The signs of a root canal failure may include: Tooth sensitivity or root canal pain when biting down. A pimple or boil on the jaw. Discoloration of the tooth.
Tenderness or pain in the tooth when applying pressure, even after recovering from treatment. Swelling after recovery or pimple-like structures developing and leaking pus in the area. Temperature sensitivity, such as a quick, sharp pain after taking a sip of hot coffee or cold soda.
1. Pain. It is normal to have some discomfort for a few days after your root canal. If you have severe pain that lingers, though, or if your tooth feels better and then starts hurting again, you may be experiencing a root canal failure.
A successful root canal is not painful (it may take some days to settle as the dentist will have instrumented and aggravated the tissues around the end of the tooth). There are no symptoms or tenderness and mobility has not increased. There is no draining sinus present and ligament surrounding the tooth appears normal.
What Can Happen if My Root Canal Was Left Partially Done? During a root canal the infected area is cleaned out and sealed. If the root canal is not complete this can allow bacteria to enter the area again and cause infection. The infection can spread to other areas of the mouth or jawbone.
One of the most common causes of post-root canal tooth pain is inflammation, which can be caused by the procedure itself or because the infection caused the tooth ligament to become swollen. In these cases, the swelling will subside in the days and weeks following the root canal, and the pain will resolve on its own.
If a dentist drills too deep, he or she might cut through the bottom of the tooth. This can create an infection, swelling, and failure of the procedure. A failed root canal may lead to loss of the tooth, damage to the jaw bone, and gum issues.
When you have tooth pain such as a tooth infection, antibiotics can go a long way in helping to address the infection, but unfortunately, antibiotics cannot completely heal an infected tooth. What's more, if you're dealing with an infected root canal, antibiotics really are not going to cut it.
At times, however, a root canal treatment fails and tooth infection progresses. How does a root canal treatment fail? Under normal situations, the long-term success rate for root canal treatment ranges between 80-90% and there is a failure percentage of 10-20%.
Some Minor Pain Is Normal After Root Canal Treatment
If you have had a root canal in the last few days and you're experiencing some minor pain, discomfort, and inflammation, this is nothing to worry about. This is normal and a relatively common issue.
Most typically, intense pain that sticks around longer than a week after a root canal indicates that the infection is still there and the root canal wasn't successful and may warrant medication, additional cleaning of the canals, or other procedures.
When a root canal fails, the patient experiences infection or discomfort — either continued from before or new. It is crucial the patient receives appropriate treatment in a timely manner since the infection can spread to other teeth or lead to illness. Plus, the sooner pain can be relieved, the better!
Occasionally, an infection can persist or reemerge after you have undergone root canal therapy. When this happens, retreatment of the root canal might become necessary. If that approach is unable to completely and fully eradicate the infection, root canal surgery can resolve the issue.
New decay can expose the root canal filling material to bacteria, causing a new infection in the tooth. A loose, cracked or broken crown or filling can expose the tooth to new infection.
A dentist can repeat a root canal treatment on a tooth two or more times. While teeth that undergo a root canal procedure can last a lifetime, some of these teeth may not heal properly due to salivary contamination and other reasons.
Root canal therapy is recommended when teeth can be saved with treatment, while an extraction is performed when the tooth's structure is too damaged, or a crack goes beneath the gum's surface, not leaving enough structure for stability or use after the repair.
Your dentist may be responsible for a bad root canal treatment. It ultimately depends on why your root canal failed. If your dentist did not provide an acceptable standard of treatment or live up to their duty-of-care mandate, you might incur unnecessary pain and suffering with root canal complications.
4-6 hours after the RCT is completed you may notice an aching/throbbing sensation at the tip of the roots, and surrounding tissues. This is normal, and should steadily get better over the next few days. If the symptoms worsen, or you have swelling present please call the office immediately for an evaluation.
Frustration can ensue, however, when pain persists (lasting longer than a week), and a common question from patients is, “I had a root canal, so why am I still in pain?” One meta-analysis reports that 5% of patients may experience pain that can last six months or longer after root canal therapy.
If you're experiencing any tooth pain or sensitivity, there are some at-home remedies to help relieve the pain: Place ice over the area that's sore or tender. Apply a hot pack to the side of your jaw. Take over-the-counter pain relievers (Advil, Tylenol, etc.)
An obstruction within the canal that prevents the dentist from reaching the end of the canal. Calcified canals. If the tooth is infected, time may be needed in order to allow infection to completely clear.
In most cases, the sensitivity and discomfort associated with a root canal should go away within a few days. If it does not get better, or if the pain is severe or unrelieved by home measures, it is important to call the endodontist or dentist for an evaluation.
The amount of time it takes for re-treatment of an old root canal to fully heal varies, depending on the severity and complexity of the procedure. Generally, you can expect the healing process to take anywhere from one to four weeks.