Root Canal Aftercare: Our Guide for Making Your Recovery Easy

After a root canal, it’s crucial to practice great root canal aftercare to ensure a successful recovery and improved functionality of the mouth.

Here is a guide to help care for your oral health after undergoing a root canal:

What Goes on Inside Your Tooth Before and During a Root Canal

To understand the healing process, you need to recognize the type of damage that happens inside your tooth before you get treatment. You will need a root canal because bacteria grew inside the tooth. The common signs that you need a root canal include discomfort, and tooth sensitivity comes from the inflammation caused by bacteria inside the tooth.

Unless an endodontist removes the infected pulp from your tooth, the infection affects the bone around the tooth, and sometimes systemic symptoms can arise. To ensure that the tooth’s root canals no longer have infected pulp in them, the endodontist needs to use instruments to remove the pulp and bacteria. Accessing the canals requires the endodontist to drill an opening into the tooth.

Once the endodontist ensures that all the inflamed and infected parts inside the tooth are gone, they fill the tooth with gutta-percha. If you had a molar treated, you might need a crown to strengthen it. The back molars experience the greatest force when you bite down.

Root Canal Aftercare on the Day of Treatment

The same day that you get your root canal, you will need a different type of care than you will on the subsequent days.

First, you’ll still have your mouth numb from the local anesthesia the doctor used. Depending on how long your procedure lasted, you may need to wait another two to four hours for the numbness to go away. Until it does, avoid chewing anything, including gums, mints, and food. Chewing when you still have your mouth numb could mean that you bite the inside of your mouth or tongue and not notice at the time. The discomfort from a bite can compound the discomfort you feel from the healing tooth.

Have a hearty meal before your root canal that will keep you sated until after the anesthesia wears off. This will help you to put off your next meal or snack until you have the sensation back in your mouth.

Once you can eat again, try to eat soft foods, especially if you need a crown over the treated tooth. Root canal therapy will save a tooth from extraction, but the tooth may need a crown to reinforce it before you can resume your regular diet.

Brush and floss your teeth normally on the same root canal day. You should also schedule your follow-up appointment with your endodontist on the day of your root canal. If you need a crown over your tooth, call your dentist to set up a visit to start the crown fitting process.

Root Canal Aftercare the Week Following the Procedure

After you have a root canal, your aftercare continues. Keep up with your follow-up appointments and dental visits. The follow-up visit is for your endodontist to verify that your tooth continues healing as expected and that you do not develop complications. An appointment with your dentist lets you get a crown over your tooth, if needed, in a timely manner. Failing to get a crown over a treated molar increases the chances of cracking or developing root canal complications.

Unless you need a crown, you can resume eating, brushing, and flossing as you normally would. If you need a crown, avoid chewing with the teeth on the affected side of your mouth until you get your permanent crown.

Will I need antibiotics before or after a root canal?

Most people don’t need to take antibiotics with uncomplicated root canal procedures. In fact, the root canal’s point is to remove any infected matter from the tooth physically, so there should not be any bacteria remaining for antibiotics to combat.

Can the endodontist prescribe pain relievers to take after the root canal?

Contrary to what most people think, root canals generate only mild to moderate discomfort during healing. Therefore, endodontists avoid prescribing strong medications and instead recommend over-the-counter options. 

The best way to take over-the-counter pain medicine is by the clock instead of your discomfort level. By taking the medicine before your discomfort worsens into pain, you’ll prevent the worst pain during recovery. Here’s how to maximize the benefits of combining over-the-counter medicine during the first two days after your root canal:

• • Take three 200 mg ibuprofen tablets every six hours

• • Take one 500 mg acetaminophen tablet every six hours at the same time as the ibuprofen

• • Drink a caffeine-containing soda, coffee, or tea two times a day with the medicine

A day’s example of this regime may look like this:

• • 7 am: Three 200 mg ibuprofen tablets, one 500 mg acetaminophen tablet, a cup of coffee, tea, or soda

• • 1 pm: Three 200 mg ibuprofen tablets, one 500 mg acetaminophen tablet, a cup of coffee, tea, or soda

• • 7 pm: Three 200 mg ibuprofen tablets, one 500 mg acetaminophen tablet

• • 1 am: Three 200 mg ibuprofen tablets, one 500 mg acetaminophen tablet

Only follow the above for the first two days after your root canal. In the subsequent days, you should see a reduction in discomfort and only need to take ibuprofen without adding acetaminophen and caffeine.

Have Questions on Root Canal Aftercare? Call Us at Innovative Endodontics

If you still have questions about your root canal aftercare, call us at Innovative Endodontics. We can help address any concerns you have or schedule you for a visit if you need a root canal. Call us today for expert endodontic treatment from a caring team.