Root canal swelling can be in front of a tooth towards the face or from the back of the tooth towards the tongue. Most of the time it is in front of the tooth because the tooth roots tend to be close to the outside bone. It usually starts with low grade dental pain which progresses to tenderness over the tooth and then to swelling. Unfortunately, it usually does not cause a great deal of root canal pain so many patients do not think they have a big problem.

          A root canal swelling, regardless of whether it is small or large, is a root canal symptom indicating that there is a problem and most probably a root canal infection. The enlargement comes from a dental infection caused by root canal failure. In most cases, retreatment will take care of the root canal problem but in some instances, root canal surgery must be performed. Before anything is done, the enlarged area is often drained to allow the pus to escape and the pressure to be reduced.

          Since root canal retreatment has a much lower success rate than normal root canals, some patients choose to have a dental extraction. If a dental implant is chosen to replace the missing tooth, waiting three to six weeks for the area of the root canal swelling and infection to completely heal is a good idea, otherwise the dental implant may have problems. Having the same dentist who is placing the implant also do the extraction assists the dentist in fully understanding your personal situation.

          The dentists at the Atlanta Dental Group PC are dedicated to their patients' good health and well being. You are welcome to join our family of patients. With recent evidence that dental health affects a patient's medical health, we are even more concerned about insuring that patients receive their necssary dental care. If you have root canal swelling that is bothering you and would like to schedule a free dental consultation with Atlanta Family Dentist, Dr. Mark Allan Padolsky or Dr. Jeffrey Stephen Smith, call 404-874-7428 for an appointment.