How effective are OTC pain relievers after a dental crown procedure?

OTC pain relievers work well before and after a dental procedure.  A crown procedure generlly does not cause pain but slight discomfort the 24 hours is fine.  If pain continues or is more intese, call the dentist office.

Most often, pain relievers are not needed after a crown procedure.   Some patients feel some soreness after the procedure, but this is usually the result of having the mouth held open or the cheek and tongue retracted for an extended time.  If desired, an OTC product such as Advil, Tylenol or Aleve can be taken before the anesthetic effect disappears.

I find that many practitioners (medical and dental) chronically underestimate what patients go through after procedures. I am a realist. I find many patients do very well and have minimal symptoms afterward, but I always make a plan to keep my patients as comfortable as possible.

I always suggest that patients take Ibuprofen (or Tylenol) one hour before their appointment and then again afterward for the next 24 hours. 

Some teeth that need crowns have had extensive damage, some patients realistically do need stronger medications. In that case a Narcotic prescription is given.

I find that good communication before hand about what to expect, then for me to know my patient-i.e., are they going back to a 12 hour workday tomorrow, will they be on the phone and in meetings constantly the next day...? If so, it's better to plan for the worst, and engineer the results so that the tooth is as little irritated as possible.

Most people do very well with the crown process and like every other dental procedure, discuss your thoughts and questions with your dentist. DO it before you start so that you can plan properly. With a great plan, you will be comfortable and have no surprises afterward.

A single tooth crown procedure generally may cause a day or two of mild discomfort in the form of a dull ache or temperature sensitivity (especially cold) which is alleviated with over the counter anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen (Advil/Motrin) or Aspirin.  In certain situations, such as if there is a large filling in the tooth or the tooth is badly damaged, the discomfort may be stronger in intensity and/or duration, in which case a stronger pain reliever may be needed.

You can have some mild sensitivity after preparation procedures for crown, but it should not be very severe. OTC pain reliever should take care of that. Strong pain could be caused by few factors. It can be that during the preparation for the crown significant amount of tooth structure was removed and there is very thin layer of the dentin covering the nerve, or nerve was exposed. Nerve exposure would cause a severe pain and in that case dentist would prescribe very strong (narcotic) painkiller, until you could be helped by endodontist. If your pain symptom do not go away in a day or two you should be reevaluated for possible root canal treatment. Take care.