Post Operative Care - After Root Canal Treatment
If you haven’t had a root canal treatment for your teeth, you may wonder what and how it will be. A root canal is a process where the inner parts of the teeth are cleaned to remove the infections. Hence the pain for a few hours or one or two days is common. The recovery from a root canal is a bit different and a time taking process involving a lot of discomforts.
We usually follow post-operative measures to recover speed after the treatment. These care tips also help in keeping the results for a longer time. In this blog, we listed everything you need to know about post-operative care. Follow these during and after the root canal treatment to get better results. Read till the end, and you will find it useful!
Table Of Contents
- What is Post-Operative care?
- Understanding the Common issues we face
- Instructions during the Treatment
- Instructions for Completed Treatment
- Follow these eating guidelines post-treatment
- The possible Complications of root canal treatment
- Root Canal Surgery at Dr.Jaydev Dental Clinic
- FAQs
What is post-operative care?
After every treatment procedure, the teeth may need some time to heal on their own. This period is crucial to take care of to avoid the failure of the treatments. Hence your endodontist will suggest some precautions and tips follow before your discharge from the clinic. These tips include pain management care and care to take between the recovery period and your next follow-up visit. These guidelines may vary from person to person, but following them is most important for early recovery.
Understand these common issues you face
Do not ignore if these goes high unbearable!
- Severe pain or pressure for more than a few days.
- Visible swelling either inside or outside the mouth.
- Allergic reactions after you use the medicine.
- Uneven bites.
- The slipping or breaking of temporary crown put.
- If any previous symptoms return.
After every treatment procedure, the teeth may need some time to heal on their own. This period is crucial to take care of to avoid the failure of the treatments. Hence, your endodontist will suggest some precautions and tips follow before your discharge from the clinic. These tips include pain management care and care to take between the recovery period and your next follow-up visit. These guidelines may vary from person to person, but following them is most important for early recovery.
Your dentist will then suggest the medication depending on the treatment severity.
Read out our blog Root Canal Treatment & Causes.
Essential recovery tips for root canal
- Plan and follow a proper recovery period
- Treat your pain as long as it is bearable.
- Choose the food that doesn’t harm your teeth.
- Avoid inflammation.
- Pay attention to what you feel!
So, once you consult the best dentist near you to diagnose. If the severity is high, they will suggest root canal treatment. Below are a few instructions to follow on initiating the root canal treatment before it gets completed.
Instructions during the Treatment
Temporary Filling –
If you receive the temporary filling, keep that tooth off and give it some time to heal. The teeth will be fragile until it gets completely recovered.
Leave your teeth to drain until your next appointment:
Irrigating teeth help them drain fast and stay protected from infections.
Dissolve a spoon of table salt in a glass of water. Swish and spit over this solution in the infected area to clean it. Repeat it after every meal or snack.
If the cotton ball placed is missing out, replace it with a new one. This is to avoid blocking the area with food.
Do not use any objects like toothpicks in the infected area. Use the medications as directed.
Never rely on your preventives for swelling or severe pains. Immediately consult your dentist.
Instructions for completed treatment
After the completion of treatment, replace the filling with your regular dentist. For this, they will recommend a dental crown. This crown will be your permanent restoration. Be cautious at this point and follow every step your endodontist or dentist suggests to you.
1.Food:
As food is the basic need we all want, we tend to it. But be careful while you are choosing the foods to consume.
On the immediate and sometimes following day, you will still have numbness in your mouth. The tooth and crown also become sensitive to cold and hot foods, so better avoid or choose foods that will harm you.
Prefer only soft to chew or bite foods as long as you have a crown. It may have chances of dropping or breaking.
2. Discomfort:
Discomforts are common either immediately after the treatment. This may continue for about 7 to 10 days but allows you to eat and drink.
Avoid chewing on the treated side to reduce the discomfort. Don't bear these discomforts beyond your body’s acceptance. Immediately consult the dentist and get the proper direction for recovery.
Instructions after a few days of the treatment
3. Ice the Area:
Use the medicine as prescribed and directed. Do not rinse immediately, wait for at least 24 hours. Apply ice pack on and off every 15 minutes. Continue the same for the initial few days.
4. Reduce swelling, Bruising, and discomfort:
Sleep in an elevated position for the first couple of days. Brush and floss your teeth and mouth to maintain oral hygiene. If you see swelling or pain lasting for more days, try consulting your dentist.
5. Other instructions:
Do not smoke or drink for a few days. Start moving your lips and mouth making you comfortable to eat and talk. Eat only soft foods as recommended by the dentist.
Follow these eating guidelines post-treatment
Eat any soft food easy to bite and chew.
Foods to prefer after root canal treatment.
Dairy products:
Yogurt, Soft cheeses, Cottage cheese
Fruits and Vegetables:
Pureed soup, Applesauce, Smoothies, Bananas, Mangos, Ripe pears, Peaches, Mashed/Baked sweet potatoes, Pureed winter squash, Avocado
Proteins:
Eggs, Canned tuna or chicken, Hummus, Tofu, Meatloaf, Nut butter, Legumes (beans, lentils, split peas)
Grains:
Pasta, Oatmeal, Polenta, Cream of Wheat
Foods to avoid after root canal treatment.
- Smoke, Alcohol
- Hot, cold foods and beverages
- Chewy or hard or sticky or crunchy foods
Do not panic about these possible complications
Root canal treatment is one of the highest successful dentistry. Despite that, it can lead to a few complications, which may not be common for all. So do not panic if you face or notice any of these complications post-treatment.
1. Re-Infection:
Re-infections occur if the cleaning process is incomplete or due to fractures or the use of low-quality fillers. Consult your dentist and check the severity. Your dentist will suggest the best available option.
2. Fractured root or crown:
In the root canal process, we can remove a few nerves from the canal. This results in decreased supply of nutrients making the crown fragile. These can occur anytime from beginning to post-treatment. But most of the cases fall in chewing hard foods.
Root Canal Surgery at Dr. Jaydev Clinic
Didn’t find the answers to your questions about getting root canal treatment?
Don’t worry Dr. Jaydev's dental clinic has a special team who answers all your questions and helps you get relieved from all the severe root canal pain.
Call us or book your appointment online today!
Get Every Single Answer About The Treatment
Endodontists are specialists in treating root canals of any severity. Hence we recommend consulting the endodontist than a dentist.
After every successful root canal, the first thing we can expect is relief from the severe pain. We can manage the pain as the infection is completely removed from the teeth. To last this long, follow the proper oral hygiene and after-care tips.
Pain while biting and chewing Pimples on the gums Cracked or chipped teeth Sensitivity to hot and cold, etc. These are the most common root canal symptoms. Immediately consult the dentist near you if the severity increases with any of these.
The first thing is to avoid the hard foods that make teeth hurt. Reduce acidic and sugary food. Maintain oral hygiene to avoid further infections.
