Post root canal concerns..

[catinabox]

Hi there!

new to this forum as I only just discovered it. I hope this is the right section to ask this. for a long time I've had a lot of anxiety around going to the dentist but trying to be better about it now!

I had a root canal on one of my lower back teeth done just over 48 hours ago (2 days and a half) and am basically stressing out over the recovery process. Part of that is because I'm alone this week and have severe health anxiety, and also because I don't know what to expect.
Obviously the area is still tender, but I've somehow come down with a cold or sinus inflammation since then (like a mild cold, runny nose, slight pressure in the head and cheeks). I don't know if it's related or not. I've also been panicking over what I can and can't eat. I had a small amalgam filling done on the other side too which was sensitive at first so I was trying to be super careful about eating for the last 48 hours. However I'm really scared to now eat anything remotely solid in case I have some issues..

I also don't know if I've passed the time where I can start having hot drinks again since I've been avoiding them, but I'm a huge tea and coffee drinker usually.

So I guess my main questions are how long before I can eat solid / harder foods again..? How long before I can have hot drinks? Is the sinus stuff related to the root canal? (my bf had some dental work done in the past and ended up with sinus problems for a few days too after it, so I wonder if it's possible).
What do I look out for in terms of the root canal recovery and how to know if there is an issue.. I'm constantly checking the area as I'm paranoid it's gonna fail which is why I don't wanna eat anything too hard or hot.

 

[Karenw]

I had a lower molar (#7) root canal nearly 5 years ago. It took a long time to settle, ie several months and nearly 2 years to feel 'normal'. It still feels different even now when I brush this tooth. I'm told this is all quite normal.

From what you've said, I'd guess the sinus stuff is coincidental and possibly related to the cold damp weather we're having in the UK, or a cold, rather than anything wrong with or related to your root canal.

 

[catinabox]

Thank you! I guess it does take a long time for things to settle down normally. My concern was because I obviously don't want to cause any issues before I get the crown, so I'm trying to eat on the other side. However I don't know how long I have to eat soft foods after the amalgam filling I had done there. I was hoping it would only be 24 hours... but I've been eating mostly soft stuff for the last few days since.
Does anyone know when it's safe to start having hot drinks? Would I have to wait until the crown is put on in a month's time?

Yeah, I think the sinus stuff is coincidental, though it's possible I caught something at the dentists surgery lol. Sadly run down, which doesn't make it easy when you're trying to recover from dental work!

 

[Karenw]

I've always eaten on an amalgam filling the day following the filling, although told to allow just a few hours 'set'. I don't think you need to wait anywhere near 24 hours and you should be able to have hot drinks almost immediately, ie once the local anaesthetic for the filling has worn off.

 

[catinabox]

yeah in the end i did eat that same day because i'd skipped lunch and hadn't eaten anything :/ but i ate soft stuff regardless, however i'm reading now that you're not meant to eat anything for 24 hours (i think i would struggle way too much if that was so lol)

now i'm wondering if i damaged the tooth by eating too early on it since i felt a weird gritty sensation in the morning in my mouth in the area.. the problem is also i clench my teeth in my sleep which is not something i can control

 

[catinabox]

So I'm still having tenderness around the gum and tooth with the amalgam filling (lower left back molar - not the root canal one) and am wondering if this is normal after 4 days (had it filled Friday). I'm wondering if it's likely to be something to do with this sinus cold thing I'm fighting against that's just causing my mouth to be tender as a whole or whether there's something wrong. I don't know whether to see how it is once I'm better in case it is just that or if I've caused any issues with it by eating on it before the 24 hours previously (only had soft food, but regardless).

 

[Karenw]

I would say it's completely normal. I often have soreness for a few weeks following a filling.

 

[catinabox]

So I noticed after looking in the mirror that the gum right at the back next to the tooth that was filled - which I'm guessing is where my wisdom tooth normally used to be (I don't have one there, I think just the root which never gave me issues before) is swollen, and that's where the tenderness is coming from. I don't know if it's an abscess or not, I would have thought when they did an x-ray before on those teeth he would have seen if there had been anything, but this x-ray was taken over a month ago, and it's only now started being sore. It's not mega painful, but I'm paranoid if this is gonna end up turning into something bad, and I'm not sure if this is an emergency where I should see the dentist asap, or something that can wait until I can see them in the next few days.

Is it unusual for a gum next to the filling to suddenly flare and swell? I guess eating on only that side in order to avoid the root canal might have aggravated something... :/

Edit: attached pic

 

[Gordon]

Looks like you've bitten on it at some point, hence the pain and swelling. It should go back to normal in a few days.

 

[catinabox]

@Gordon thanks. So it doesn't look like an abscess or pericoronitis?? Sorry for the silly question, I just wanted to be sure there's no emergency.

 

[Gordon]

No. Pericoronitis usually presents as severe pain with limited mouth opening, which you've not mentioned at all.

 

[Natzuk]

@catinabox hello. How was it having a root canal ? I’m so worried I have one booked in at the end of January

 

[catinabox]

@Natzuk ah it wasn't too bad! it was just like a longer filling tbh. they numbed me so i didn't really feel anything from that point. after i still get some aching but that's probably because i tend to grind/clench my teeth in my sleep subconsciously. but otherwise there was no real pain and it wasn't too scary (and trust me, i'm literally petrified of the dentist)

for me an extraction was ten times worse haha.

 

[Natzuk]

@catinabox thank you ! I’m also from the UK . I will be having mine done at a community dental hospital, . I just need too try and get through it . I had two teeth and two detained roots out under general anaesthetic in august. I had partials done and they hurt and are so uncomfortable I’ve tried so much too wear it but I can’t . Im hoping they can try a different material as I don’t have many teeth . Thanks for much for the reply.

 

[catinabox]

Update: I didn't wanna make another thread since it's not overly unrelated to the previous stuff so it felt unnecessary. Correct me if I'm wrong tho!

The last 3-4 days I've been having some tenderness around the jaw on the side with the root canal. I've not been eating on that side so I don't really know if it's worse to eat on but my jaw feels sore to touch in that area (especially for some reason the skin) and it sometimes feels tender to open my mouth wide.
What kind of thing could this be caused by? I can't see any swelling from what I can tell.. the emergency dentist I saw last week didn't see any abscess in the area when she checked (though the soreness has been after). I'm wondering if this is being caused by my habit of clenching/grinding in my sleep? It's obviously something I dread doing when I go to bed for I worry I'm causing problems. I can't get anything done for it though until after the crown is put on my root canal

Does this sound like it's possible that it's due to my bad clenching habit? I had to pay for the emergency appointment last time so I don't want to rush to the dentist yet again and pay out of pocket when there's not much they can do yet...
Any advice would be helpful, thanks!!

 

[Gordon]

How long has it been since the root canal was finished? It's not unusual for a tooth to be tender on biting for a few weeks post RCT, probably made worse if you do have a clenching/grinding habit.

 

[catinabox]

@Gordon Had it done on the 22nd December so it's been around a couple of weeks? I guess I'm still in that period of time where it could still be tender. It's weird that it's around my jaw that gets tender as well as the gum. It's definitely worse sometimes rather than others, especially when I put pressure on it. I'll keep monitoring it I guess and if it's still giving me trouble I will try and see my dentist when I can.. I just don't want to make too many unnecessary visits.

Also the lump/ulcer thing at the back that I posted the pic of is still there, but I'm wondering now if this is maybe due to continuously biting/grinding that area in my sleep since there's a gap there, I guess I could be irritating the area which causes it to get inflamed. It's not as sore as it was.

 

[Gordon]

Yes, sounds like you just need to keep an eye on it and see what happens. You might be traumatising the area when you're eating too, if you're not used to eating on that side of your mouth.

 

[catinabox]

Hey, me again!

I just had a couple of questions as I'll be getting my crown sorted tomorrow, though I imagine this will be a temporary one while they send off for the impression of the permanent one.

My questions: will I be able to eat normally after (like solid harder food etc)? Are hot drinks to be avoided or can I drink normally?

I've noticed my gum gets kind of achey still due I think to me putting a lot of pressure when I clench my teeth in my sleep or when I'm cold. I'm hoping that won't have impacted the root canal as it was unavoidable (subconscious) but I guess we'll find out.

 

[Gordon]

My questions: will I be able to eat normally after (like solid harder food etc)? Are hot drinks to be avoided or can I drink normally?

If you have a temp crown in place then be cautious when eating, remember they're designed to come out relatively easily!
Drinks are all fine.
Very strong tea/coffee may stain the temp crown but the main thing to avoid is Indian curries, the saffron can stain some temp crowns a fetching shade of yellow!
Clenching and grinding won't affect the RCT.