I have a sharp pain in upper gum area above the tooth that was recently root canaled. The pain is always present when pressure is applied to that gum area or on the area between the lip and nose when pressed against the gum area. I have had 2 rounds of anti-biotics. I have had 3 sets of x-rays in a month's time. The dentist says the areas all look normal. He suggests that there is a sinus problem going on. I have never had any pain there like that before having the root canal. I have had sinus problems associated with allergies all my life, however. During the third visit, which was supposed to be the day I got the tooth capped, I began having a sharp shooting pain from the gum area described above going up under or into the nasal area. The dentist stopped what he was doing and put in another filling and decided to wait another 2 weeks to have it capped off. Now I still have pain and after all the antibiotics are done I have gotten no relief. I am terrified to have the tooth finished for fear the pain will remain or get worse. I wish I knew what was causing it and what to do about it.

I don't know any thing about dentisrty,but could it be something to do with the nervendings in that area? Maybe an infection deeper in?

"Perhaps the teeth have been cracked by the filling process, or perhaps your sinuses were perforated during the root canal treatment; it may even be that the procedures precipitated a neuralgia in the sensory nerves that serve the area.

I do believe that a second opinion is particularly helpful in these cases, since a dentist that is uninvolved with treatment is in a better position to assess the quality of the root canals more critically. This is especially true if your root canals were performed by a general dentist; if this is the case, you should consider requesting a referral to an endodontist (root canal specialist) to evaluate the situation."- Mark Bornfeld DDS

This info seems pretty good, And like he says, 2nd opinion by a endodontist. Get the referral if it persists.

Sorry I couldn't help more.

Did the dentist show you the final x-ray?
1. He may have overfilled the root with the gutta percha (plastic filling material used to fill empty nerve canals once nerve is removed). If it was overfilled the tip of the root will have strands of white showing on the x-ray or possibly just a ball of it.

2. There could be an auxiliary root that he can't see on the x-ray. It's not uncommon for this to happen. An auxiliary root is like branch off the main root(s). It may still be infected.

You may want to make an appointment with an "Endodontist" (root canal specialist). They usually have instruments and diagnostic equipment a general dentist doesn't.

Good luck.

I have a similar problem. I just had a root canal. Because it was an emergency the roots were not filled as yet with root filling matereial. However, when I touch the gum area above the tooth under my top lip (towards the nasal cavity) I feel two protrusions which I assume are two of the three roots the tooth should have. One of these feels fine, the other towards the left side is sore. This side of the tooth chipped and had decay under it. Initially after the root canal I was told to soak tooth with water and salt and take pain killers. This didn't do nothing. I called and was given a prescription for penicillin. So far this has not worked either. Not sure of exact problem, but perhaps not all the pulp was removed from this root, perhaps some damage was done with the root canal files, Hope to find out when I return for my next scheduled visit.

The penicillin should clear up the problem. You may have to wait until you have taken it for 3 or 4 days before you notice a difference.

This is exactly what I have. I have been searching for someone who has he same problems. I went to the Endodontist and was told that everything looks normal and to give it 2 more weeks to heal. Pain on the right side of my face is terrible ! It comes and goes . Pain in the teeth, gums, ear, temple , jaw and now sometimes my neck. Had numerous tests and x-rays.

Spideygirl, I too am going through this and it's a nightmare! I've had three courses of antibiotics and my dentist thinks the pain is related to my gums and says I need more time to heal following my root canal 8 weeks ago. I have terrible flashing pains on the left side of my face and my jaw and ears hurt too. Nothing has shown up on the x rays and I'm not sure what to do. Pain disappears for a short time after antibiotics and then comes back. Reading this thread, I'm beginning to wonder if there's another root that's been missed?

Two months later, have you managed to figure out what's wrong?

Just to share my knowledge. I have had 2 root canals.

The first was with an Endodontist which had crazy hi-tech equipment with the special magnifying glasses (they looked like a microscope on one side and the other side was a plain plastic lens). He was probably 200 - $300 more. However I could definitely tell the difference in the way they went about the procedure.
The second was with a new dentist which I had read reviews about and over 15 different reviews (also from different sites) all rated him 4+ stars. He didn't have any of the specialty items (such as the magnifying glasses) that the Endodontist had however he took longer and was extremely attention detailed.

Just to give a little more background. Before I went in to have my second root canal I had let the tooth go for probably 3 years and finally was in so much pain I couldn't even think. I waited that long because the dentist prior was scandalous and really didn't want to see another.

Anyhow.. It's been roughly 10 months since I've had my 2nd root canal and problems are just appearing. It's the same type of pain I felt right before the 2nd root canal. I was in so much pain before the 2nd root canal because of an infection which created lots of pressure pushing up on my tooth. The pain this time is no where near as bad but I guarantee it would get there if left untreated.
The first time (2nd root canal) I took antibiotics which cleared up the problem in roughly 4 to 7 days (cant remember exactly). I just started antibiotics 3 days ago and hoping that will resolve this problem. My intuition tells me it's not going to but I'll let you know.

Symptoms: Roughly 1 1/2" of my gums are swollen near the initial area. When pressing down on my tooth or gums an extremely sharp pain occurs.

Cause: I believe what happened is he cleaned out 99% of the infected area but missed that 1% (probably more was missed with the sounding of all your cases or a different part of the canal was missed) which was enough for the problem to resurface.

Dealing With: Currently taking the Antibiotics + 2x Advil Liqui-Gels 200mg (with the ibuprofen capsules) and the pain will go completely away (as long as you don't chew something on that tooth or press down because there isn't ANYYYYY medication that will fully remove pain cause by teeth if severe enough).

Hopefully this helps out everyone in deciding how they want to proceed next. And I hate saying this, but always get a 2nd opinion if the answer is "Everything looks normal" which in translation means, "Duh I don't know." If the 2nd opinion is the same answer, get a 3rd (assuming you can afford it). My mother had an issue health related which 6 different SPECIALISTS all said nothing appers wrong.. finally the 7th doctor found the issue. Fun huh?