I had a root canal treatment close to three years ago. It started hurting again so I went in and had some x-rays done. He said the tooth is re-infected. We did a re-treatment and he gave me a prescription of Vicodin and Penicillin. I’ve been three weeks into this and I don’t feel like things are getting any better. I’ve even run out of the pain medication and am pretty much living on ibuprofen right now. I called my dentist and he just said that some people take longer to heal than others. I am in agony. Is this normal for a re-treatment?
Callie
Dear Callie,
No, this is not normal for a root canal retreatment. I will tell you right off the bat that when a root canal treatment fails, There is only somewhere between 50-75% chance that the follow-up treatment will be successful. I have to say I am not thrilled with how your dentist is handling this. You should be feeling back to normal by now.
I am going to suggest you schedule an appointment with a root canal specialist. They are called endodontists. They will have a better chance of getting this to succeed and feel normal again.
A second piece of advice is that when you call to schedule your appointment, you first tell them what is going on and ask them to call in a new prescription for you.
Your infection is a dental emergency. If left untreated, it could turn into a life-threatening emergency. You don’t want to leave this as is. I am sure once they hear what is going on, they will schedule you in right away. Penicillin is not the best treatment protocol for tooth infection. The endodontist will probably call you in something like clindamycin.
Call an endodontist right away. you don’t want this getting any worse. Also, don’t feel like you have to suffer any more for this than you already have. It is absolutely fine for your to ask for something like oral conscious sedation.
This blog is brought to you by Libertyville Dentist Dr. David Potts.