Expert: Mark Bornfeld DDS - 8/28/2007

Question
Hi,

Hope you can help me with this. 2 years ago I fractured my front tooth and had a large filing done. I had no problems apart from some sensitivity if I bit down had. After two years I developed an abscess and have under gone root canal treatment. I Had two appointments where my dentist drained the infection and then he filled the tooth. It has now been 2 weeks since the tooth was filled and I still have slight sensitivity when putting my upper and lower teeth together. There is NO tenderness around the gum or if I gently tap the tooth as there was before the root canal, put I thought once the root canal was done it would have no feeling at all?. Does this mean there is a problem with the root canal? or is it just that the tooth needs more time to settle down. My dentist did mention there may be some pain for a couple of days but this has been 2 weeks.

Answer
Dear Jonathan,

Your dentist was a bit over-optimistic when he estimated only two days of postoperative symptoms. In fact, many successful root canal treatments are followed by a subjective sense of the tooth being somehow "different" for several weeks, and sometimes several months.

Of course, it is impossible to rule out some complication in your case, but it's far too early to make that determination so soon after conclusion of therapy. You should allow more time for symptoms to resolve, and return to your dentist if the pain either fails to improve over the next few weeks or if it worsens. It is customary for a dentist to assess the quality of a root canal result at the next regularly scheduled check up, so the condition of the tooth will later be evaluated regardless of how it feels.

Hope this helps...

Mark Bornfeld DDS
www.dentaltwins.com
Brooklyn, NY