Why does a root canal hurt?

Everyone has cavities on their teeth to some extent, but mild cavities only form caries inside the teeth. Severe tooth decay can completely hollow out a person's teeth, and at this time the decayed teeth need to be extracted and replaced with new teeth. In the middle stage of tooth decay, most patients will choose root canal treatment because it can effectively treat tooth decay. But why do patients feel so much pain in their teeth after undergoing root canal treatment?

Is root canal treatment painful?

Generally speaking, during root canal treatment, after drilling the tooth under local anesthesia, if the patient can tolerate it, the dental pulp nerve is directly extracted with a barbed needle, and then anti-inflammatory cotton wool is placed in the root canal. Root canal therapy is the most commonly used and effective treatment method for pulp disease and periodontal disease internationally. The principle of root canal therapy is to remove most of the infected substances in the root canal by mechanical and chemical methods, and to prevent the occurrence of periodontal lesions or promote the healing of existing periodontal lesions by filling the root canal and sealing the crown.

Shijiazhuang Sanbo Dental Doctor pointed out that before doing root canal treatment, you must have experienced the pain of toothache. This kind of pain makes it extremely difficult to eat as usual. When the teeth encounter cold or hot stimulation, they will hurt for a long time. You really can't swallow or eat. During work and study, a sudden pain will disturb your mind and make your thoughts confused. You can't think normally at all. At night, the pain will worsen. You can only endure the pain, toss and turn, and hold your head and groan.

After drilling the tooth under local anesthesia, a "nerve-killing" drug is placed in the pulp chamber. Under the action of the drug, the pulp nerve becomes necrotic and loses its vitality, and then it is extracted. If you cannot tolerate it, you can give local anesthesia and perform root canal treatment in a completely painless manner. Immediately after the root canal treatment, the tooth may have some postoperative reactions and produce pain, but it will generally pass in about 3 days.

Why does tooth still hurt after root canal treatment?

The pulp is not cleaned

If the root canal is not cleaned thoroughly during root canal treatment, there will still be active pulp remaining in the root canal, causing pain due to the combined effects of mechanical damage, drug stimulation and inflammation.

Missed root canal

The tooth root canal system is very complex, and the root canals of certain teeth often vary. If a root canal is missed during root canal treatment and the root canal treatment is not completed, it may become a lesion and lead to residual pulpitis or apical periodontitis.

Poor root canal disinfection effect

Bacterial infection is the main cause of pulpitis and apical periodontitis. If the root canal disinfection effect is poor and a large number of bacteria remain in the root canal, it may lead to failure of root canal treatment.

Cracked teeth

Some patients choose to fill their teeth after root canal treatment instead of doing brace repair in time. As a result, the teeth split and cause pain after biting hard objects, but at this time the teeth may no longer be able to be saved. Therefore, wearing braces in time after root canal treatment can greatly reduce the risk of tooth splitting.

Drug-induced pain

This is related to the nature of the drugs used in root canal treatment and the individual differences of patients. In order to remove the infected substances in the root canal as much as possible, root canal flushing and root canal sealing and disinfection are required during root canal treatment. Some patients will react significantly to the commonly used root canal disinfection drugs in clinical practice and experience pain.