Recovering From Root Canal

A root canal is needed when the tissue inside a tooth becomes infected or inflamed. During the procedure, the dentist removes the infected tissue and seals the tooth, protecting it from further infection.

Here's what to expect after the procedure, courtesy of the American Dental Association:

*The tooth probably will be sensitive, sore or painful for a few days. You can take an over-the-counter pain medication for relief.
*Avoid chewing or biting with the damaged tooth until it has been fully restored, usually with a dental crown.
*If you have severe pain or pressure in the tooth, or pain that lasts more than a few days, call your dentist.

Post Operative Care For Root Canal

Your new root canal has been done to save your tooth from continuous decay, pain, and possibly needing an extraction down the road. The nerve in your tooth has been cleaned out and replaced with a medicine that will help the tooth heal. If this tooth has been causing you pain this root canal should make it so it will not hurt. However, there may still be some infection and/or inflammation in the bone around the tooth which may cause some pain, especially chewing. When necessary, antibiotics will be given to help clear up the infection. If there is pain following the root canal treatment we recommend taking an anti-inflammatory pain medication such as ibuprofen or aspirin. If pain persists for several days or is severe, please contact the office.

After a tooth has had a root canal, the tooth becomes more brittle. This means that the tooth is more likely to crack or break. We recommend that all posterior teeth and anterior teeth that have had many fillings be covered by a crown to protect the tooth from breaking. If we did not schedule you to complete this treatment please call immediately to schedule. If for any reason you are unable to complete the crown at this time, be advised of the potential for your tooth breaking, and be careful what you eat. We would recommend a softer diet preferably chewing on the other side of your mouth. This should decrease the possibility of breaking the tooth.

If the root canal was not completed, you probably went home with a temporary filling in your tooth. You also should have been scheduled to complete the root canal. It is important that the root canal be completed as soon as possible. Until the root canal is finished and a crown is placed over the tooth, the tooth can become painful, infected and/or break.

To help minimize the likelihood of breaking a tooth, a soft diet and eating on the opposite side of your mouth is recommended until the tooth can be crowned.

Generally we are able to finish everything in a single visit, however, future appointments may be necessary to: Finish Root Canal, place a Crown or simply follow up on the status of the tooth.

Bret A. Tobler D.M.D.

Eric A. Tobler D.M.D.

http://www.MyUtahDentist.com