Hi Sharon,

First of all do not rinse with any mouthwash other than salt water. Any mouthwash that contains chemcials, preservatives, dyes or alcohol is not only very irritating but carcinogenic to the gum tissue. There is no need to use anything harsh in the mouth to kill bacteria. Thorough brushing and flossing along with a nutritious, low/no sugar diet helps to keep the bacteria in balance.

Secondly, the swelling and radiating pain you describe is "typical" of root canal therapy. However, it is not healthy and it does indicate infection and inflammation. What happens is, the infection inside of the tooth along with the inflammation from the trauma of the root canal procedure causes pressure to build up in a very confined place. The result is swelling and pain. You can not reach the source of the problem because it is not on the surface, it is deep in the jawbone.

People tend to gauge their root canal success by how painful the procedure is or isn't. The truth of the matter is... that is irrelevant to what is really going on. All root canaled teeth are infected because there is no access to the tiny canals that continue to harbor dead nerve material even after the procedure is done. Antibiotics do not cure the infection either because the dead tissue inside of these tiny canals breeds numerous strains of bacteria that cannot be cultured (unless the tooth is removed) to determine the proper strain of antibiotic. In addition to this, the tooth no longer receives nutrition because the main nerves to the blood vessels have been cut rendering the tooth non vital. So the tooth and the ligament holding the tooth in the bone as well as the surrounding bone all become ischemic. So no wonder it hurts!!

The only way to rid yourself of the infection is to remove the tooth. As long as the tooth is present, the infection will be too. Antibiotics may subside some of the physical symptoms for awhile but they will occur again and again.

I would also caution you to avoid any deep cleanings until this tooth is taken care of because the scaling will spread the bacteria from this area to others.

Also, just in case your dentist suggests to go ahead and crown this tooth........ definitely not the answer because the infection will still be present and you will be throwing your money away as the tooth will eventually be removed.

I'm sorry to be telling you this bad news..... I know this is not what you want to hear. Please consider your overall health when deciding whether not to "retain" this tooth.

Please let us know how you're doing......
Bryanna