What medications can help alleviate the pain of a root canal?

Tooth pain: Usually a short course of a mild opioid such as tylenol (acetaminophen) with Codeine #2 or #3 for few days.

NSAIDs: My first choice is high doses of drugs like ibuprofen, generally called nsaids. Narcotics can be helpful, but have some negatives. One great approach is NSAID administration before treatment. That dramatically reduces post op inflammation, the main reason for discomfort.

Pain following rct: Tylenol (acetaminophen) (acetominophen) and nsaids (such as advil, ibuprophen, Motrin etc) work well in calming pain following root canal as well as other dental treatment. If the pain continues for more then 2 days without improvement, contact your dentist to have him/her look at the tooth.