Dos and Don’ts After Root Canal Therapy

When you develop a cavity in one of your teeth, you don’t find it challenging to continue regular activities. However, if left untreated, the cavity will expand over time until it becomes a problem that needs addressing immediately. If you downplay the consequences of tooth decay, you eventually face reality when confronted with losing your teeth. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to reach that stage.

Root canals are not a novelty, but when the matter relates to tooth restorations, an ideal option is to get the rot treated instead of confronting the daunting alternative of losing your teeth.

What Are Root Canals?

Root canals are an endodontics treatment that allows your dentist to save an infected tooth instead of extracting it. A severely decayed mature adult tooth can cause an extreme amount of pain. If you don’t want to extract the tooth, a root canal is the best alternative. This option allows you to preserve the natural tooth by removing the infected pulp.

The Root Canal Procedure

An infected tooth doesn’t take long to create other complications in your mouth, which is why dentists appreciate you contacting them for treatment early instead of waiting until significant damage has occurred. Here’s what you can expect during a root canal:

• Sedation: Root canals are a painful procedure requiring sedation and local anesthesia to numb your mouth before the treatment begins.
• Drilling: The endodontist, or root canal dentist, must make a hole in the top or back of your tooth to expose the dental pulp inside the tooth. If you need root canal therapy on a molar, the drilling happens in the crown, but the dentist drills from the back of the tooth if you need the treatment on a front tooth.
• Cleaning the tooth: After drilling the tooth to expose the dental pulp, the dentist proceeds with removing the infected or inflamed pulp to eradicate the infection and bacteria from within your tooth. The pulp chamber housing the nerves, connective tissue, and blood vessels are also removed. The dentist also cleans the canals, disinfects them, and then seals them with a bio-compatible rubber-like material called gutta-percha and adhesives. The access hole created to reach the pulp is also sealed with a filling.
• The dentist may recommend restoring the rest of the tooth with a dental crown as soon as you recover from the root canal.

Dos and Don’ts After Root Canal Therapy

Dos

• Brush your teeth twice a day, as usual, remaining careful near the treated tooth. Brush the treated tooth carefully with soft strokes instead of vigorous brushing to avoid possible complications.
• Take any medications prescribed according to the dentist’s instructions. Your dentist in Madison, WI, may prescribe antibiotics in certain situations to prevent infections before and after the root canal treatment.
• Contact the dentist if you are uncomfortable, and the pain doesn’t subside within 48 hours.
• If you notice swelling inside or outside your mouth or if you have an allergic reaction to the prescribed medication, contact the dentist for assistance.
• Keep your follow-up appointments with the dentist because it enables them to monitor the healing of your treated tooth.

Don’ts

• Do not bite or chew on hard and complex foods with the treated tooth unless restored with a permanent filling or a dental crown.
• Do not drink scorching or freezing beverages until you recover from the treatment.
• Do not try to eat anything before the numbness in your mouth wears off. This precaution prevents you from accidentally biting off your tongue or cheeks and needing additional treatments.
• Do not consume alcohol or smoke when taking antibiotic medicines.
• Do not delay restoring the treated tooth with a dental crown or permanent filling as advised by your root canal dentist. The restoration helps avoid fractures and additional damage to the tooth leading to failure of root canal therapy.

If you have been advised that you need a root canal and want more information on the dos and don’ts after receiving this treatment, please get in touch with Madison Lakes Dental! Our specialists in endodontic treatment will provide all the help you need to undergo and recover comfortably from your root canal.