How to Care for Your Tooth after a Root Canal Procedure
After undergoing a root canal, you must care for the treated tooth appropriately to ensure you encounter no complications during the healing. Following a root canal near you must take good care of the tooth. The dentist places a temporary filling in the tooth, which must remain in place until you restore the tooth with a dental crown. Until your tooth is restored, the treated tooth needs excellent care.
Caring for the Treated Tooth Immediately after a Root Canal
After receiving root canal therapy near you, the dentist performing the treatment provides after-care instructions you must follow to the letter T.
Dentists recommend not to brush aggressively on the treated tooth to avoid putting too much stress because it can dislodge the temporary filling. Instead, you can use a soft-bristled toothbrush to gently clean the tooth without trying to force dental floss between it. If dental floss does not slide between teeth, discuss the subject with the dentist because they might reshape the filling to allow you to floss.
Rinsing your mouth is essential after a root canal. While the dentist restricts using over-the-counter mouthwash because it contains alcohol, you can use salt water for rinsing several times daily for 72 hours following the procedure. In addition, you must ensure you do not rinse vigorously to prevent harming the tooth.
Eating soft foods is recommended by the endodontist near you performing the therapy. You must avoid crunchy and hard foods because they can dislodge the temporary filling that exposes the nerves. Soon after receiving the information, you need a root canal; it helps if your stock your pantry with soft foods like soups, applesauce, yogurt, smoothies, et cetera to nourish yourself without considering chewy and complex foods likely to cause discomfort or infections.
What Does the Root Canal Procedure Entail?
The root canal procedure entails removing the infected or inflamed dental pulp from inside your tooth with the nerves to prevent the excruciating pain you experience and preserve your tooth from extraction.
You may receive a recommendation for root canal therapy in Chaska if you have a severely impacted tooth with cracks or chips or an untreated infected tooth, allowing bacteria to penetrate and infect it from the inside.
The infected tooth will cause excruciating pain besides lingering temperature sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures when eating foods or drinking beverages, making it challenging to continue everyday activities.
What Happens During a Root Canal?
Root canals have a fearsome reputation as a painful therapy. Fortunately, when you receive treatment from an endodontist specialist in treating infections inside the tooth, the treatment does not cause pain. Still, it helps relieve the pain you experience from the infected tooth.
When receiving this therapy from an endodontist, expect them to give you sufficient anesthesia and sedation to ensure you feel the specialist completed the procedure in a few minutes when you may spend over 45 minutes in the dentist’s chair.
After numbing your mouth with anesthetics, the specialist drills the affected tooth to expose the dental pulp for removal with the nerves to eradicate the infection in the tooth. After dental pulp removal, the specialist cleans the canals and seals them with a rubber-like biocompatible material, gutta-percha. They will also close the access hole drilled in the tooth with a temporary filling advising you to get the tooth restored with a dental crown soon after you recover.
Although root canals appear painful, therapy specialists ensure you will not experience any pain but will find relief from the infected tooth in a few days after the treatment. You also receive the after-care instructions mentioned above, which you must follow diligently to ensure you recover quickly and get the tooth restored, as suggested by the endodontist.
How Quickly Can You Recover after a Root Canal?
Recovering after a root canal depends on how well you follow the after-care instructions and care for the treated tooth as suggested by the dentist. The pain you experience from the canal procedure subsides after 72 hours until you can use over-the-counter painkillers for relief. However, you must avoid habits like smoking and alcohol consumption and rest for at least 24 hours before you indulge in your everyday activities.
You can revisit the endodontist to evaluate your recovery progress and get your tooth restored with a dental crown after they confirm you can proceed with the restoration.
Root canal-treated teeth last many years after restoring them with a dental crown to function as your remaining teeth. However, caring for your tooth after receiving painful therapy helps you recover faster by leaving the infection behind to continue your everyday life.
If you have a damaged or decayed tooth causing considerable pain and temperature sensitivity Town Dental — Chaska can help relieve the discomfort by performing a root canal painlessly. Consult them today to discuss your pain and receive a root canal immediately.