Root Canal Pain, Symptoms, Treatment Procedure and Recovery 101
Galvez Dental • Nov 04, 2019

Root canal pain is often excruciating if left untreated. This is everything you need to know about identifying and treating a root canal to save the tooth.

root canal pain

Forget about what you've heard about the pain associated with root canal therapy. In today's day and age, this type of dental procedure can be performed simply and effectively, without the pain you'd expect.

Ultimately, the goal of any dental procedure is never to cause pain. Instead, it's to save an infected tooth and promote good oral health, overall.

If you're scheduled to have a root canal procedure at Galvez Dental , here's what you need to know about root canal treatment and root canal pain levels to put your mind at ease.

What is a Root Canal?

 

This treatment is used to repair and save a tooth that is severely infected or decayed. It is performed by a trained and experienced endodontist, which is a dentist that specializes in treating diseases and injuries to the soft pulp inside your tooth. 


 

Root canal therapy is a procedure done to remove infected dental pulp from inside a tooth. This pulp is made up of blood vessels and nerves, which is why an infection can cause so much pain.  After the infected dental pulp is removed, the inside of the tooth is then cleaned and sealed with a special antibiotic to ensure the infection is completely handled. Then the root canal itself is sealed to prevent reinfection. 


Thankfully, root canals are done with the help of local anesthetic, which means you won’t feel pain during the procedure. Root canals are similar to a dental filling in terms of pain levels and length of the procedure. In fact, you may experience more tooth pain in the lead-up to your root canal treatment due to your infection, rather than during the procedure itself.

The Root Canal Procedure

 

Your root canal treatment will be handled by a trained and experienced endodontist. The first step is a dental x-ray of the infected tooth. This will help your dentist gain important health information about your tooth to ensure the root canal treatment goes smoothly. Then, your dentist will administer a local anesthetic to numb the tooth and gum area. Once your tooth is fully numb, it will be covered by a protective rubber material in order to isolate the area for the procedure. 

 

During this next step, your endodontist will make an opening in the crown of your tooth using a very small drill. This will allow access to the root canals in your tooth. The infected dental pulp will then be removed using a special tool to scrub the infection off the sides of the canal. 


Depending on the severity of your infection, the dentist may seal the tooth right away or may wait. The reason they might wait is if the infection is very tough. If that’s the case, your dentist will put medicine inside the canal to clear up the infection and seal it about a week later at a second visit. The dentist will then put a temporary filling on your tooth to protect it while the medicine clears up the remaining infection. 


The final step is to permanently seal the tooth. The dentist will ensure the inside is clean and apply a sterile material to fill the root canals inside your tooth. This seal will help to prevent reinfection and tooth pain. Depending on what is best for your specific situation, the dentist will then put either a temporary or permanent filling on your tooth. You may need to finish the procedure with a new dental crown to protect and restore your tooth.

Does a Root Canal Hurt?

 

Compared to the pain of an infected tooth, no — a root canal is a momentary discomfort, whereas an infected tooth can last for weeks or even months before you finally lose the tooth. If anything, root canal treatments will help to relieve any pain you feel in the lead up to your procedure. An infected tooth can cause throbbing, intense pain — it may even feel like you need emergency dentistry.


The most uncomfortable part of the root canal procedure is usually the local anesthetic, which is administered through a needle. But once the medicine begins to work, the pain will fade. Aside from some pressure, you should not be able to feel the drilling or cleaning that the dentist performs on your tooth. If you
do start to feel pain during the procedure, please let us know right away so that our team can handle it. At Galvez Dental, our goal is to keep you as comfortable as possible during your dental work. 


When the procedure is complete and the anesthetic wears off, you may feel a little numbness, sensitivity and discomfort for the next few days. We recommend our patients stay away from hard, chewy foods and overly warm or cold drinks, which can aggravate these symptoms. Avoiding these types of food and drink will also help to minimize the risk of infection or prevent a fragile tooth from cracking.


For the first days post-treatment, you can expect your tooth and gums to be a little inflamed. This is an expected side effect; however, if your inflammation becomes severely painful, or if you develop a fever, you should call us immediately to schedule a checkup. The treatment area may also feel sensitive to the touch or while eating. If you experience any pain after your treatment, we recommend you take over-the-counter painkillers such as Advil, Motrin or Aleve. Always make sure to follow the dosage instructions on the packaging.

How to Tell if You Need Root Canal Treatment

 

The infection and inflammation of tooth tissue can be caused by a number of things. Just some of these include deep-tissue decay, a small tooth crack or chip, or repeated dental procedures. An injury to the mouth can also result in tooth infection, even if there are no visible tooth cracks, because the crack may have happened below the gum line where you cannot see.


If a tooth infection is left untreated, this can lead to the development of a 
gum abscess, gum and bone infection, and tooth loss. 


The following are the most common symptoms of a root canal infection: 


  • Sharp, searing pain when biting or chewing on one side of the mouth.
  • Pimples forming on the gums.
  • A cracked or chipped tooth.
  • Extreme sensitivity to hot and cold, even after you have swallowed what's in your mouth.
  • Tender, swollen gums that bleed a little more than they should.
  • Darkening of the gums.


In short, you'll know when there's something wrong with your tooth — it will be painful, uncomfortable and very sensitive. It's best to book a dental appointment sooner rather than later to give your dentist the best chance at saving your tooth. We can help to alleviate the pain and remove the infection before it spreads to your gums, other teeth, or jawbone and threatens the health of your other teeth. 

Root Canal Recovery: What to Expect

 

As mentioned, you may experience tooth sensitivity and swelling of the general area. This inflammation is your body's natural response to the root canal procedure. You should be able to manage it with over-the-counter painkillers for a few days. These symptoms should only last for a few days after your treatment. However, if the painkillers do not help because the inflammation is too severe, or if your symptoms are not going away after a few days, please call us to schedule a checkup. 


If you have a crown placed on the tooth that received the root canal therapy, you could also experience what feels like an uneven bite as you get used to the tooth crown.


We use a local anesthetic for root canals. This means that the numbness will only affect your mouth and gums. After your procedure, you can return to normal, everyday life without impediment. This means you can drive yourself home, head back to work, operate machinery, etc.


The most important thing is to follow your dentist's instructions post-procedure. This includes 
good oral hygiene, avoiding chewy or hard foods, and avoiding very hot or cold drinks.

Any pain or swelling should subside within two to three days after a root canal procedure.


Once your tooth has fully healed, it will feel and function just like it did before the infection. The goal of root canal therapy is to save your tooth so you can continue to speak, eat and smile without pain.

How a Root Canal Can Save Your Tooth


The root canal procedure was developed to find a way to remove infection without removing the entire tooth. Without it, decaying and infected teeth would likely have to be extracted and replaced with implants. Thanks to modern dentistry, we don’t have to go through all of that just to handle an endodontic infection (one happening in the pulp of your tooth). 


Essentially, your dentist aims to remove all infected parts of the inside of a tooth during a root canal. By removing the infected and inflamed dental pulp, this prevents the spread of infection to your gums and any other teeth too. Once that is done, the dentist will fill the canals in your tooth with a sterile material that replaces the dental pulp and prevents reinfection. All of these aspects of a root canal procedure save the outer shell of your tooth and keep it in place.


The placement of a crown or filling over your tooth keeps it protected and intact, even though all the nerves and blood vessels have been removed. This way, your tooth continues to function just like any other tooth! And the best part is, there is no more pain and a lowered risk for decay thanks to the antibiotic treatment given deep inside your tooth.

Looking For Restorative Dental Care?

 

At Galvez Dental in Stockton, we offer top-notch restorative, cosmetic and preventative dental care. Our team is trained and experienced in dentistry, and we take pride in giving our neighbors healthier, beautiful smiles every day. 


Our aim is to keep your root canal pain to a bare minimum with up-to-date technology, tools and procedures. If you’d like to schedule an appointment to find out if you are a candidate for root canal therapy,
contact us here today.

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