After Treatment:
Your root canal treatment is now complete.
- Taking a pain medication before the numbness wears off may help maintain an acceptable comfort level. We will provide you with 2 tablets of Advil when you check out.
- Please wait to eat or drink on the affected side until after the numbness has worn away. Please do not chew or attempt to eat on the affected side while you are still numb.
Discomfort:
- Discomfort or soreness in the area is normal for a few days (or even weeks) and range from mild to severe. This occurs because of existing infection and inflammation of the gum and tooth ligaments as well as the manipulation of the tooth during treatment.
- The gums may be sore and the tooth is often tender to biting or chewing. Over the counter analgesics such as Ibuprofen, Advil, Aleve, Aspirin, Motrin, Excedrin, and Tylenol should relieve most of the discomfort.
- Rinsing with warm salt water (1 teaspoon of salt per glass of warm water) will help. Discomfort in the area in no way affects the successful outcome of treatment.
- If antibiotics and/or pain medications were prescribed, please take them as directed. If you were given a prescription for pain, it is meant to help you with more serious discomfort only for a couple of days. In the unlikely event that swelling, fever, or severe pain should occur, please call the office promptly.
Diet restrictions:
Once you resume eating and drinking, avoid chewing or biting on the treatment area until your permanent restoration is placed. The filling(build up) placed immediately following root canal treatment is vulnerable to fracturing (cracking). For this reason, it is important to avoid chewing on hard substances such as peanuts, pretzels, hard candy, ice cubes, etc.. You may experience increased sensitivity prior to the placement of the final restoration.
IF AN APPOINTMENT TO PLACE A CROWN HAS NOT BEEN MADE,
PLEASE TELEPHONE TO SCHEDULE THIS APPOINMENT PROMPTLY.
Endodontically treated teeth have been weakened by previous decay and fillings. It is necessary for these teeth to receive additional protection in the form of a crown. This will protect these teeth against future fracture and decay, and protect the root canal filling from possible contamination. Delay in obtaining a final restoration may result in fracture and/or possible loss of the tooth.
THIS SECTION IS VERY IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
While flare-ups are rare, they occur in about 5% of cases and may cause significant pain. They generally only occur with teeth that are extremely irritated and/or infected or with teeth that have a history of prior treatment. These sometimes occur randomly, even on patients that have had root canals done in the past without problems. If you have a flare-up, you may experience moderate to severe pain, swelling, throbbing, or general discomfort; please contact our office right away. You may be prescribed additional medication such as antibiotics, and/or you may be asked to come to the office for further treatment.