Emergency Dental Care

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Throbbing Tooth With Prior Root Canal

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A root canal is a dental procedure that is used on an infected tooth. In this treatment, nerve tissue and blood vessels are removed from the physical hollows within the tooth. Although the root canal essentially makes the tooth “dead,” a tooth may not heal properly, requiring additional treatment.

In these cases, your root canal may need a retreatment. If you are experiencing a great deal of pain with your tooth, you will need to find an emergency dentist to provide treatment. Retreatment is necessary on some root canals for a variety of reason. Your tooth may not have healed after the initial treatment as expected because of a curved root canal under your tooth. Following a root canal, dentists place a crown on your tooth to protect it from decay. In some cases, the crown may not have been put on right away and the root canals were reinfected. Your dentist that did your initial root canal treatment may also not have used enough filling in the tooth, allowing recontamination. 

Emergency dentists, located in the Sacramento area, provide after hours treatment for dental emergencies. This may include retreatment on a root canal. Your emergency dentist may provide a temporary fix on your painful tooth and schedule an appointment for permanent retreatment depending on the severity of your symptoms. In other cases, the emergency dentist does the entire process for you, after hours. Either way, the dentist will help to relieve your pain by prescribing antibiotics and other necessary medications.

Retreatment is often not painful or complicated. The process can be relatively straightforward depending on the underlying causes. Your dentist will review your x-rays and perform an oral exam to determine if your tooth can be retreated. If it can, the dentist will reopen your tooth by placing a small hole in the exterior. This may mean that the restorative material, such as the crown, will have to be removed to allow the dentist access to the root canal. The filling from the previous root canal will be removed and the canals will be thoroughly cleaned. Your dentist will examine the canals, looking for any signs of decay or reason for your pain.

If your canals are blocked, you may need surgery to treat the infection. Your dentist will inform you with the next steps. Because a throbbing tooth after a root canal can indicate a serious problem, including infection, it is wise to not delay treatment on the tooth. Untreated infections in your mouth can spread to other parts of your body, causing serious complications.

If you are in the Sacramento area, there are emergency dental services that can help you with your painful tooth. You do not have to wait until business hours to receive treatment. Find a dentist in your area, including Sacramento and other places in California, that can provide you with emergency relief. Consult with your dentist about the symptoms and potential treatment. Your dentist will be able to explain your options and any potential complications.