Root canal therapy in Newcastle is an excellent treatment that can save severely infected and decayed teeth or teeth that have fractured. During this treatment, the dental pulp right in the centre of the tooth is removed, and the pulp tissue extends into the root canals in the tooth roots. The dental pulp contains the tooth nerve, which is why an infected tooth frequently feels painful, as well as other tissues, including blood vessels and connective tissues. An adult tooth can function perfectly well after root canal therapy, but it may take a few days for a tooth to settle down after treatment, especially if the infection is severe. Follow these easy tips to care for your tooth after root canal treatment.
Managing Discomfort
If you are in severe pain before treatment, this should ease afterwards, but the treated tooth may still feel slightly tender and inflamed. These symptoms should only last a couple of days and are easily managed using over-the-counter pain medication. If you begin to experience more significant pain, please contact West Bowmanville Family Dental so we can prescribe something to help you and check that the tooth is okay.
Take Care When Eating
It is perfectly normal for a tooth to feel slightly sensitive after root canal therapy in Clarington so choose your foods wisely. It’s best not to eat very hard or spicy foods that could irritate the tooth and the gum around it. Avoid eating on the tooth, and do not eat anything very chewy that could dislodge any temporary filling protecting the tooth. Instead, think about eating softer foods that require minimal chewing, like scrambled eggs, soup and oatmeal, and make sure anything you eat isn’t too hot or too cold as it could irritate a sensitive tooth.
Practice Good Oral Hygiene
Ensuring you practice good oral hygiene will help your root canal recover more smoothly while protecting the rest of your teeth and gums. Be sure to brush your teeth at least twice a day, and it is important to floss once a day. You will need to brush around the root-treated tooth more carefully until it is permanently restored.
Complete the Recommended Treatment Plan
Even though you will leave the practice with a filling protecting the tooth, you will almost certainly need to come and see us again to complete treatment. Usually, after root canal therapy in Courtice, we will place a temporary filling and leave the tooth to settle down for a short while. This ensures that all the infection is eliminated before placing a permanent filling that seals the tooth and restoring it with a dental crown.
Generally, a tooth that has received root canal therapy will have lost much of its original structure, and an ordinary filling would not be strong enough to restore the tooth permanently. This is why we will almost certainly need to cover up the entire tooth with a dental crown, restoring its strength, structure and appearance and ensuring you can comfortably bite down on the tooth.
It is extremely important to complete your treatment plan as any temporary filling is just that and will not last very long, leaving your tooth at risk of further infection and decay. There is also the risk that the weakened tooth could crack or break, especially if you bite down on anything hard or crunchy. A tooth that has received root canal therapy can often last for years or even for life without any problems.
