Root canal part 2

[LesPaulCustom]

Before anybody bitches about me starting this thread again, yes I know its out there somewhere but I dont have the patience to look for it....

I had the root canal yesterday and oh God that hurt!!!! Yesterday was a lose/lose situation. I had the choice of either hurting or taking hydrocodone or perc's and being sick. Anyway, today it doesnt hurt too awful much, more sore than anything...but just a few minutes ago I was running my tongue over my gums (bad habit). I noticed that Ive got this HUGE ASS pocket of infection still there. I thought once the root canal was done and over, that was it....is this infection supposed to be there still??? It feels like Ive got a bead or something stuck up and under my gums....and whats worse is its my damn upper front tooth....it hurts to scratch my nose (or pick...whichever hehehe)...seriously, is it supposed to be infected still???

Mrs LPC

[dg]

Re: Root canal part 2

2 possibilities that I can think of here. First, if the reason for the root canal was an abscess, it is pretty common for the infection to spread to the area adjacent to the root of the tooth and cause pain and swelling there. It should get better after the root canal and treatment with antibiotics. If they didn't presribe antibiotics, then you probably didn't have an abscess. The second possibility is that the dentist had to use a device called a Ligajet to inject anesthetic directly into the ligament surrounding the root of the tooth. It takes a great deal of pressure to do this type of injection and it can cause pain & tenderness for a few days afterward. The Ligajet is a bitch, but sometimes it's the only thing that will get the tooth numb enough to work on. Did they prescribe anything for post-op pain or at least recommend anything? If not, I would take Alleve, maybe 2 every 8 hours or so (not on an empty stomach) to help relieve both the pain & inflammation. The bottom line here is that it should be improving. If it feels like it's getting worse, then you need to go back and have them check it out right away. I hope you start feeling better soon!