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Why You May Feel Pain After A Root Canal Treatment

A root canal treatment is usually ordered to treat an infected tooth's root and its associated pain, but there are cases where you can still end up with pain after the treatment. Here are some of the common causes of pain after a root canal oral surgery:

Inflammation

By its nature, the root canal treatment process will not be gentle on the root of the affected tooth. The dentist has to remove the infected tissues before the area can be cleaned, sterilized, and sealed to prevent further infection. This means that the tissues at the root of your tooth will be bruised, and this bruising will lead to inflammation a short while after the treatment. Inflammation causes pain when the leaking fluid, which swells the tissues, presses against the tissues or affects the nerves of your tooth.

Infection        

Ideally, the cleaning, treatment, and sealing of the root of the affected tooth should rid it of all germs and prevent further infection. However, such ideals aren't always realized in the real world. It is possible for some germs to remain, especially if the infection had spread much further than the dentist believed. Such remnant germs may cause a flare up of an infection after the treatment and cause a lot of pain. It is also possible for fresh bacteria to attack the same site, causing another infection.

Gum Tissue Trauma  

A root canal treatment may take more than one visit depending on the difficulty of accessing the affected roots as well as the number of canals involved. During each visit, the dentist will place a rubber dam around the affected tooth to isolate it from the rest of the mouth and avoid infections. The rubber dam is usually held in place by metal prongs, which may pinch or bruise nearby gums. This means you may feel pain in your gums, even though it is the root of the tooth that was actually being treated.

Unusually High Temporary Filling

Lastly, you may also feel some pain if the temporary filling that the dentist has placed is higher than it should be. The temporary filling is usually used to protect the tooth from germs and injuries while the treatment is ongoing (if the treatment requires multiple visits). The filling may give you pain if it is higher than it should be and presses down on the wound when you close your mouth, for example, when eating.

Most dental treatments are followed by a short period of discomfort. Therefore, consult your dentist if your discomfort doesn't go away or intensifies.