Why does my tooth hurt after the placement of a post and core?

The truth is that after a post and core is placed a tooth should not hurt. Occasionally patients can have pain after a post is placed. This pain can come from a number of causes. The most benign is that the bite has changed slightly after the placement of a post and core. This can be remedied with a simple bite adjustment.

A more disturbing possibility is that the root canal in the tooth is failing and placement of the post has somehow made the problem more symptomatic. This may happen because the drilling and placement of the post may have disturbed the guttapercha or just stirred up an already present 'hornet's nest'.

Endodontically treated teeth, that are not properly sealed with an interim restoration. can become contaminated in as little as thirty days. It has been my experience that when some of these teeth have a post placed, they can become symptomatic.

Still a third possibility is that the placement of the post has resulted in either a perforation of the root or caused possibly caused a crack to form .

Rarely, patients can even have pain stemming from a sensitization of an intermediate ganglion from a past trauma or infection, so it is possible to feel pain due to a previously cured endodontic infection.

If you are having prolonged pain in a tooth with a post it is advisable to visit your dentist or go for a consultation with an endodontist. They will take a radiograph and examine around the tooth to check for evidence of infection.