If you’re experiencing tooth sensitivity after a root canal, you must consult the dentist in timely manner, or wait a few days for observation and visit the dentist when the situation gets worse. But you can in no way ignore or put off the treatment intentionally.

Root Canal Treatment

People whose tooth is sensitive to hot water after root canal, often feel confused: shouldn’t there be no pain after root canal? What’s wrong with my teeth? Let’s find out below.

Possible reasons for root canal treated tooth being sensitive to hot water could be:

1. Simple tooth sensitivity may be caused by tooth wedge-shaped defects or the exposure of tooth root resulted from gum recession, etc. In this case, brushing with desensitizing toothpaste, receiving desensitization treatment or removing the dental calculus (stimulus) can relieve the pain.

2. Incomplete root canal treatment, for example, the most freuqently-seen is incomplete removal of the bad pulp, which is possibly the fundamental reason. In general, if the pulp has not been removed completely during the procedure, a re-treatment is required. In such case, if the tooth is capped with a crown, the crown must be taken off prior to the treatment, and then replaced by a new one.

3. The sensitivity may be associated with other teeth rather than the root canal treated tooth. In this case, the pain must be treated in a way that suits the case.

If you are unable to find out the cause reason yourself, you can do as follows:

1. Pay a follow-up visit to the dentist. The dentist will take an X-ray to evaluate the outcome of the root canal treatment, and tell whether it is necessary to do a second root canal;

 Taking an X-ray

2. Wait for one week to see the development. If the pain is relieved, and you feel no discomfort, then you can rest assured. If the pain exaggerates, you may need a prompt dental examination.

Is it normal to have pain after root canal?

You may feel pain by the completion of treatment, as the tooth nerves are not removed completely. But that should not occur once the treatment is finished, as the tooth nerves carrying the pain signals are removed. Therefore, post-treatment pain may be a sign of root canal failure, but the exact diagnosis must be based on the X-ray result.

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