I had a root canal and temporary cap on my front tooth Thursday afternoon. It's worse today than yesterday.?

Question

Today is Saturday and the pain is worse and the area between my lip and nose is swollen yet the gums look okay- not red or inflamed. Dentist office is closed for the weekend so I can't ask them. Is this normal??

Answer 1

You probably needed to be placed on an antibiotic therapy and quite possibly may need to have the tooth re-opened and drained now depending on the amount of swelling.  There is an obvious infection at the apex of the tooth causing the swelling and fluid to build up, with no way for it to drain without the tooth being opened again.  

This is not uncommon and can be serious; every dentist takes emergency calls from their patients over the weekends.  You can take Advil or Motrin 600mg every 4-6 hours which will help to alleviate some of the discomfort from the inflammation.  But you should call your dentist office today; everyone has an emergency number or a service.  You will need to be placed on medication or seen this weekend since there is swelling in this area, so don't hesitate to call your dentist asap.  

Additional information:  I doubt this is from the injection site or from an ill fitting temporary crown on an anterior tooth.  In any case, call your dentist since he is more informed concerning your dental treatment and can actually see you for an evaluation regarding this pain and swelling before it gets any worse.

Answer 2

If your gums are not swollen or inflamed it is definately not coming from an infection of the root canal. A root canal is done to remove the dead nerves in your tooth that causes gum infection. Signs of gum infection would be bleeding and gums getting swollen. You had a prep for your crown, so you must had taken a injection before starting your treatment. If you are swollen not anywhere near your mouth, you better see a doctor quick, it could be implications of the injection.

Answer 3

Hello...Ok, to begin with, your dentist should have an "Emergency" phone number on his office answering machine...If your really hurting call that number...You could have one or both of two possible issues going on....I will assume the tooth had an abscess at it's root that necessitated the RC...When the RC was done the DDS should have treated the root area by injecting medication through the empty nerve canal. He should have also given you oral antibiotics to take over the next two weeks...The pain you feel could be due to on going presence of infectious material still around the root of the tooth...That not being the case, it's possible that the Temp Crown is not seated in a manner that allows your jaws to close without the Crown hitting before any other teeth come together...that premature contact can send a shock wave through the tooth and cause pain....I will also assume that the DDS gave you information as to what OTC meds you can take for post RC discomfort...If not, Tylenol, Advil or Aleve should work unless one of the issues above is going on. If your in true pain, call the DDS office emergency number. Good luck and I wish you well.

Answer 4

if its getting worse it could be infected.. i would suggest you go to the emergency room and get it checked out... i wouldnt advise you to wait all weekend on the dentist office....

Answer 5

It isn't that uncommon.  I would call your dentist and ask for a decadron prescription.  To be safe call your dentist.  Ask for decadron.