Painful root cannel

[Jlp456]

Hi, so I recently had the first step of a root cannel done for a tooth that was very decayed and had been infected on and off for a few months. While the dentist was removing the pulp and tissues from inside the tooth there was 3 or 4 moments where I felt very bad nerve pain. Like jolting pain. I told him and he said that was normal because it was so decayed..which I kind of doubted was normal..i guess my question is even with being numbed is that normal to feel pain with a tooth that decayed or did he just not do his job right by giving me more anesthesia??I have more appointments with him and I’m nervous to go back.

 

[LauraB]

Hi - I just wanted to say I had the same experience! An infected molar that had to come out - it already had a big filling but must've gotten infected underneath. ANyway, was throbbing something awful for a long time until I finally got the guts to go get a root canal. During the root canal, he couldn't keep me numb, so had to keep giving me shots during it...a very sharp jolting pain, just as you described. He told me when the roots are really inflamed, that can happen. So I think you are probably OK (even though I'm not a dentist!), it's apparently a normal thing when the tooth is decayed & the roots are inflamed. I wouldn't be too concerned about your other appointments because the worst is already over! He's cleaned it out, so there's no nerve tissue left to give you problems. You might be sore, I was for a while, but it gets better. Hang in there!!!

 

[MountainMama]

When I had an abscessed tooth, I was given antibiotics to take for a week before the root canal. The dentist told me that if the infection was still bad, it could be hard to numb.

 

[Jlp456]

Hi - I just wanted to say I had the same experience! An infected molar that had to come out - it already had a big filling but must've gotten infected underneath. ANyway, was throbbing something awful for a long time until I finally got the guts to go get a root canal. During the root canal, he couldn't keep me numb, so had to keep giving me shots during it...a very sharp jolting pain, just as you described. He told me when the roots are really inflamed, that can happen. So I think you are probably OK (even though I'm not a dentist!), it's apparently a normal thing when the tooth is decayed & the roots are inflamed. I wouldn't be too concerned about your other appointments because the worst is already over! He's cleaned it out, so there's no nerve tissue left to give you problems. You might be sore, I was for a while, but it gets better. Hang in there!!!

I wish he would have tried to give me more anesthesia but oh well you are right the worst is over!

 

[Enarete]

Hi Jlp456, sorry to read about your experience. Not a dentist and yes, hot teeth can be hard to numb, but even then, there should still be options how to make a procedure pain free, be it with antibiotics beforehand or by putting a medication into the tooth and reschedule for later when the tooth calms down. Given the fact that an inflamed tooth is the most common reason for a root canal treatment, it would be pretty bad news if this meant it cannot be numbed up. It makes me unhappy that your dentist just brushed your complaint off by stating it's normal. If you like some further reading on this, you can take a look here:

Can't Get Numb

Find out why you may not get numb enough, what dentists can do to get you numb, and how to ensure your treatment is painless.

www.dentalfearcentral.org

 

[pinkjude]

My dentist did just that, gave me antibiotics then as still inflamed packed it with medication and had me back later