Should my mouth hurt this much?

June 19, 2006 2:14 PM

I had two root canals on two upper right molars and now my entire mouth hurts. Is this common?

After one emergency root canal because of a broken tooth a week before, I went back to the dentist on Saturday and had another pulpotomy on the molar right beside the formerly broken tooth. The dentist the built up and put temporary crowns on both teeth, and he was wonderful. Now, however, my rest of my mouth is throbbing and aches on top of the pain from the treated site. My gums aren't swollen anywhere but on the area that was worked on and there are no other significant symptoms. Has this happened to anyone else? Should I be concerned?

posted by nuala to health (19 comments total)

This is normal. The dentist told me it shouldn't hurt but might. 'Might' in these cases always means 'will'. Get him to write a prescription for some painkillers, if it's unbearable.
posted by cellphone at 2:20 PM on June 19, 2006

Get him to write a prescription for painkillers ANYWAY, there's no reason to be a tough guy here.
posted by haikuku at 2:31 PM on June 19, 2006

Yes, very common, root canal surgery is very traumatic on the gum and nerves. A third (of many more to come) for the painkillers
posted by vito90 at 2:33 PM on June 19, 2006

yes, by God, of course it's normal -- you've had massive trauma to your gums and mouth. mouth pain, even headaches -- it's all par for the course. just rest and good luck.
posted by matteo at 2:42 PM on June 19, 2006

I've been hurting ever since the procedures, which I expected, but the rest of my teeth hurting wasn't something I considered at all. I have a prescription for painkillers and I'd never try to be a hero (can't see the point) but it hasn't seemed to make a real dent in the discomfort. There's something about anything in your head hurting that is crazy making.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts so far.
posted by nuala at 2:52 PM on June 19, 2006

Oh yeah. After I had my wisdom teeth pulled, the pain was severe enough that my whole head hurt. It radiated down my neck and shoulders.
posted by lunalaguna at 2:53 PM on June 19, 2006

The Vicodin didn't work for me, by the way. They had to stuff benzocaine-soaked gauze down in there. Might be an option for you.
posted by lunalaguna at 2:54 PM on June 19, 2006

I had a root canal about 3 weeks ago, and just had my temporary crown put on this morning. Post-root canal my entire mouth was throbbing with pain--vicodin was useless. Today's procedure didn't hurt at all, but I'd imagine that because you had a crown put on so soon after a root canal, the pain would be intensified.
posted by killjoy at 3:34 PM on June 19, 2006

Chiming in again that it's TOTALLY normal and that I hope you feel better soon. Mouth stuff hurts the worst, IMHO.
posted by tastybrains at 4:08 PM on June 19, 2006

I take that back. My mouth is throbbing. Pain is inevitable.
posted by killjoy at 4:31 PM on June 19, 2006

Yes it hurts, after. But here's the thing: after this general pain from the root canal trauma fades out, in a few days, that tooth will never hurt again. Can't -- its nerves are gone.

It's why I love the root canal, have had four, would like to have all the rest done pronto (but dentistry and insurance coverage doesn't work that way).

You younger readers won't know how bad tooth pain can be, until you enter root canal territory (for me, this occured at age 40). And once everything's done, and your new crown is in place, you can eat again, without pain. The root canal is a blessing (and when performed with modern techniques, painless, during the procedure).
posted by Rash at 4:39 PM on June 19, 2006

You younger readers won't know how bad tooth pain can be, until you enter root canal territory (for me, this occured at age 40). And once everything's done, and your new crown is in place, you can eat again, without pain. The root canal is a blessing (and when performed with modern techniques, painless, during the procedure).
posted by Rash at 6:39 PM CST on June 19 [+fave] [!]

I had two root canals when I was 19, and one of the crowns came off last year. :( So it's not totally permanent. I HATE JOLLY RANCHERS
posted by cellphone at 5:55 PM on June 19, 2006

Hey.. i've had about 5 root canals over the last few years. I hate them.

Yes, you should have some pain, and unforunately, it will be sore all over. Try using some sensodine, it helps a bit and ibeprofin will work wonders as well.

good luck!
posted by punkrockrat at 6:51 PM on June 19, 2006

Ahhh... it's so good to know that I'm not the only one. I've been sitting here all afternoon desperate for relief and boggled by the vicodin not working. I'll call my dentist tomorrow and mentioned the benzocaine that you suggested, lunalaguna. And I'm sorry, killjoy that you've mouth pain now, too.

Punkrockrat, I just so happen to have sensodyne in the house, but I'm wondering whether or not I should wait until the gums are less irritated. I tried brushing last night and I suspect it's the reason I'm suffering as much as I am right now. I irritated the gums. Argh!

I know I'll be better off when this is all finished but I also have at least two more root canals to go, so it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel just yet.
posted by nuala at 8:18 PM on June 19, 2006

After my root canal the dentist recommended ibuprofen because it's an anti-inflamatory. She had also prescribed codeine before the root canal, but she said that anti-inflamatories are better for the healing stage.
posted by oneirodynia at 8:29 PM on June 19, 2006

Personal experience: I too had a double root canal (it was not emergency but it was serious enough that it had to get resolved quickly).

The following day pain (unpleasant but no big deal; OTC painkillers worked, I could deal with it) gave way to PAIN later in the evening - the ibuprofin wasn't cutting it anymore and there was no ignoring it. The next day it was pretty unbearable and I went back to the dentist early.

Turned out some of the abcess had been missed in the initial procedure, and after all the messing around in there it went crazy. The trip to the dentist resolved the problem and it was finished up without further problem.

So, pay attention if the pain increases, it should level out and decrease within a few days, but on the small chance you were to have a problem like mine - well, in my case there was no question something was wrong, it was excruciating.

Supporting what oneirodynia mentions I found ibuprofen superior to codeine, which my dentist had prescribed (tylenol 3) for easing the pain.
posted by nanojath at 9:23 PM on June 19, 2006

Oh, and prepare for an unhappy mouth again after the session when the permanent crowns are put on. Sorry.
posted by nanojath at 9:25 PM on June 19, 2006

I had my first (and I hope only!) root canal last year and yes, my whole mouth hurt. I was given a prescription for Tylenol 3 and it worked fine, although the pain continued a lot longer than I expected. You might try to get a script for that from your dentist.
posted by deborah at 1:38 PM on June 20, 2006

Thank you, everyone. I was really scared but my mouth is feeling incrementally better. I've got a prescription for ibuprofen that is helping a tad. That combined with salt water rinses are making things look brighter.
posted by nuala at 12:59 AM on June 21, 2006