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Dentistry/Pain during root canal therapy.

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Question
I had root canal therapy on my tooth and the dentist left the root canal open with some sort of dressing. He asked me to return in a week. I had extreme pain for four days before my second visit. On my second visit I had another root canal done. During my second root canal I felt the most horrific pain. The dentist said that he had missed a nerve or something. I was wondering if pain is normal during root canal therapy.

Answer
Hi David

Unfortunately root canal work can give rise to some pain afterwards, and likewise, during the treatment sometimes it can be painful.  Having said that, your dentist should be able to top up the local if it is painful.

This is because during root canal treatment we are dealing with inflamed and infected pulp tissue which can be very difficult to anaesthetise properly.

Regards

Tony Appleton

Dentistry

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Tony Appleton BDS DPDS

Expertise

I am an experienced general dental practitioner in private dental practice. I have worked for the past 25 or so years in the UK, and own a busy practice in Stratford upon Avon, Stratford Dental. From early 2012 my wife and I moved to Canberra, Australia, where I have taken up the position of Lead Dentist in a large city-centre practice. I will happily answer questions related to general practice, and have interests in endodontics (root canal), dental implants, CEREC/E4D cad-cam dentistry and cosmetic dentistry.

Experience

I have been a general dental practitioner for over 25 years, working initially under the NHS, but since 2001 have been solely in private practice. I run a busy practice with my wife, Lisa, who is also a dentist. I have also been closely involved in the training of young dentists, and have lectured to dentists on a variety of subjects, both clinical and managerial, related to general dental practice.

Organizations

Church Street Dental Practice

Stratford Dental

Modern Dentistry

British Dental Association



Publications

British Dental Journal

Cancer Treatment Reviews



Education/Credentials
BDS Sheffield 1986 DPDS Bristol 2001

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