root canal question

[Greyd]

After you get a root canal how long does it hurt?

 

[Drizzy]

Depends on a lot of things. Are you talking sensitivity or your jaw ache from the actual procedure?

 

[Greyd]

Originally posted by: Drizzy
Depends on a lot of things. Are you talking sensitivity or your jaw ache from the actual procedure?

yes

 

[Greyd]

prob more the aching feeling.

 

[MidasKnight]

couple days unless your dealing with infection as well. The one I had suprised me by really not hurting at all.

 

[Drizzy]

The aching should go away within 48 hrs at the most.. usually in the first 24. Take Ibuprofen if it hurts - 800 mg or so at a time but dont exceed 1600 in a 24 hr period. As for sensitivity, that can depend on a lot of factors - how thick your dentin is, how wide your root canals were, etc... I've had a root canal sensitive to cold for over a year. I also had one that didnt seem sensitive at all. YMMV.

Do you have a crown temp on right now? (A metalic temporary cover on your tooth) Those are usually more sensitive than the final crown that you'll have shortly.

 

[Drizzy]

Hopefully your dentist knew what he was doing and got all the infection out. If it constantly aches after 72+ hrs I'd contact your dentist and either have him redo it or get you on anti-biotics. Usually Amoxicillin is what they prescribe.

 

[Greyd]

Originally posted by: Drizzy
The aching should go away within 48 hrs at the most.. usually in the first 24. Take Ibuprofen if it hurts - 800 mg or so at a time but dont exceed 1600 in a 24 hr period. As for sensitivity, that can depend on a lot of factors - how thick your dentin is, how wide your root canals were, etc... I've had a root canal sensitive to cold for over a year. I also had one that didnt seem sensitive at all. YMMV.

Do you have a crown temp on right now? (A metalic temporary cover on your tooth) Those are usually more sensitive than the final crown that you'll have shortly.

I dont have a crown on. My tooth just started hurting all of the sudden. But I'm pretty sure I'll need a root canal. My teeth have really deep valleys and grooves. I just looked at my tooth and there is a small hole in it. The tooth had cracked recently and a hole opened up in it. I've been cleaning it out with a pin and rinsing with mouthwash to keep it clean. I'm just waiting for my dental to kick in so I can take care of it.

 

[Drizzy]

Originally posted by: Greyd

Originally posted by: Drizzy
The aching should go away within 48 hrs at the most.. usually in the first 24. Take Ibuprofen if it hurts - 800 mg or so at a time but dont exceed 1600 in a 24 hr period. As for sensitivity, that can depend on a lot of factors - how thick your dentin is, how wide your root canals were, etc... I've had a root canal sensitive to cold for over a year. I also had one that didnt seem sensitive at all. YMMV.

Do you have a crown temp on right now? (A metalic temporary cover on your tooth) Those are usually more sensitive than the final crown that you'll have shortly.

I dont have a crown on. My tooth just started hurting all of the sudden. But I'm pretty sure I'll need a root canal. My teeth have really deep valleys and grooves. I just looked at my tooth and there is a small hole in it. The tooth had cracked recently and a hole opened up in it. I've been cleaning it out with a pin and rinsing with mouthwash to keep it clean. I'm just waiting for my dental to kick in so I can take care of it.

Ouch. So let me get this straight, did the hole come about because of trauma - like an accident when you it it or something or does it appear to be decay? Decay would have a darker look to it. Is the hole round or broken and jagged?
If it is decay and you can see a hole 99% of the time you'll need a root canal. Cavities form inside the tooth in a pyramid shape so the point of the pyramid is on the surface. That is why dentists probe your tooth with a tool called an "explorer". If it goes in and sticks it has found a pocket of decay inside that isnt visible. Root canals really arent too bad though - once you get your shots to numb up.

 

[JEDI]

dont root canals only preserve the tooth for 10 years or so? then it has to be yanked out since it's beyond hope? then you need a fake tooth put in it's place, which requires drilling into the jaw bone to secure the fake tooth?

 

[Drizzy]

Originally posted by: JEDI
dont root canals only preserve the tooth for 10 years or so? then it has to be yanked out since it's beyond hope? then you need a fake tooth put in it's place, which requires drilling into the jaw bone to secure the fake tooth?

No not at all. Generally a root canal can last much longer than that with the technology they use now. Your crown might have to be replaced but the important thing is that you keep the tooth to prevent bone loss. See, if you were to pull the tooth the jaw bone in that area would slowly erode which is terrible for the neighboring teeth. Plus the eroded bone makes it nearly impossible to insert titanium implants - which are the truly long term solution. So when you are asked whether to pull the tooth or get a root canal, always get the root canal. (unless you're a kid with permanent teeth coming in behind it of course)