Dos and Don’ts after Getting a Root Canal

Root canals are intensive procedures to provide freedom from an excruciating toothache in a specific tooth with deep decay infecting the dental pulp inside your tooth. The mere mention of needing root canal therapy can make you wonder what made you a victim of this treatment, which might cause more pain than you currently experience.

The dental pulp inside your tooth is safely guarded by your tooth enamel and the dentin layer beneath the enamel. Therefore, your mouth bacteria can reach the dental pulp only when you have an untreated cavity or incur injuries to the tooth from impacts on your mouth.

Root canal treatment in Oshawa, ON, will likely not cause pain because the specialist providing the treatment ensures you receive adequate anesthesia to numb the pain from the procedure to provide relief from the discomfort you currently experience.

After receiving the treatment, you might think you can continue using the tooth as usual, which you can after you recover from the therapy provided by the specialist. Meanwhile, you receive a set of after-care instructions which you must follow to ensure positive results from the treatment to enjoy a healthy smile.

After-Care Instructions Following Root Canals

Dos

• Brushing and cleaning your teeth twice a day remains an essential practice after receiving a treatment to save your tooth from extraction. However, you must brush the treated tooth carefully, applying soft and gentle strokes instead of brushing aggressively.
• You must exist on a diet of soft foods such as porridge and rice that are not harsh on your teeth.
• The specialist providing endodontic therapy prescribes medicines to prevent infections and manage the discomfort from this intensive therapy. You must take the medications as suggested by the specialist without skipping doses.
• You can use saline gargles to make saltwater rinses because they are an effective remedy for tooth ailments. However, you must refrain from using mouthwash brands because they contain alcohol harmful to your teeth during recovery from root canals.
• If you notice swelling inside or on the outside of your mouth, have allergic reactions to medications, or the toothache doesn’t subside, you must contact the Hamilton specialist immediately for help.
• You must revisit the Hamilton specialist regularly for checkups because it helps them monitor the recovery of your treated tooth.
• Contact the specialist whenever you feel uncomfortable after root canals.

Don’ts

• Do not consider biting or chewing with the treated tooth until you have it restored with a permanent filling or a dental crown.
• Do not have scorching or freezing beverages until you recover from the treatment.
• Do not consider eating foods immediately after receiving root canals because your mouth remains numb for three to four hours and might cause you to bite your cheeks or tongue.
• Even if you feel comfortable after undergoing root canal treatment, do not consider skipping doses of medications because you might find it challenging to manage the pain later.
• Do not smoke or consume alcohol when taking the antibiotics suggested by the specialist.
• The specialist advises you to get the treated tooth restored soon after recovering from the therapy. You might need a couple of appointments with your dentist to restore the treated tooth with dental fillings or a crown. Delaying the treatment beyond a certain point can make the tooth vulnerable to fractures or additional damage resulting in root canal failure.

Root canal treatments help eliminate infections inside your tooth which you might think can’t occur. However, if you leave a cavity untreated or ignore treating a damaged or broken tooth, you can rest assured your mouth bacteria will soon get to the dental pulp to infect and inflame it. The infection causes excruciating pain in the tooth and leaves lingering sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures, making it challenging for you to eat or drink beverages.

When the specialist mentions that you need root canal treatment to eliminate the infection, you will likely wonder whether you can avoid the treatment or will the condition go away by itself. Unfortunately, the infection doesn’t heal or disappear but expands to affect the neighbouring teeth and your jawbone. Therefore, the only remedy to avoid a root canal is to have the tooth extracted and get artificial teeth with solutions like partial dentures, bridges, or implants. Therefore accepting the specialist’s proposal to eliminate the infection by undergoing root canals is a beneficial option.

Undergoing root canals doesn’t mean your tooth is restored in an instant. Instead, caring for the treated tooth by following the guidelines in this article ensures you enjoy positive results from the treatment to have a healthy smile with your natural tooth for many years.

If you suffer from severe toothache pain in a specific tooth because of reasons described earlier and receive a suggestion to receive endodontic treatment from Harmony Dental Care, kindly do not neglect the advice. The therapy helps save your natural tooth to prevent needing replacement solutions.