I had a root canal treatment done several years ago that had recently started hurting again. I went to see my dentist who did an x-ray and realized it was reinfected. He did another root canal treatment and sent me home with some pain meds and an antibiotic. The tooth started to feel better after a few days, but now it is hurting again. I called the dental office and they spoke with the dentist who said some people take longer to heal than others. The pain seems to be getting worse but he wants me to give it three more weeks. I am now out of pain meds and in agony. I don’t think I can last that long. Should I be worried about this or is he right and it just needs more time?
Andrea
Dear Andrea,
No, I don’t want you to wait. Something isn’t right here, especially if you started to feel better but then it began to hurt again. This means the infection is back to being active. Your dentist should have recognized that. The fact that he did not tells me that he does not understand root canal treatments very well. When a root canal treatment fails, the successive treatments have less of a chance of succeeding.
I think you need to see a root canal specialist to give yourself the best chance. They are called endodontists. When you call, tell them everything you told me. I think they will consider it a dental emergency and get you in sooner. I still have hope that with a specialist you can save your tooth. If it turns out you cannot, then it will have to be extracted. If that happens you will want to replace it so the adjacent teeth don’t shift or tip into the empty space. This can throw off your bite and lead to TMJ Disorder.
The best tooth replacement is a dental implant. However, that is an advanced procedure. I would make sure your dentist has post-doctoral training in dental implants. If he doesn’t, go to another dentist who does for your replacement.
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