There is a periodontal ligament that usually surrounds the tooth and at the tip of the root it widens. This is often referred to as the “hammock ligament”. The hammock ligament is the primary entrance that the nerve tissue and blood vessels must go through in order to supply the dental pulp located inside of the tooth. If there is any kind of amputation that is required of the nerve located inside the tooth then it is often accompanied by the swelling of fibers in the hammock ligament as well as inflammation (amputation is technically just a root canal). There might be extensive inflammation that is caused by the overextension of the file that is located just beyond the apex of the root. It can also be caused by the hammock ligament receiving any fluids or debris that were forced down in there. This usually happens during the cleaning of the canals.
If this occurs then it might also be followed by an elongation of the tooth inside of the socket. What this actually means is that the normal biting and clenching of teeth can cause some serious trauma to the hammock ligament. The way to get away from this is to either shorten the teeth by adjusting the occlusion so that the opposing teeth avoid hitting them. If it is not done then there will be extra pain and swelling in the hammock ligament which will cause the tooth to grow longer and further increase the pain and swelling.
This is a vicious cycle and can end up being extremely painful. Even just a small amount of pressure can make the strongest man cry. The proper treatment is to reduce the occlusion and that way it doesn’t make abnormal contact with the other teeth.
If a tooth is under endodontic treatment then a person can be subject to severe bruxing (teeth grinding) habits. This can happen even when there is no elongation and there is no contact with the opposing teeth. There is not a clear reason as to why this happens but it might have to do with blood flow in surrounding bone of the tooth.
People who have a lot of pain and suffering from endodontic therapy are usually a part of this last group. If you have this issues then you should consider starting TMJ treatment to help relieve the pain.
