Expert: Frederick R. Liewehr DDS, MS, FICD - 10/13/2005

Question
Hi,

I had a root canal on tooth #18 on Friday 10/7 and had it completed on Tues 10/11. I still have soreness and when ever I bight down I shot through the roof. My doctor put me on Amoxacillan, 500mg 3x a day. The Amox is making sick to my stomach and I am still feeling some pain and discomfort. Please send me any suggestion you may have. I still need to have the (something I forget what's it called) and core done. Thanks

Answer
Hi Dawn,
    I am sorry to hear that you are having so much trouble with your root canal therapy. That is really somewhat unusual; normally things go quite well. So, your dentist needs to figure out what the problem is. It is impossible for me to speculate or have any idea what is wrong without seeing you, examining you, and looking at your radiographs. Anything I tell you could be completely off base, and send you in the wrong direction, which would be worse than nothing at all. So, I recommend that you go back to your dentist and get a definite diagnosis of your problem, or find an endodontist who can help you. Unfortunately, dentists tend to be very quick about prescribing antibiotics even when they haven't got a clue about what the problem really is. It is entirely possible that you don't need them at all. If you get a sharp pain when you bite down, your tooth may actually be vertically fractured. I just can't say without having a lot more information. So, please see someone locally who can help. Sorry I can't do you any more good. Good luck!

Dr. Liewehr