Expert: Frederick R. Liewehr DDS, MS, FICD - 11/10/2006

Question
Hello;

I hope you can help me.  Long story, but I had a root canal redone this past February by a root canal specialist and when he was cleaning out the root canal with the instrument that cleans out the canal, the small tip of the instrument broke off inside of the canal and for so long I thought that the reason it is still hurting is because the crown needed adjusting.  Now I am begging to wonder.  The dentist actually disclosed to me that this had happened but told me that I shouldn’t have any problems from it in the future.  I have gotten the crown adjusted so many times from my regular dentist that now the upper and lower teeth are no longer touching each other, which is what is wanted.  I cannot go back to the root canal specialist because he has moved out of state.

However, the tooth is still “slightly” throbbing every now and then and sometimes I can’t sleep very well because of it.  My question is, Do you think it is still hurting because of the small tip instrument that broke off while having the root canal done?  And if so, what can I do about it now?  I don’t want to lose the tooth but I do want to get back to normal.

Any suggestions or comment to help will be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Kerri
Florida


Answer
Unfortunately I can't answer that type of specific question very well without seeing you and your radiographs. However, the studies that have been done all indicate that a fractured instrument in your tooth, per se, will not cause you a problem. However, you were having the tooth retreated, and normally this is done because more cleaning was necessary. The broken instrument could prevent that cleaning from being done, and therefore prevent a successful retreatment. That said, fractured instruments are unfortunately a fact of life. At this point, your tooth may require surgical retreatment. I wish I could give you more specific advice, but that is the best I can do without seeing you. Please consult another endodontist for help. Good luck!

Dr. Liewehr