In 3 weeks, I have had 2 root canals. The first caused me pain for 2 days and then it got better. There had been a little swelling but quickly healed without a trace left of an obvious infection.

The last root canal, done 4 days ago is quite another story. This tooth had been "sensitive" for a number of years. My dentist told me to use toothpaste for sensitivity, which did not help. I did put up with the sensitive area for a long time. It was the tooth that I felt was more infected than the first one he treated. Both are upper right molars (the last one and one beside it).

Prior to my root canals, he filled the tooth and told me it was a very deep filling and I would be sensitive for a long time. To me, it did not feel like just a sensitive tooth, but I'm not a dentist. So I waited.

A week before the first root canal, something broke off the tooth at the very back. I'm not sure if it was part of the filling, or the tooth itself.

So I returned to the dentist and was told I needed root canal work done.

The tooth I just had done on Wednesday made my face swell out to 3 times it's normal size! I was in excrutiating pain. He had given me Toradol but it was not working. Then he gave me penicillin and it didn't make the pain go way. Then he gave me another antibiotic to take alongside penicillin. Still nothing.

My pain was 9 out of 10 when I reached the ER department 2 nights after the root canal. (Dentist's office closed because it was night)

They told me I needed to see a dentist. grrrrr. I was released with Hydromorphone, which is helping.

The swelling is going down, but still swollen enough to have me worried. I am supposed to see the dentist tomorrow because he had taken the temporary filling out to let it breath. (No infection in the tooth because no puss) He felt the infection was now in the bone.

I'm really afraid of seeing the dentist tomorrow, yet I know that I cannot go around with a tooth that has no filling, temporary or otherwise.

What should I do? I'm really scared.

Thank you so much.