What to expect:
1. It is not uncommon for a tooth to be uncomfortable, or even exhibit a dull
ache, immediately after receiving root canal therapy. This should resolve within a week or two.
2. Your
tooth will be sensitive to biting pressure, and may even appear loose. This feeling is a result of the sensitivity of the
nerve endings in the tissue just outside the end of the root. This is where we cleaned, irrigated, and placed filler and sealer
material. This feeling will subside.
3. You may feel a depression or roughness on top of a back tooth, or
in back of a front tooth, where our access was made. There is a soft temporary material in that area, which may wear away
before your next visit.
4. Occasionally, a small 'bubble or dimple' will appear on the gum tissue
within a few days after completion of a root canal. This represents a release of pressure and bacteria which no longer can
be sustained around the tooth. This should disappear within a few days.
What to Do:
1.
We recommend you take something for pain relief within one hour after leaving the office. This will get the medication into
your bloodstream before the anesthesia we administered begins to subside. We recommend ibuprofen (Advil, Nuprin, Motrin) 400
mg every six hours for one day. If you have a medical condition, or a gastrointestinal disorder which precludes ibuprofen,
the acetominapen (Tylenol) is a substitute, although it does not contain anti-inflammatory properties. Aspirin or aspirin-containing
products are not advisable, as they tend to increase bleeding in the area that was treated.
2. Whenever possible,
try to chew on the opposite side from the tooth that we have just treated until the area is permanently restored with
a crown or permanet filling. Until that time, your tooth is weakend and could fracture.
3. Avoid chewing gum,
caramels, or other soft sticky candy which could dislodge the temporary material or fracture the tooth.
Please
Call us If:
1. You are experiencing symptoms more intense or of longer duration than those described
above.
2. You encounter significant post-operative swelling.
3. The temporary is dislodged,
feels loose, or feels high when biting.
4. Your tooth fractures.
5. You have any questions.
