The root canal refers to a dental treatment that most people experience once in their lifetime. Everyone thinks that root canal treatment is painful, and they are afraid of it. Root canal treatment is cleaning the nerves in a tooth root. A specialist who does this treatment called an endodontist. Based on the opinion of an endodontist Toronto, with root canal treatment, germs and bacteria in the tooth root are eliminated and can no longer spread inside the gum tissue and the jawbone.
It is usual for dentists to encounter patients with severe toothache who need the root canal treatment, but some patients still feel pain for a few days after the treatment process. The degree and the duration of the pain may even vary from one patient to another. Pain after the treatment is somehow normal, but you should visit your dentist quickly if it continues for several days.
Patients always have many questions about the possibility of pain after endodontics. Usually, the most common question is whether the “nerve” in the tooth root has been extracted entirely or not, and how a tooth without nerves still feels the pain? The truth is that the treatment is not limited to removing the nerve from the tooth root.
Root canal treatment or endodontics involves cleaning the tooth root canals at the right length and blocking the canal pathway with synthetic materials. The microorganisms and microbes inside the root canal are cleared so that germs can’t grow in the future again. The whole treatment may require at least 1 to 3 sessions and is considered a precise and time-consuming task. You may have pain after endodontics. If you have pain before the treatment, you are more likely to have pain after it too.
This pain does not necessarily show the treatment is not appropriately done, or there is still something wrong with your tooth. The pain feeling in the human body, especially in the head and neck, is very complicated. Sometimes, even though the pain’s underlying cause is removed, the peripheral and central nervous systems continue to stimulate the pain and cause an inflammatory reaction. So, in some cases, the patient feels severe pain and swelling after the root canal treatment, especially in the first 24 hours, which seems normal. You don’t need to be worried since you can control the pain by some prescribed painkillers.
Even for a few days after endodontics, toothache, while chewing, or sensitivity to cold and hot food is usual. The dentists usually try to manage the pain by prescribing some medications. Painkillers typically work better if taken before anesthesia, but you should consult with your dentist first.
In general, pain killers and antibiotics should be taken on time to work the best. If you have severe pain or swelling, keep calm, and call your dentist. Endodontics is not a painful treatment, but in some patients and cases, a bit of post-treatment pain, that can be controlled with medication, is expected.