Do root canals hurt? If you are due for a root canal treatment in the near future and have never had one before, you are probably wondering what level of pain to expect.
The good news is that the root canal procedure itself is completely pain free, provided that the infected tooth and the surrounding tissues have been sufficiently numbed before the procedure.
Where you might experience some pain following a root canal is in the aftermath. Also, in order to numb the affected area before performing the procedure, it is necessary for your dentist to inject local anesthesia, which in itself can be painful until the numbing effect sets in.
In other words, there is no way for you to completely eliminate pain from the equation when you are getting a root canal treatment. But thanks to local anesthesia, the pain associated with a root canal treatment is relatively minor.
There are also plenty of practical things you can do to lessen the inevitable pain and swelling following a root canal procedure. We are going to discuss all of them later on in this article.
What kind pain is normal after a root canal procedure?
If you need a root canal, there is no alternative treatment you can opt for instead. Root canal procedures are only performed if the dental decay and infection has spread throughout the entire tooth and a normal filling is not enough to fix the problem. It is extremely important to stop the infection from spreading from the tooth roots to the gums and surrounding tissues and bones, where it can eventually become life threatening. In other words, never delay a root canal procedure if you need one, even if you are worried about about the root canal treatment being painful. Besides, an infected tooth in need of root canal therapy that is left untreated is inevitably going to cause you much more severe tooth pain than a root canal procedure ever will.
It is standard for dentists to use local anesthesia for root canal procedures. The endodontic treatment starts by using local anaesthetic to numb the affected tooth and the surrounding nerves and tissue. Then, the abscessed tooth is opened so that the dentist is able to access and remove the pulp inside it. During a root canal, both the main chamber and the roots of the tooth are cleaned and disinfected, then filled with a temporary filling. Depending on how serious your tooth infection is, your root canal therapy may require several visits to the dentist’s office.
Most patients experience the actual procedure as completely pain free, although it is common to feel some pressure and tugging while the dentist is working on the infected tooth. Still, the discomfort caused by this is nothing compared to the pain you would feel if if the gums and tissues surrounding the treated tooth had not been numbed beforehand.
After the procedure, once the anesthesia wears off, you are likely to experience mild pain around the newly operated tooth. This is perfectly normal and is to be expected.
In the vast majority of cases, any pain and discomfort following a root canal procedure will slowly fade on its own and disappear within a week or two with the proper aftercare.
But why, you may ask, does it take weeks for the soreness and pain to subside? Here are the three most common reasons.
Swollen and inflamed gum tissue
If you are experiencing mild pain and discomfort for days or even up to a couple of weeks following your root canal procedure, the most likely reason for this is that the gum tissue surrounding the affected tooth has become irritated and inflamed as a result of the procedure.
A root canal treatment can be rather abrasive in the sense that the dentist has to remove not only all of the pulp from inside the affected tooth, but also the nerves from the roots. Inevitably, all of the tugging and digging can cause the surrounding nerves and tissues to become inflamed, and it is perfectly normal for it to take days or even a few weeks for them to calm down again.
Tissue damage
In order to carefully remove all of the pulp, tissues and nerves from the infected tooth, the dentist uses a number of sharp instruments.
In some cases, these instruments may have accidentally left small abrasions or cuts on your gums or other mouth tissues. These minute cuts will heal, but until they do they may cause you some pain and discomfort. If you do have minor abrasions or cuts from the dental instruments used during your root canal treatment, it becomes even more important to keep the affected area clean during the healing process.
High temporary filling
After getting your root canal and before a permanent crown is installed to protect the newly operated tooth, the dentist uses a temporary filling to protect the tooth from reinfection.
Occasionally, the temporary filing may be too high, and as a result it may cut your tongue or simply scape against your other teeth and prevent you from closing your mouth properly without pain. If you suspect that your temporary filling is too high, you should arrange a trip to the dental office to get it filed down to a more comfortable size.
How to manage and reduce pain following root canal therapy
During your root canal procedure, the pain you would otherwise feel is taken care of by the local anaesthesia. It is really the pain after the procedure you should be more worried about.
Fortunately, there are plenty of things you can do to manage and minimize root canal pain, until it fades away completely on its own.
Prioritise oral hygiene
This might be old news to you, but the importance of staying on top of your daily oral hygiene habits while recovering from any dental procedure cannot be overstated.
If you are experiencing root canal pain, it may be tempting to avoid the area with your toothbrush, or at least, to pass over it very lightly. Unfortunately, this is not a good strategy, as a freshly operated tooth is inherently much more vulnerable to infection.
In order for your tooth to heal properly and not become reinfected, it is important to keep it as clean as you can throughout the healing process. This means brushing your teeth at least twice a day, using dental floss, and sticking with a high fluoride toothpaste and mouthwash.
If you find yourself flinching under the bristles of your usual toothbrush, switch over to a soft-bristled toothbrush instead. A soft-bristled brush will allow you to clean your teeth properly without being too abrasive on them. Using small, circular movements rather than back-and-forth ones also helps.
Take over-the-counter medications
Taking over the counter medication in the short term is a perfectly acceptable way of dealing with the short-term pain and discomfort you may be experiencing in the wake of root canal therapy.
Ibuprofen is a particularly good option, as it helps reduce swelling as well as pain.
Avoid biting down on the affected tooth
One of the most important things you can do following a root canal procedure is to simply not bite down too hard on the newly operated tooth until the pain has receded.
This is, of course, easier said than done. A few things that may help include drinking through liquid through a straw and cutting your food into smaller pieces before eating it.
Temporarily switch to a mostly soft and liquid diet
Of course, you will still have to eat in the days immediately following your procedure, but there is no need to choose tough, sinewy meats, hard candies or bread products that require you tearing them with your teeth. You should also avoid crisps and biscuits – any food that may cause little splinter-like crumbs to get into the newly operated area. Spicy foods are another no-go.
Some of the best foods you can consume while waiting for root canal pain to go away include boiled eggs, avocado, yoghurt, chopped banana, soups (As long as they are not too hot!), smoothies and well-boiled pasta.
When to seek help
Are there instances where the pain does not subside naturally following a root canal?
Absolutely. These instances are rare, but it can happen that your tooth becomes reinfected, that the filling has cracked or broken, or that the crown has not been installed properly.
If, after the first couple of weeks following your root canal procedure, the pain has not faded, you should call up your dentist office and ask to be seen as soon as possible. Whether your tooth has become reinfected, the infection has spread to any surrounding tissues or facial bones, or if the filling has cracked, it is important to get the problem identified and treated as soon as possible.
In the rare instance that your dentist is unable to find any issues and you are still experiencing pain, you should see a different dentist for a second opinion.
Root canal pain FAQ
How painful is a root canal procedure?
Root canals themselves are pain-free, thanks to the use of local anesthesia. It is, however, still common to feel pressure and pulling while the dentist is operating the tooth and removing the tooth decay.
Most of the pain associated wit root canals comes before and after the procedure itself. Before undergoing the endodontic treatment, the pain caused by the infected pulp is likely to be significant. You may also feel some pain as the local anaesthesia is being injected, as well as following the treatment itself, as the surrounding gums and nerves will have been disturbed by all of the pulling and the pressure.
Is root canal treatment very painful?
No, fortunately not.
Back in the day, before local anesthesia was a thing, root canal treatment was extremely painful. But now, thanks to the dentist’s ability to numb both the affected tooth and the surrounding tissues, you will not feel any pain at all during the procedure.
Having said that, you will still feel some pressure and pulling, as well as some minor pain and discomfort following the procedure. This, however, can easily be managed with normal over-the-counter pain medication such as Ibuprofen.
How long does a root canal take?
The standard amount of time it takes to perform a root canal procedure is 30 minutes to an hour. In some cases, where the teeth roots are particularly crooked and therefore difficult to clean out, it can take longer.
How long does the pain last after a root canal?
The pain and discomfort you feel immediately following a root canal treatment is going to gradually fade over the course of a few days.
In some cases, if your surrounding mouth tissues have become inflamed as a result the pressure and pulling involved in the procedure or if the surgical instrument used by the dentist to remove the pulp have left small cuts or abrasions, the pain can take longer to fade.
In all instances, any root canal hurt should be gone by the two week mark following the procedure. If you are still experiencing pain after the first two weeks, it could be a sign that something is wrong. Your tooth may have become reinfected, your temporary filling may be too high and scraping against your other teeth when you try to close your mouth, or the filling may have broken or cracked inside the tooth.
If you are still experiencing pain after two weeks, contact your dentist immediately and set up a new appointment.
How long does the pain last after a root canal?
The pain and discomfort you feel immediately following a root canal treatment is going to gradually fade over the course of a few days.
In some cases, if your surrounding mouth tissues have become inflamed as a result the pressure and pulling involved in the procedure or if the surgical instrument used by the dentist to remove the pulp have left small cuts or abrasions, the pain can take longer to fade.
In all instances, any root canal hurt should be gone by the two week mark following the procedure. If you are still experiencing pain after the first two weeks, it could be a sign that something is wrong. Your tooth may have become reinfected, your temporary filling may be too high and scraping against your other teeth when you try to close your mouth, or the filling may have broken or cracked inside the tooth.
If you are still experiencing pain after two weeks, contact your dentist immediately and set up a new appointment.
Bottom line
Root canals are, thankfully, pain free procedures.
Having said that, some level of discomfort and pain is inevitable following the procedure itself. This is perfectly normal, as the tissues surrounding your freshly operated tooth will have been disturbed and irritated by the pushing, the pulling and the surgical instruments involved in performing the procedure.
Fortunately, managing the pain after a root canal treatment is very doable, thanks to over-the-counter painkillers and the other steps you can take to drastically reduce the amount of pain you are likely to feel. To recap, some of the most important things you can do to manage and reduce pain following a root canal procedure is to stay on top of your oral hygiene, switching to a soft-bristled toothbrush and a mostly soft and liquid diet.