While root canal treatment effectively eliminates tooth infection and preserves natural tooth structure, there are some circumstances where it can fail. This doesn’t happen often, but understanding the signs can help you identify the problem and seek help from your dentist or endodontist before your tooth is negatively impacted.
Here are some of the signs that infection may be lingering after root canal treatment, and you should contact your dentist:
- Fever — If you had a fever due to tooth infection, it should subside after root canal treatment. If it doesn’t or gets worse, this is a sign of lingering infection.
- Pain — Root canal treatment should eliminate your discomfort. Contact your Clearwater dentist if it persists beyond a few days after a root canal.
- Swelling — Infection could be lingering if gums or facial swelling don’t subside after treatment.
- Jaw Pain — Difficulties opening or closing your jaw could indicate continuing infection.
- Pus — Is there still pus or drainage after your root canal? Alert your dentist right away.
- Bad Breath — Persistent bad breath after treatment could also indicate a lingering infection.
Treating a Failed Root Canal
If a root canal fails, we must address it immediately to prevent further damage or infection. At Causeway Dentistry, we are happy to reassess a root canal done by another provider if you’re having symptoms of failure. We also stand by our work and will address the problem if we perform the root canal. Our primary goal is to get you back on the path to wellness.
Our dentists may prescribe antibiotics to help combat the infection. We also may need to retreat the compromised tooth with another root canal.
Contact Causeway Dentistry
If you have concerns about a tooth infection or root canal treatment in Clearwater, FL, contact our team at (727) 791-1450 for more information.
