Root canal pain 2 weeks post treatment

[Andrew123]

Hi


I had a root canal treatment performed on one of my lower left molars 2 years ago. A few weeks ago I was in pain and my new dentist re-examined the tooth, said the original treatment had missed part of the root and so reperformed the treatment. Initially post treatment I had some soreness, but this subsided. Two weeks after the treatment the pain began again. The pain does not appear to be located near the tooth, but rather in the cheek, there is a vein there that seems particularly swollen when compared to the right cheek. I also have some pain at the back of the mouth, numbness in my tongue and a strange bitter taste in my mouth. I went back to the dentist but he said that it was too soon to tell whether the treatment was a success and that I should only come back if I have to take a lot of pain medications or if my face visibly began to swell.

Is it usual to have these symptoms so long (17 days) after treatment. Do they indicate that I have an infection elsewhere and if so is this something that is likely to spontaneously resolve?

Many thanks for your help

[Dr Mohsen J. Esfahani]

Thank you for your post.

Its difficult to says without examining your teeth, what the source of the problem is. Generally speaking, root filled teeth can take a few days/weeks to fully settle down and can be tender to bite on for a while before they settle.

The numbness of the tongue though 17 days post treatment is a worry. That could be related to the anaesthetic or something else. You may need to see another dentist for a second opinion to see if there is infection around other teeth or if its just the root canal settling down.

[Crowns]

How many times can a root canal be performed? I also had a root canal that later became infected and very swollen. I could not afford another without insurance and just used antibiotics to cure the infection which I fear will return.

[Dr Mohsen J. Esfahani]

There is no limit to how many times a root canal can be redone however most people stop after 2/3 attempts. This is because if root canal is done well, it should succeed unless there is another reason why it has failed such as a cracked or fractured root, insufficient tooth tissue remaining for a good restorative seal, scelerosed canals that cant be opened even with a microscope, separated instruments that cant be removed/bypassed, perforations, perio-endo lesions,...

Antibiotics alone are unlikely to resolve a failed root canal and the problem with almost certainly persist and may cause pain in future.