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What are the side effects of root canal treatment?

In general, root canal treatment is very safe. Pain recurrence or side effects are possible in some cases. Here are a few of the possible aftereffects of root canal treatment.

  • Tooth discoloration: Nerves are removed from teeth, causing slight discoloration. Many patients do not notice this discoloration. This discoloration is not visible in the majority of cases due to the fact that following root canal treatment a crown is usually required. Where a dental cap is not necessary, bleaching can be used to remove the discoloration.
  • Reduced tooth function after treatment: After root canal treatment, the tooth structure becomes slightly weaker. The tooth won’t function as it once did. The risk of fracture is slightly higher compared to other teeth. If you have a root canal treatment on your tooth, you should avoid eating hard foods like almonds or use other teeth instead. One should always get a dental crown fitted to root canal-treated teeth to avoid this risk of fracture.
  • Acute infection: In some cases, infected teeth treated with root canals may become infected as well as non-infected teeth. In case the tooth is infected as a result of a root canal procedure, the only treatment is extraction.
  • Inflammation: As part of the root canal treatment, the root canal needs to be disinfected, and the pulp from the canal chambers needs to be removed. The pulp is located in the canals at the center of a tooth, and it is filled with nerve endings. The reason behind this is that a bit of pain for a couple of days could be a side effect of getting a root canal treatment.
  • Increased swelling: When mechanical cleaning or the chemicals used during root canal treatment irritate long-standing infections in dead teeth, they may flare-up. When this happens in the body, it can lead to a reaction that can cause swelling in that area for a short period of time.

In addition, there may also be some other undiscovered side effects of taking root canal treatment. If any side effects persist, you should schedule an appointment with your dentist as soon as possible.

Schedule your appointment with a dentist today and get the treatment on time!