What to Do after Root Canal Treatment?
Minh Nguyen
When the nerve of a tooth becomes infected, root canal treatment
can save the tooth. How do you know if you have an infected
tooth? Some of the signs are heat and cold sensitivity, swelling
and pain, or a bad taste in your mouth. Or, you may experience no
symptoms at all and not realize that you have a dental problem.
To get at the infection, he makes an opening through the top of
the tooth down into the pulp chamber. With a dental file, your
dentist (or endodontist) carefully cleans out the infected tissue
and shapes the canals to receive the filling material. X-rays are
taken to make sure that all of the infected pulp is removed.
Root canal therapy often takes two or more appointments to
complete. A temporary filling or crown is placed to protect the
tooth between appointments. After each appointment when
anesthetic has been used, your lips, teeth and tongue may be numb
for several hours. Avoid any chewing until the numbness has
completely worn off.
Between appointments, it's common (and not a problem) for a small
portion of your temporary filling to wear away or break off. If
the entire filling falls out, or if a temporary crown comes off,
call your dentist so it can be replaced.
It's normal to experience some discomfort for several days after
a root canal appointment, especially when chewing. To control
discomfort, take pain medication as recommended. If antibiotics
are prescribed, continue to take them for the indicated length of
time, even if all symptoms and signs of infection are gone.
To further reduce pain and swelling, rinse three times a day with
warm salt water; dissolve a teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm
water, then rinse, swish, and spit. To protect the tooth and help
keep your temporary in place:
• Avoid chewing sticky foods (especially gum).
• Avoid hard foods and hard substances, such as ice, fingernails
and pencils.
• If possible, chew only on the opposite side of your mouth.
It's important to continue to brush and floss normally. Usually,
the last step after root canal treatment is the placement of a
crown on the tooth. A crown covers and protects the tooth from
breaking in the future. If your bite feels uneven, you have
persistent pain, swelling, bleeding (bruising) or you have any
other questions or concerns, call your dentist right away.
If after root canal treatment has been performed a tooth still
harbors bacteria or irritants which keep the tissues surrounding
the root of the tooth from being healthy (inflamed), then the
treatment has not been successful. Some signs of failed root
canal treatment can include tooth pain (ranging from very mild to
extreme) and tenderness or swelling in the gums in the area near
the tooth (ranging from very slight to pronounced). These signs
can either:
• Persist from the time of the root canal treatment.
• Be transient (varying week to week or month to month.
• Appear even though the tooth has been asymptomatic for years.
In other cases a tooth may have been, and continues to be,
without symptoms but the tissues surrounding the tooth are
identified as having the presence of persistent inflammation by
way of a x-ray examination by a dentist. In these cases, if
re treatment is not a possibility, then the tooth should be
extracted.
For more information, click the following link:
http://www.softdental.com/houston_dentist/root_canal_treatment
.html SoftDental (website:
http://www.softdental.com ) is
Houston's Premier Laser, Family, and Cosmetic dentistry. Dr. Minh
Nguyen is one of the America's Top Dentists.
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