Post Op - Endo

Teeth are living tissue similar in structure to bone.  There are nerves and blood vessels that are contained within the center of bones and teeth.  We refer to this combination of nerve and blood vessel within a tooth as the root canal.  Each tooth can have between one to four root canals; typically front teeth have less root canals and back teeth have more.  Root canal therapy involves the removal of the nerve and blood vessel within the tooth; the tooth and tooth root remain intact.  Root canal therapy is most frequently needed when decay (a cavity), which is a bacterial infection, eats through the tooth enamel and dentin and invades the circle within the circle which is the root canal.

 Patients will frequently, though not necessarily, experience pain when a dental nerve dies because the infection releases bacterial excretory byproducts as gases which build up pressure within bone.  It is this buildup of gas pressure which patients feel as pain.  The nerves within the ligaments, which attach the tooth to the tooth socket, remain intact following root canal therapy and it is these nerves which might be initially sensitive afterwards.  This typically resolves as the inflammation around the tooth subsides over a period of several weeks.

 Please refer to the section on Post Operative Instructions for Patients following Bonding for more information regarding the use of pain medication.