what I read. Regardless it can take time to feel better.

Work with the dentist with regard to communicating. The closer to the nerve the longer it may take to feel better.

 

[TeaMatcha]

Sorry to hear that. Sometimes a new filling hurts a bit taking time to settle down. I had a tooth or two that I thought would need a root canal but eventually the pain stopped.

Particularly sensitivity to cold in my experience settles down.

Basically you know it settled down if it quits bothering you and begins to feel normal like the rest of your teeth.

Just because a filling is close to the nerve doesn’t mean it won’t settle down provided they got all the decay and sealed it. A great job sometimes involves a pulp cap from what I read. Regardless it can take time to feel better.

Work with the dentist with regard to communicating. The closer to the nerve the longer it may take to feel better.

That tooth that got refilled recently started hurting. It's giving me ear, jaw and head pain. It was actually okay for a month plus after the filling was done. But it has been acting up recently and the new dentist told me the decay wasn't remove entirely by my regular dentist.

The tooth feel pressure from inside and the gum have been bleeding whenever I brush around that tooth. It feels like I'm getting a tooth infection.

Gonna go back to the dentist who did the filling this week and seek for her advise to extract it or to get it root canal (if it's really infected).

There goes more money :') why is everything so expensive. I have yet to get a crown for my recent RCT tooth as I'm still waiting for it to settle down. I can chew on it just fine. But just feeling tiny bit of tenderness when flossing and brushing.

Currently saving up for a dental implant for my lower left first molar that was extracted due to failed root canal

 

[MountainMama]

Hi!! Thank you for your reply! Will definitely ask the dentist to secure the temp crown more than usual ?

Dentist say is fine to wait till early February for crowning as he really want the tooth to settle down first and he want me to enjoy eating during Chinese New Year. However, I already made an appointment on 14th January for in case. Will reschedule it if it didn't settle down yet.

I would just like to know how will I know if the tooth have settle down or not? If it's still tender to press on should I proceed with crowning? Understand that I should have ask all these questions to the dentist instead of here but I totally forgot about it during consultation.

Just an updates, the upper left second molar is dying, I believe so. I had a major jaw pain since yesterday night. My ear and throat hurts too. So I believe the decay under the new filling have gotten to the nerve. I'm currently debating to extract it and do an implant in the future or to go for another root canal.

Will appreciate it if you guys can give me your opinion about this. Thank you ?

When my root canal failed, my tooth was still tender to any pressure after 3 months. It stopped hurting spontaneously but would hurt with any pressure at all. I had a very good endodontist who didn’t want to give up on the tooth as the root canal was perfect and there was no sign of infection. I had a temp crown on for 6 months!

I ended up losing the tooth. It was an upper second molar. I had the dentist and the oral surgeon who removed it (who also did implants) tell me it was not necessary to replace an upper second molar. The surgeon told me he had recommended to his own mom not to replace the tooth. I ended up not replacing it and I have never missed it.

 

[NETWizz]

That tooth that got refilled recently started hurting. It's giving me ear, jaw and head pain. It was actually okay for a month plus after the filling was done. But it has been acting up recently and the new dentist told me the decay wasn't remove entirely by my regular dentist.

The tooth feel pressure from inside and the gum have been bleeding whenever I brush around that tooth. It feels like I'm getting a tooth infection.

Gonna go back to the dentist who did the filling this week and seek for her advise to extract it or to get it root canal (if it's really infected).

There goes more money :') why is everything so expensive. I have yet to get a crown for my recent RCT tooth as I'm still waiting for it to settle down. I can chew on it just fine. But just feeling tiny bit of tenderness when flossing and brushing.

Currently saving up for a dental implant for my lower left first molar that was extracted due to failed root canal

I am sorry to hear that. Please get it isolated and checked up on To determine the next course of action. If it needs a root canal, I recommend an endodontist do the work to have the highest chance of success the first time. These folks do as many as five per day! That makes them more experiences in dealing with roots where your general dentist probably has more experience placing permanent crowns.

 

[TeaMatcha]

When my root canal failed, my tooth was still tender to any pressure after 3 months. It stopped hurting spontaneously but would hurt with any pressure at all. I had a very good endodontist who didn’t want to give up on the tooth as the root canal was perfect and there was no sign of infection. I had a temp crown on for 6 months!

I ended up losing the tooth. It was an upper second molar. I had the dentist and the oral surgeon who removed it (who also did implants) tell me it was not necessary to replace an upper second molar. The surgeon told me he had recommended to his own mom not to replace the tooth. I ended up not replacing it and I have never missed it.

Do you have any trouble chewing without it? That is actually my main concern. As it seems that my second molar is touching part of my lower first molar when chewing.

If there's any concern for chewing, I'll have pluck it out without second thought.

 

[MountainMama]

Do you have any trouble chewing without it? That is actually my main concern. As it seems that my second molar is touching part of my lower first molar when chewing.

If there's any concern for chewing, I'll have pluck it out without second thought.

No issues chewing at all. I should mention that I am also missing a set of 4 premolars that were extracted for braces as a teen, along with my wisdom teeth, so I already had less teeth than most to begin with. I have never noticed a difference in chewing.

My oral surgeon told me that missing an upper second molar makes no functional difference in chewing. I have had mine out for over a year now and it felt weird at first, but after several months I didn’t even miss it. My endodontist said the majority of chewing is done by the premolars and first molars and a person could easily chew without any of their second molars. I don’t plan on ever replacing mine.

 

[TeaMatcha]

No issues chewing at all. I should mention that I am also missing a set of 4 premolars that were extracted for braces as a teen, along with my wisdom teeth, so I already had less teeth than most to begin with. I have never noticed a difference in chewing.

My oral surgeon told me that missing an upper second molar makes no functional difference in chewing. I have had mine out for over a year now and it felt weird at first, but after several months I didn’t even miss it. My endodontist said the majority of chewing is done by the premolars and first molars and a person could easily chew without any of their second molars. I don’t plan on ever replacing mine.

Thank you for replying! I have the same issues as you then. I'm missing 4 premolar due to braces and all my wisdom teeth are taken out. I'm missing lower left 1st molar too.

I have phobia of choking so I really don't want it to messed up my bites.

My new general dentist don't get it why I avoid chewing on my left since I'm missing just one molar.

If that's the case, I think I will most probably extract the upper right 2nd molar. I can afford another round of root canal but I just don't want to go through it again.. I really pray that my upper left 1st RCT molar will heal properly. I can't imagine losing that tooth too if I extract the 2nd molar..

 

[Aurora10]

He did not top up any anesthetic. He say that the anesthetic should last up to 3 hours. But honestly I can feel it fading away and I mentioned it to him too. He say is impossible. And yes, he just go and and told me that everything is fine, it's gonna be over soon .

It's not at all impossible for LA to be ineffective, it's happened to me before and my dentist explained that it can be due to a number of factors, so I'm not sure why your dentist is telling you it's impossible! It sounds like you had a horrible experience, I hope everything has settled down now, I must read your latest post! Best Wishes?

 

[MountainMama]

It's not at all impossible for LA to be ineffective, it's happened to me before and my dentist explained that it can be due to a number of factors, so I'm not sure why your dentist is telling you it's impossible! It sounds like you had a horrible experience, I hope everything has settled down now, I must read your latest post! Best Wishes?

Just wanted to comment on the anesthesia as well. I always have to get more shots after about a half hour. They lose effectiveness on me quickly. My dentist, endodontist and oral surgeon never hesitate to give more anesthetic if I start feeling anything.

 

[MountainMama]

Thank you for replying! I have the same issues as you then. I'm missing 4 premolar due to braces and all my wisdom teeth are taken out. I'm missing lower left 1st molar too.

I have phobia of choking so I really don't want it to messed up my bites.

My new general dentist don't get it why I avoid chewing on my left since I'm missing just one molar.

If that's the case, I think I will most probably extract the upper right 2nd molar. I can afford another round of root canal but I just don't want to go through it again.. I really pray that my upper left 1st RCT molar will heal properly. I can't imagine losing that tooth too if I extract the 2nd molar..

You could always save the money you would have spent on the root canal and save it for an implant if the 1st molar doesn’t settle.

 

[TeaMatcha]

You could always save the money you would have spent on the root canal and save it for an implant if the 1st molar doesn’t settle.

I just came back for another consultation with my regular dentist. She wanted to take out the filling today and redo it to clean out all the decay. She can't tell if I needed a root canal or not without taking out the filling to see as my symptoms is not constant pain/throbbing. So, she gave me another option. Once she shave the RCT tooth in front for crowning, then she will go into the tooth behind from side to filled the decay and if it still hurts then we need root canal. She say one step at a time. She say that the gum bleeding isn't due to tooth needing RCT, I just need to brush it more. And she agree that I should wait a while more for the RCT tooth to settle down first before crowning.

So all I can do now is wait and see how it goes as my symptoms is not very clear. I decided to go back to her to do a crowning instead as she's using PFM, which is what I wanted at first rather then the dentist I went to for dental implant.

I made an appointment on 30th January. Wanted to do it before as that day is my birthday but I'm afraid that if I do a crowning on the RCT tooth so soon when I still have sensitivity, it will not be a wise choice. Can anyone give me their opinion?

Should I go for crowning on 16th Jan or 30th Jan? I'm leaning towards 30th Jan as i really want the tooth to settle down first.

But I'm afraid if there is really infection in the other tooth, will it spread and cause me issues during the wait..

 

[TeaMatcha]

I just came back for another consultation with my regular dentist. She wanted to take out the filling today and redo it to clean out all the decay. She can't tell if I needed a root canal or not without taking out the filling to see as my symptoms is not constant pain/throbbing. So, she gave me another option. Once she shave the RCT tooth in front for crowning, then she will go into the tooth behind from side to filled the decay and if it still hurts then we need root canal. She say one step at a time. She say that the gum bleeding isn't due to tooth needing RCT, I just need to brush it more. And she agree that I should wait a while more for the RCT tooth to settle down first before crowning.

So all I can do now is wait and see how it goes as my symptoms is not very clear. I decided to go back to her to do a crowning instead as she's using PFM, which is what I wanted at first rather then the dentist I went to for dental implant.

I made an appointment on 30th January. Wanted to do it before as that day is my birthday but I'm afraid that if I do a crowning on the RCT tooth so soon when I still have sensitivity, it will not be a wise choice. Can anyone give me their opinion?

Should I go for crowning on 16th Jan or 30th Jan? I'm leaning towards 30th Jan as i really want the tooth to settle down first.

But I'm afraid if there is really infection in the other tooth, will it spread and cause me issues during the wait..

But come to think of it.... I really don't like the attitude my regular dentist is giving me. She seems really annoyed at me today. She don't get it why I went to her today. I told her there's decay under the filling and she asked me, "so what can I do for you today?" with a tone that shown she's annoyed. I didn't let her refill it again because firstly she already failed to get rid of all the decay, secondly, I asked her if the decay is really near the nerve, if it is then no point refilling it and waste my money because if it is then eventually I still need a root canal.

Yes they do charge cheaper than the dentist that really listen to me yet my regular dentist always give me a feeling like she's so done with me.

It's really hard to find a dentist that make me feel like I can trust him/her.

 

[Aurora10]

But come to think of it.... I really don't like the attitude my regular dentist is giving me. She seems really annoyed at me today. She don't get it why I went to her today. I told her there's decay under the filling and she asked me, "so what can I do for you today?" with a tone that shown she's annoyed. I didn't let her refill it again because firstly she already failed to get rid of all the decay, secondly, I asked her if the decay is really near the nerve, if it is then no point refilling it and waste my money because if it is then eventually I still need a root canal.

Yes they do charge cheaper than the dentist that really listen to me yet my regular dentist always give me a feeling like she's so done with me.

It's really hard to find a dentist that make me feel like I can trust him/her.

It's maybe worth paying that bit extra if you get along better with the dentist you feel listens to you. If you do more research though, you can probably find a dentist who is kind and empathetic and will also be within your price range, don't give up!