A tooth that was successfully treated shouldn’t cause any pain or problems in your life, especially if we are talking about the root canal procedure. But that doesn’t mean that it is impossible to experience tooth pain years after root canal treatment. The question here is: What are your options? Is there anything you can do? Read on to learn how to spot old root canal infection symptoms, and what is the best way to approach the problem.
One of the first things you need to learn is what is the cause of the problem. Of course, you can always visit our website for more information and schedule a meeting with the dentist. Once you get a clear idea of the situation, you can proceed to one of the available treatments to finally solve the problem with the tooth.
Can You Experience Pain After Root Canal Treatment?
One of the first questions we need to address is whether it is possible to experience tooth pain months after root canal treatment. Experiencing sensitivity in the tooth after the procedure is perfectly fine. It can last for a couple of days, even weeks. But if the root canal procedure was successful, there is no reason why the pain should continue.
This means that the tooth can last you for a long time after the treatment, and you shouldn’t feel pain or discomfort at any point. Naturally, if this is an isolated case, there is nothing to worry about. However, if the pain continues, you might want to address the issue to avoid further problems.
In the majority of cases, something went wrong during the initial procedure. The canals of the tooth might be too narrow or curved, which might mean that they are left untreated at the time. Needless to say, other types of damage are still possible even after root canals. This includes fractures, bacterial infections, and so on.
Pain doesn’t necessarily mean that something went wrong during the treatment, and it might be an unrelated issue.
Symptoms
One of the most obvious symptoms that the tooth hasn’t healed as expected is pain. If the pain continues after a couple of days, it is a clear sign that you need to do something about it. Now, that doesn’t have to point to the worst-case scenario, but it can be the beginning of something worse.
Other symptoms may include sensitivity to any type of pressure, which usually refers to eating. Experiencing pain or discomfort when you try to eat is expected, and the sensitivity can include thermal as well. This means that the person will experience sharp pain when in contact with anything hot or cold.
After that, it is also possible that the entire area around the tooth will swell. The person might notice swelling on their cheek or even the entire side of the face. Furthermore, any type of discharge from the affected tooth is also possible, including pus or blood.
Now, the symptoms don’t need to be continuous. It is also possible that the person will experience fluctuating symptoms where it is possible that the symptoms will last for a week, only to disappear after that. The problem occurs when the pain keeps coming back, which is a clear sign that there is a problem with the treated tooth.
Can It Be Fixed?
Now that we’ve covered the basics, we have to see whether it is possible to solve the problem. Luckily, the answer is yes. The type of treatment necessary to solve the issue is mostly based on the type of problem that appeared. That means that it is essential to determine the cause of pain before you can do anything about it. There are still a few ways you could proceed.
Firstly, the most obvious choice would be root canal retreatment. The procedure involves removing the crown, filling, and anything else that can obstruct the roots of the tooth. Once the endodontist determines the reason behind the pain, they will be able to address the issue and solve the problem. Retreatment is also the simplest option that will allow your dentist to recreate the procedure and eliminate mistakes that led to the problem in the first place.
If this fails, the other option is apicoectomy. This means that your endodontist will need to replace the tip of the root with a filling. Since the problem is with the root, eliminating it should stop the pain and solve the problem even years after the original root canal.
While this might seem scary, you should know that the dentist will always do an X-ray of the area to confirm the problem. Seeing what is happening with the tooth will help them determine the best possible option for the treatment.
What to Do?
Unfortunately, it will be impossible for you to determine the cause of the problem on your own. So, the only viable solution would be to talk to your dentist. As always, the key is to address the problem as soon as you notice it. If you delay the visit to the dentist, the situation can only get worse.
Naturally, there is a chance that the problem is not as serious and that your dentist will be able to address it in no time. In the majority of cases, endodontic retreatment can solve the problem. So, the dentist will reopen the tooth, remove the previous filling, clean everything, and close it again.
It is as simple as it sounds, and there is a high chance that the situation won’t require additional treatments or surgeries. The sooner you act, the better your chances will be of avoiding complications and long procedures. Talk to your root canal dentist, and schedule an appointment as soon as possible.