In some quarters there is a misconception that dental crowns are impervious to dental issues. This simply isn’t the case, however. Indeed, following surgery, it’s common for patients to experience some degree of discomfort. The emergency tooth pain Liverpool dental clinic can help you when you experience tooth pain at an inconvenient time.

Typically, the discomfort is short-lived, lasting no longer than a matter of days, and can be relieved by taking anti-inflammatory medications. Less commonly, experiencing throbbing tooth pain after crown surgery may be indicative of one of a number of less easily resolved issues.

Tooth Needs a Root Canal

If the initial post-operative pain does not soon fade, it may suggest that the underlying dental pulp has been exposed to harmful bacteria. Such an infection can predate the placement of a crown or can occur after the crown has been fitted, particularly if it has become loose. In both instances, a root canal procedure is called for in order to remove the infected dental pulp.

The root canal procedure can be performed by drilling a small access hole through the crown itself. However, the crown may have to be removed.

Patients who have undergone root canal surgery prior to having a crown fitted are not necessarily immune from experiencing similar symptoms. Since root canal surgery is not guaranteed to be successful, in cases where the procedure fails it may be necessary to:

• Treat the root canal again
• Perform an apicoectomy to remove the infection
• Fit a dental implant

Crown Requires Adjustment

Small imprecisions in the placement of a crown, which cause the crown to be too high or imperfectly aligned, can result in pain. This is to be the case if the patient also suffers from bruxism and is prone to subconsciously grinding their teeth. In such cases, a dentist may recommend that the patient should wear a mouthguard to bed in order to alleviate the pain. If bruxism is not an issue, the pain should quickly resolve itself once the crown has been successfully adjusted.

Dental Cement Leakage

Although consensus has yet to be reached on whether dental cement can cause pain, there’s evidence to suggest that a correlation of some description exists between the two. Moreover, the acidic nature of dental cement means that it can potentially irritate the tooth nerve and elicit pain.

Cracked Tooth Root

Another potential cause of pain is that the underlying tooth root has cracked. This condition is difficult to detect and entails serious consequences given that it will result in the loss of the affected tooth.

When to Visit a Dentist

If pain persists it’s strongly recommended to seek professional advice. This is the best way to successfully alleviate throbbing tooth pain after crown placement.