Temporary filling breaking down after 1st stage root canal

[Ron]

Hello

I had toothache last week and the emergency dentist opened and dressed my tooth and did the first stage of root canal treatment on my tooth.

To my relief, the pain stopped almost immediately and the tooth has been fine, I am due to go back to see my dentist next week to finish off the rest of the root canal treatment.

The only thing that I have noticed is that almost on the same night and for the next few nights after the dentist dressed my tooth, bits of temporary filling have been breaking away from my tooth and now there is a concavity where the filling has worn down. Is this normal or something that I should be worried about?

[Dr Vahid Motahar]

Hi,

Thank you for your question.

The importance of the temporary filling is that it creates the seal on your tooth and prevents contamination that is essential for completion of the second stage. If the dressing is all gone then you need to see the dentist asap to reestablish the seal after cleaning the tooth. Having said that, depending to the material used for temporary dressing, a lot of times a bit of it comes off or as you mentioned it wears down. As long as the seal is still present and is not broken, then it is fine and you must just avoid eating on it.