TMJ after root canal?

This is so weird im looking on this website because I had a root canal 1 week and 1 day ago. The pain has since gotten worse. I think I too am suffering from TMJ since having this root canal done. I had a root canal on my left lower molar and all have all the symptoms as the previous person. My ear will not stop hurting now and I still have some dull pain on the actual tooth that was treated. My dentist acted the very same way I got antibiotic incase of infection and tylenol 3's which as previously stated helps some. I am just wonder what do I do from here? I can't take pain pills forever! having this root canal was one of my worst choices and i'm suffering for it now!! If you must have it done I recommed going to a specialist,advice I got after my root canal was done.

I had the same thing happened to me. I had horrible pain in the jaw area which affected my job and personal life. I had my two root canals about over a year ago (1/09) and was realy a mess. I tried a splint for about a month and then went off it because it really messed with my bite. After that, I went the natural route and waited out the pain while eating mostly easy to chew foods and limiting talking. PLEASE DO NOT DO ANYTHING DRASTIC TO YOURSELF!!!! I waited it out and now I'm pretty much back to normal except for the occasional discomfort. THERE IS HOPE!!!! Don't waste your money on any of these neuromuscular dentist schemes or surgery. The human body is resilient and can heal itseld slowly. Good luck. If anyone need to write me, I would love to talk and help you out more through your pain.

It is so encouraging to hear about others with TMD that are now doing well. I too experienced jaw pain after a root canal on my upper left side, 2nd tooth from the back. It started after the first root canal and my endodontist when my endodontist punctured my sinus cavity. So not only did I experience severe sinus problems but also had some jaw pain. She insisted that I must have a sinus infection and it had nothing to do with the root canal. After 3 rounds of penicillin, 4 procedures on that same tooth where I was forced to keep my mouth open for extended periods of time, continued jaw pain with no explanation other than the tooth might have a fracture. At my final, 4th, root canal appt. I was questioning the fact that there was 'nothing wrong.' I started crying and begging for an answer as to why I was still experiencing pain. She took several x-rays and said she thinks she sees a hairline fracture but that after a crown is put on it, that it should be fine because the fracture doesn't go all the way through. This was still before I knew my sinus was punctured. My ENT ordered a sinus CT scan because nothing was helping my severe symptoms. I would soon find out that there had been a puncture at the tip of my root into my sinus cavity causing the inability for my sinuses to heal. In the meantime, I was still having jaw pain and a little sensitivity. My endodontist just kept telling me to wait cause it's healing but still gave me no other possibilities as to what could be happening. I waited a couple weeks after the final root canal and sought out an oral surgeon. I continued to think something was wrong with the tooth because she wasn't giving me any other possibilities. I sought out the advice of an oral surgeon who said the panoramic looks normal and the sinuses around the tooth are clear but that didn't mean that there wasn't a fracture but that he couldn't see one. He thought the tooth seemed sensitive and that it should be extracted. I said that I'd like to wait til the CT scan results come back. They came back with evidence of a sinus communication. I brought them to the oral surgeon who said we need to take the tooth out and that is how this communication will eventually heal. So thinking this is the only way to heal, I had the tooth extracted and now have nightmares about it. I found out that the puncture could have been treated in other ways to heal rather than extracting the tooth. I was never even told that. I've had extreme jaw, facial, head and neck pain ever since. I get burning around left ear. My MRI shows an anterior displaced disk and causes me unbelievable chronic pain. I've had a cortisone steroid injection which relieved symptoms for about a week then the pain came back worse than ever. I had to seek treatment from a TMD specialist in NYC who made an appliance for me and put me on neurotin. It's been about 5 days now and the pain is no longer chronic but still comes and goes. The jaw joint pain is much better but still get burning around my ear and head and neck pain. I'm praying that this is a cure for me. I know that I will have to live with some aspects of this for the rest of my life but I can't bear to ever have that extreme chronic pain again. I've lost the last 5 months of my life to this. I haven't been able to work or even be productive. I've had to be on pain killers basically until my stomach couldn't handle them anymore. Then I had to deal with the pain using only hot packs until I finally could see a specialist. I can't believe that a simple root canal has put me in this position. I appreciate any feedback from somebody who has this condition and what has worked or hasn't worked. I'm praying that something will work so I won't need surgery. If there are any dental professionals out there who could give me feedback as well I'd really appreciate it. Do you think this case could be won in a lawsuit? I've lost about $10,000 at least so far because of this. Let me know.

Hi
My name is TIM. I hada a root canal done on my lower left 1st molar. Thigs seemed fine and pain went away in 1 day. $ months passed and I started to feel a bit of pain in that area. Soon pain got strong and biting was painful. After 4 days pain went away completely and a big local bump appeared right on the gum below the root canaled cap. I started to have TMJ (clicking)on the opposite side. Went to doctor, got antibiotics and after a week the bump disapeared. I kept getting a few zits on my toungue and around the troath but they dissapeared too. THe TMJ however is still there. Everytime I bite i get 1 click. THe xray looked like there was nothing wrong with the root canal.

1 dentist said I have to redo root canal. But the original dentist that did the procedure said it was not necessary. Sometimes I find myself clenching my jaw. The root canal side jaw muscle is a bit more contracted.

What is going on? I post a photo of both the xray and the bump. Please help.

Firstly I would like to thank you for taking the time to respond to my question and issues and to do it so quickly.

The dentist that originally placed the crown (in Costa Rica and out of reach now), when he did work back in Arpirl, placed some sort of a carbon paper between my teeth and asked me to bite, and shaved the cap so it is straight with other teeth. My bite feels straight too. I am not sure what chew cycle interferences is but I guess I will have to go to another dentist here in Vancouver where I live to have it done.

I am mostly concerned with infection existing in the tooth and infecting my entire jaw bone. Am I imagining or is this a possibility? Also my wife is having our first child in 15 days. Can this procedure and situation wait until I get through this?

Thank you. I thought I might get an infection in my jaw bone and now I have to worry about death! Wonderful/ I wonder how dentistry as a sceince has come so far that a simple root canal / cap can develop into horror stories that I read on the web. ~50% of root canals are apparantly problematic and have to be retreated. You know I was on the way to become a dentist myself and changed my profession abruptly once I worked in a dentist office for a few months. It was a nightmare.

As for me Ill wait. Ill take my chances. If infection returns Ill act as I cant take another chance on another procedure which can have its own complications.
Dr Babin is apparantly on the Vancouver Island, quite far from here but thanks for the referal.

PS. I would like to extend my gratitude once more for your attention to my problem. I do read your posts and how much care you place in giving advice to people.

Thank you very much. I am in Vancouver BC. Vancouver Island victoria where Dr. Babin is located, is 2-3 hour trip by car and ferry. That is if I have the right Dr. Babin.

Actually now that you mentioned cracks, I remember that the dentist who was doing the root canal told me that based on their xray,
the amount of tooth that would be left once she shaved all the cavity may not be enough to build a strong base for the crown and she might pull the tooth and give me an implant. I asked her to do her best not to go to that stage. She later said she would just go forward with the root canal/crown way. Maybe I have a crack. However it is not visible in the above xray that was recently made. Strange today I dont feel the TMJ although I had it a few minutes in the afternoon.

Sorry I am ranting on and on. I never hads a cavity before and until this rootcanal except for 3 trips to clean my teeth I never had an encounter with the dentist before. Therefore I am doing my best to think about possibilities that could have gone wrong. Anyways, I realise I have taken enough of your time and effort and would be gratefull if you can recommend a good dentist if you know one in Vancouver Canada.

All the best Tim

Hi.
It does not sound like a TMJ problem. You say the pain is now localised, but I'm not sure where from your description.
If it is localised around the root-filled tooth, then it would indicate a problem with the root filling. This could settle down by itself, but could take weeks. Best to return to your dentist and maybe hve the tooth taken out of the bite altogether to help things settle dow.

Hello,
I had a root canal in 1997, really not problems with it, but in 2008 i wen to a new dentist he took x-rays and noticed a 'problem area' in the root canal. WELL i didn't go see the specialist that he recommend because I wasn't experiencing any difficulty with it. But in Feb 2010 i started to notice discomfort and a smell, then in May of 2010 my jaw starting clicking and now it's locked. i am seeing a TMJ specialist (wearing a splint) and also going to PT. it is helping but do you think that my 'problem root canal' is causing the TMJ problems?
PLEASE HELP!
thanks!

I have had problems with bruxism (teeth grinding) for years. It's so bad, it sometimes wakes my husband up at night. I could always tell when I ground my teeth in the night as I would wake up with a headache and my jaw would be sore. Last November 2009, I allegedly ended up cracking my #18 (lower left) molar from the grinding. I went in and had a root canal and afterwards experienced the worst jaw and tooth pain of my life. My dentist kept telling me the tooth pain was from my bite, and the jaw pain would subside. I finally got my permanent crown and my dentist kept insisting once it was on, the pain in the tooth would subside because everything healed quite nicely. This was not a true statement. Throughout the year, I continued to experience pain in my lower left jaw, mandible, temple, the #18 tooth, left side of my neck, and left shoulder. In addition, I experience numbness on the left side of my tongue and sometimes even the corner of my mouth. I haven't chewed on my left side for over a year! About 10 days ago, my dentist retreated the root canal, thinking he failed to see an ancillary canal. He removed the crown and cleaned everything out again and widened the canals, but didn't see anything that jumped out at him. He treated the area with the antibiotic stuff they squirt in there and packed it with temporary filling and a temporary crown. He and I both thought for sure that would do the trick, but no such luck. I am still experiencing the exact same symptoms as before. Gah! I keep telling him I think the issue is with my jaw or the nerves because my neck and shoulder are affected too. I feel it's possible something's going on with my jaw and the pain is radiating to the tooth and just feels like it's the tooth but really isn't. Anyway, I go in tomorrow morning for the gutta percha filling and permanent crown, but I'm not sure he'll want to do it because I'm still having issues. In addition, I am seeing a neuromuscular dentist tomorrow afternoon in hopes he can help me. This has not been fun. Prior to this, I was never afraid to see a dentist. Now, I really, really dread it. I like my dentist and I know he has my best intentions at heart, but I'm not sure it's the #18 giving me these problems. Any insight is greatly appreciated. Thanks! - Cassandra

I"ve had some similar reactions from a failed root canal which left a piece of file in. It's been a month and I've had such jaw pain and not able to open my mouth all the way that I couldn't have the procedure finished by anyone. I also notice numbness on that side of my face and hearing loss on other side. Is it TMJ? Should I still try to have the file taken out while my jaw does not fully open? This is horribly debilitating-can't eat solids. Thankyou.

I've had a problem with jaw problems for many years. Recently it has gotten much worse-that I am having difficulty speaking. I had to leave several root canals without crowns but a permanent filling because I could not go back for my work because of the stress of keeping my mouth open. I believe several of my root canals have leaked even though it won't show up on the exray until there shows decay at the bone level. This is because bacteria build up does not show on the xray. Some specialists I have seen said I must finish my dental work before they can work on the TMJ problem-especially since about 4 teeth need crowns. I am in a Catch 22 situation that just keeps getting worse-I am in NYC any suggestions or referrals would be appreciated.

SN

I've had a problem with jaw problems for many years. Recently it has gotten much worse-that I am having difficulty speaking. I had to leave several root canals without crowns but a permanent filling because I could not go back for my work because of the stress of keeping my mouth open. I believe several of my root canals have leaked even though it won't show up on the exray until there shows decay at the bone level. This is because bacteria build up does not show on the xray. Some specialists I have seen said I must finish my dental work before they can work on the TMJ problem-especially since about 4 teeth need crowns. I am in a Catch 22 situation that just keeps getting worse-I am in NYC any suggestions or referrals would be appreciated.

SN

I had a root canal today - lower right - no 31. Once procedure began I startied having unbearable jaw cramping or spasm. The doctor kept taking breaks so I could relax my jaw and get relief. I have had other root canals and never had any problems. Could it happen because the tooth was so far back? My jaw is very sore tonight. Has anyone else had this problem?

I had a root canal done just over a year ago on a tooth that was cracked. (bottom right, 2nd from the back). Root canal and crown placement went fine and then the tooth, my jaw and neck began to hurt. The actual tooth still hurts a lot to even touch. The gum around the tooth hurts but also feels good to put pressure on, like with my finger. I went back to the dentist who performed the root canal and he cut a hole below the tooth to see if there was infection and put me on antibiotics. After that healed, I didn't have the pain in the jaw but the tooth still hurt to touch. Went back to my regular dentist and he took more X rays and said everything looks fine. Back to the RC dentist and he ground off some of the crown and told me that I was not a normal patient and shouldn't be having this problem. Back to my regular dentist and he wanted to grind off the tooth behind because he thought it was sympathy pain. Prior to all of this, I had a night guard made because I am a grinder. I've been wearing it religiously as my dentist said it would help. Within the past week I've found that my jaw hurts less when I don't wear it but my tooth hurts more. So today, I sit her in much pain not only from the actual tooth but my jaw and down my neck with no end in sight. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!