Hi I have a question,almost 3 weeks ago I had 2 crowns prepped, the dentist said they were really deep cavities but he didn't think I would need a root canal. I went home with pain medicine which worked pretty well but the minute it wore off the pain was back and it was bad. Last week I went and had the permenant crowns put on. I was in alot of pain and told him I didn't think we should put the permenants on until I was sure I didn't need a root canal. He x rayed the teeth and tapped on them and said he was still sure I wouldn't need a root canal. I trusted him and agreed to put the permenants on. The temps had been high and he thought that may have cause my "sensitivity" ( that's the dentists word for PAIN). The permenants are on and I still have pain. He said it could last for 6 weeks or so to settle down. That seems like an awful long time to me to wait. I really don't want an unnecessary root canal but does it really take 6 weeks to settle down? I really can't afford 2 root canals after I paid for crowns and braces but I can't live in pain either. The pain medicine works but when it starts to wear off I get grumpy fast. Are most people in so much pain after crowns?

Help!!!

Jill

You might very well need root canal treatment on the teeth. For something to show up as a dark area around the roots on an x-ray, almost 40% of the bone there needs to be lost. So there can be a problem with the nerve and the x-rat appears normal. If he said that the decay was deep, that would be a clue that the nerve already was traumatized. I'd recommend asking your dentist for a referral to an endodontist for his evaluation and treatment, if needed.

I agree that x-rays don't necessary show if a tooth needs root canal or not, the tooth nerves could be just so inflammed that it is dying yet x-ray can't tell. If OTC pain medications can control your pain then wait it out like a few more weeks may not be a bad idea unless the pain is getting worse, that would then need to have an endo. to test on the teeth. I'd prefer to have an endo to do my root canal, although may be more expensive, they are better equipped and qualified especially on teeth with multiple roots. Good luck.