It sounds to me like the tooth was non--vital when the RCT was started. That means the nerve was dead and necrotic. There is bacteria present in the root which sometimes gets turned on(for a better term)when the tooth is touched. This would be the cause of the swelling.I don't know if the RCT was completed.I would rather have the tooth asymptomatic before the treatment was completed.The numbness could be directly related to the swelling and the feeling should return as the swelling diminishes.
sounds like a post operative infection,.. either their is an abcess, or, less likely, there is trauma/infection from the anesthetic injection. usually, if the root canal procedure was done well, atibiotics will take care of it and your nerve sensation should return to normal. sometimes the infection has to be drained thru an incision but if it were me I'd prefer the root canal filling be removed and the procedure redone by a specialist rather than draining the infection by making an incision. there is no harm in seeing a root canal specialist for an opinion on the quality of the root canal procedure if your symptoms persist or if you are not satisfied.. go to someone your dentist does not refer to. if the antibiotic is effective you should start to see improvement in 24-48 hrs.