Deep throbbing pain, a tooth that aches long after a hot drink, or a swelling on the gum. We carry out root canal treatment in Islamabad at our clinic in F-10 Markaz under local anaesthetic, we find the right tooth before we start, and we check the seal on an x-ray before you leave.
Pain after a root canal, explained by Dr Kiran Haseeb, BDS.
The tooth stays in your mouth and keeps working. That is the whole point. The NHS notes that if an infected tooth is not treated with a root canal, it may need to be taken out (NHS on root canal treatment), and once a tooth is gone the gap has to be filled with an implant or a bridge, both of which cost more than saving the tooth in the first place.
Most of our patients arrive frightened of the treatment, not the toothache. The pain people associate with root canals is the infection that brings them in; the treatment itself is done with the tooth fully numb, and it is what makes the pain stop.
At our clinic in F-10 Markaz, Dr Kiran tests the tooth and takes an x-ray before any root canal treatment in Islamabad is planned, because the pain is not always in the tooth it seems to come from. We measure each canal, confirm the seal on an x-ray, and protect a back tooth with a crown afterwards, because an uncrowned root treated molar is the one that splits.
One or two, about an hour each
Local, the tooth is fully numb
Usually the same day
Tender to bite for two or three days
A crown afterwards, almost always
Part 1
The narrow spaces that held the pulp. A front tooth usually has one, a premolar one or two, a molar three or four. A canal left untreated is the most common reason a root canal fails, so we look for every one.
Part 2
We fill the canals to their measured length and seal them so bacteria cannot re-enter. The x-ray at the end is what confirms the filling reaches the end of the root without going past it.
Part 3
What goes on top afterwards. A front tooth may need only a bonded filling; a back tooth carries the chewing load, so we protect it with a crown or an onlay.
Which one applies depends on the tooth, the number of canals and whether it has been treated before. All three start with the same testing and x-ray at our clinic. Root canal treatment on a child’s milk tooth is a different procedure, which we describe on our pulpotomy page.
Simplest
One canal and straight access, usually the quickest case. We often complete it in one visit and finish it with a bonded filling rather than a crown, so more of your natural tooth stays visible.
Most common
Back teeth carry the chewing load and have several curved canals. It takes longer, it needs care to find every canal, and we protect the tooth with a crown afterwards.
Second time
A tooth treated years ago that has started aching again, usually because a canal was missed or the seal has leaked. We remove the old filling material, clean the canals again and reseal them.
When a tooth is infected, these are the real choices. We go through this table with patients who are unsure, because the cheapest option today is not always the cheapest over ten years.
| Root canal and crown | Extraction and implant | Extraction only | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keeps your own tooth | Yes | No | No |
| Surgery | None | Minor surgery for the implant | Minor, the extraction itself |
| Time to finish | Two to three weeks including the crown | Three to six months | One visit |
| Effect on nearby teeth | None | None | Teeth drift into the gap over time |
| Cost at the start | Middle | Highest | Lowest |
| Best when | The tooth can be restored and the gum is healthy | The tooth cannot be saved | Rarely the best choice for a back tooth |
An extraction looks cheapest on the day, but a back tooth that is not replaced lets the teeth around it tilt and the opposite tooth drop into the space. Replacing it later usually costs more than saving it would have.
The cost of root canal treatment in Islamabad is set mainly by how many canals the tooth has, not by how much it hurts. We quote in writing after the x-ray and examination, and we make clear whether the crown or filling on top is included, because that is where most surprises come from.
A front tooth with one canal is the simplest case. A molar with three or four curved canals takes longer, which is why a quote given over the phone before anyone has seen the tooth is only a guess.
Retreating a tooth means removing old filling material before the canals can be cleaned again. It is slower and more technical, and we price it as such.
A tooth broken down to the gum needs a foundation before anything can sit on top. We quote that as its own line, openly.
A bonded filling on a front tooth is one thing, a zirconia crown on a molar is another. Ask any clinic whether the quote covers the finished tooth or stops at the seal.
Yes. Root canal treatment is one of the most studied procedures in dentistry and has been done for over a century. Success rates are commonly reported at around ninety percent for a well sealed tooth with a proper restoration on top, which is better than most alternatives to keeping your own tooth.
The claim that root canals cause illness elsewhere in the body traces back to research from the 1920s that was never repeated and has no support in modern evidence. The American Dental Association explains the treatment and why it saves teeth in plain language (ADA MouthHealthy on root canals), and it is worth reading if someone has told you otherwise.
We take only the x-rays the treatment needs: one before we start, sometimes one during to confirm the length of the canals, and one at the end to confirm the seal. A dental x-ray uses a very small dose of radiation, and each one answers a question we cannot answer by looking.
The real risks are practical: a canal that is missed, a seal that leaks, or a back tooth left without a crown that splits when you chew. We control all three by measuring the canals, confirming the seal on an x-ray, and restoring the tooth properly rather than leaving a temporary filling in for months.
Not every toothache means the nerve is dying. Sensitivity that passes in a few seconds is usually a different problem. The way the tooth responds to testing, together with the x-ray, decides it, and we tell you the answer before any treatment starts.
If your tooth does not need a root canal, we will tell you so. Treating the wrong tooth is the most expensive mistake in this part of dentistry, which is why we test and x-ray before we pick up a drill. If the tooth cannot be saved, we will tell you that too, and explain the options for replacing it.
Many teeth are finished in one visit of about an hour. A molar with an active infection often needs two visits, and the NHS notes two or more is common. You should be comfortable throughout, and you can drive yourself home.
Stage 1
We test the tooth and take an x-ray to see whether the pulp is inflamed, infected or dead, whether the tooth can be saved, and how many canals it has.
Stage 2
We numb the tooth fully and keep it clean and dry while we work, then make a small opening in the top so we can reach the canals.
Stage 3
We measure every canal to its exact length, clean it with fine instruments and rinse it with disinfectant. This is the stage that removes the infection, and the pain with it.
Stage 4
We fill the canals to the measured length and seal them, then take an x-ray to confirm the fill. A core filling closes the opening.
Stage 5
We crown a back tooth within a few weeks so it cannot split when you chew. A front tooth may need only a bonded filling. On molars, this step is not optional.
A root canal is not painful, because we do not start until the tooth is completely numb. Its reputation comes from the toothache before treatment, not the treatment itself, and most of our patients say afterwards that it was easier than having a filling.
The days after a root canal and the weeks before the crown is fitted are when a treated tooth is most at risk. These are the habits we ask every root canal patient to keep.
A properly sealed and properly restored tooth can last for decades, often for life. The high survival figures you read about are for teeth that were crowned afterwards, not for teeth left under a temporary filling.
What ends these teeth is almost never the root filling. It is a molar that was never crowned and finally split, decay starting at a leaking edge years later, or gum disease around the tooth. None of those are the root canal failing.
Keep the tooth clean like any other, keep a six monthly scale and polish so we check the margin and the gum, and have the permanent restoration fitted within weeks.
Many of our patients who have root canal treatment in Islamabad with us had been told elsewhere that their tooth must come out. Some of those teeth genuinely could not be saved, and we said so. Many could, and those patients are still chewing on their own teeth years later.
Dr Kiran’s video on this page is about the most common question we get: why a tooth still hurts after a root canal. These are the six problems we see most often, including on teeth treated elsewhere.
Problem
Some tenderness to biting can last a week or two while the tissue around the root heals, and the NHS says the same. If it is steadily easing, it is healing. If it is getting worse, we check the bite and take an x-ray.
Problem
Usually the body clearing infection that was already there. We check it the same day, drain it if needed and prescribe antibiotics only where they will actually help.
Problem
Call us and avoid chewing on that side. Saliva entering the canals can reinfect them, so we replace the temporary quickly or fit the final restoration.
Problem
A root treated tooth can darken over the years. We lighten it from the inside with internal bleaching, or cover it with a crown if it also needs protecting.
Problem
A missed canal, a leaking seal or a new crack. We x-ray the tooth and, where the root is sound, offer retreatment; where it is cracked, we tell you honestly.
Problem
Almost always a back tooth that was never crowned. A crack above the gum can often be saved with a crown; a crack running down the root usually means extraction.
What separates a root canal that holds from one that aches again is measurement and cleaning, not the brand printed on the instrument. These are the two things we never skip.
Nickel titanium files that follow curved canals instead of straightening them, which cleans the canal system more completely and shortens the time you spend in the chair.
We measure the working length of every canal rather than estimating it, and an x-ray at the end confirms the canals are filled to the end of the root and no further.
Wherever you have your root canal done, ask how many canals your tooth has and whether you will see a final x-ray. Those two answers tell you more about the treatment than any equipment list. We are happy to answer both before you book, over the phone or on WhatsApp, and to show you the x-rays of your own tooth at every stage.
A root canal and the crown that follows usually fit inside a two to three week trip. Many of our overseas patients arrive with a tooth that has been aching for months and leave with it treated and crowned. If a tooth is swollen when you land, we see you the same day.
A root treated back tooth is finished with a protective crown or an onlay. Where too little tooth remains, removing the tooth followed by a dental implant replaces it. Children’s milk teeth are treated with pulpotomy for children instead, and gum pain that feels like toothache is assessed by our periodontist. If the tooth is throbbing or swollen today, start with our emergency dentist in Islamabad.
Reviews our patients have left on Google.
A root canal is not painful, because we do the treatment with the tooth fully numb. The pain people remember is the infection that brought them in. Expect tenderness when biting for two or three days afterwards, which ordinary painkillers usually cover.
Often, yes. Many teeth are cleaned, sealed and closed in one appointment of about an hour. A molar with an active abscess or swelling is usually treated over two visits, so the infection settles before the canals are sealed.
On a back tooth, yes. A root treated molar has lost structure and becomes brittle, and crowning it greatly lowers the chance of a split that would cost you the tooth. Front teeth can often be finished with a bonded filling instead.
Extraction is always an option and sometimes the right one. But once a back tooth is out, the neighbouring teeth drift, the bone shrinks, and replacing it with an implant or bridge usually costs more than saving it would have.
Some tenderness for a few days is normal healing. Pain that increases, or returns weeks later, usually means a missed canal, a leaking temporary filling or a crack. Dr Kiran explains the causes in the video on this page; please call us so we can x-ray it.
Yes. Retreatment removes the old filling material, cleans the canals again and reseals them. It often succeeds where the first treatment missed a canal or leaked, as long as the root is not cracked.
Pain that lingers after hot or cold, throbbing that wakes you, swelling or a gum boil, or a tooth that has darkened are the usual signs. Only testing and an x-ray confirm it, and some of these signs turn out to be a different problem.
Usually not. Antibiotics do not cure an infection inside a tooth; cleaning the canals does. We prescribe them when there is spreading swelling or fever, not as a routine, which also helps keep them working for you in future.
About an hour for most teeth, and up to an hour and a half for a molar with several canals. The NHS gives a range of one to two hours per appointment. We tell you the expected time when we book, so you can plan your day around it.
Yes, most people go back to work the same day. Your lip and cheek may stay numb for a few hours, so avoid hot drinks and chewing until the feeling returns.
Wait until the numbness wears off, then eat soft food on the other side. Avoid biting hard on the treated tooth until the crown or final filling is fitted, because it can crack before it is protected.
A root treated tooth can darken over the years, especially a front tooth. We can lighten it from the inside with internal bleaching, or cover it with a crown if it also needs protecting.
Yes, when it is needed. Local anaesthetic is safe, and an untreated dental infection is a greater risk to you and your baby than the treatment. We use x-rays only where they are necessary, with protection, and plan around your trimester.
Permanent teeth in older children can have root canal treatment in the same way as adults. Milk teeth are usually treated with a pulpotomy instead, which removes only the inflamed part of the nerve.
A properly sealed and crowned tooth can last for decades, often for life. Most root treated teeth that are lost were never crowned, or developed decay at a leaking edge years later.
Yes. A root canal and its crown usually fit within a two to three week trip. Send us your x-rays or describe your symptoms on WhatsApp before you fly, so we can keep a slot for you.
Often, yes. An abscess means the infection has spread from the pulp to the bone around the root, but cleaning and sealing the canals removes the source, and the bone usually heals over the following months. We check the healing on a later x-ray.
Front teeth usually have one, premolars one or two, and molars three or four, sometimes more. Your x-ray and what we find inside the tooth confirm the number, and we tell you before we quote, because it is the main thing that sets the time and the price.
When the tooth can be restored and the gum around it is healthy, saving it with a root canal and a crown is usually the better first choice. Your own tooth keeps its natural feel when you chew. An implant is the right answer when the tooth cannot be saved, and we plan both.
An endodontist is a dentist who has specialised in root canal treatment. Most root canals are carried out by general dentists. For a small number of very complex cases, such as a blocked or unusually curved canal, we will tell you if a specialist is the better choice.
A root canal removes all of the pulp, right down to the end of each root. A pulpotomy removes only the inflamed top part of the pulp in the crown of the tooth and keeps the rest alive, which is why we use it mainly for children’s milk teeth.
Our consultation fee is PKR 2,000, and it is waived when you go ahead with treatment. We quote your root canal in writing after the x-ray, with the crown or filling on top named.
Our clinic is inside F-10 Markaz, a short walk from the main commercial strip, and most patients reach us from Blue Area in under fifteen minutes outside peak hours.
Main Sumbal Rd, F-10/3 F 10/3 F-10, Islamabad, 46000, Pakistan
Root canal treatment in Islamabad with us starts with testing, an x-ray and an honest answer about whether your tooth can be saved, with a written quote that includes what goes on top.
Same day slots kept for pain and swelling.
Dr. Kiran Haseeb Clinic in Islamabad features a modern facility equipped with the latest dental technology, ensuring all treatments meet international standards.
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