ROOT CANAL POST OP
INSTRUCTIONS
For One Appointment
Endodontic treatment
(root canal) is now complete.
The canals inside the roots have been cleaned, irrigated, medicated and permanently sealed. The opening in the tooth through which root
canal treatment was done has been sealed with a filling.
Delay in obtaining final restoration
(crown) may result in
fracture and/or possible loss of the tooth
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It is not uncommon for a tooth to be uncomfortable or even exhibit
a dull ache immediately after receiving root-canal therapy. This should subside within a few days (or even weeks)
This
occurs because of conditions, which existed before treatment was started.
Experience shows that if there was pain prior
to treatment there maybe a degree of pain that will continue
for a few days after the procedure. Remember that pain
radiates. You may feel sensations of discomfort that
are not related to the treated area during the healing
process. This can be created by inflammation in this area
and/or due to increase in blood volume that natural occurs
in the healing process. |
|
Your tooth
will be sensitive to biting pressure and may even appear to feel loose.
This feeling is a result of the sensitivity of nerve-ending in the tissue
just outside the end of the root, where we cleaned, irrigated and placed filler
and sealer material. Discomfort in this area for a few
days to a couple of weeks is common.
Warm
salt-water rinses for the next two days will help, and avoid chewing on this
side until all tenderness is gone.
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|
Occasionally,
a small “bubble” or “pimple” will appear on the gum tissue within a few
days after completion of a root canal. This
represents the release of pressure and bacteria which no longer can be sustained
around the tooth. This should
disappear within a few days.
|
|
The gums may be sore and the tooth
may be tender when biting or chewing. These conditions exist because the
nerves around the tooth have been inflamed because of the conditions
that existed before treatment was started and due to the manipulation of
the tooth during treatment. |
| Please do
not chew or attempt to eat on the side of your mouth that has been worked on
while this area is still numb.
|
| You
may want to put an ice pack over area where the procedure
was done for 1/2 hour when you first get home to minimize
swelling. Apply the ice pack (or use frozen vegetables
like peas) every hour for 10-15 minutes during the first 4-6
minutes. |
| Sleep
with your head in an elevated position for the first few
nights if you do not have any physical limitations. |
| Eat
a soft diet for at least two days and remember not to chew
on the treated side. Avoid very hot or cold foods
during the healing process.
|
| We recommend
you take something for pain-relief within one hour of leaving our office, to get
the medication into your blood system before the anesthesia we administered
begins to subside. Generally, only
one dose is needed. We recommend
ibuprofen (Nuprin, Advil, Motrin)-800 mg (four tablets). Two to four tables may
be taken four times a day for the next 3-4 days to help control the sensitivity
in this area. If you have a medical
condition or gastrointestinal disorder which precludes ibuprofen, acetaminophen
(Tylenol, Excedrin) is a substitute, although it does not contain
anti-inflammatory properties, Aspirin and aspirin-containing products are NOT
advisable, as they tend to increase bleeding from the area that was treated.
|
| Please take
prescribed medication (antibiotics and /or pain medication) as directed. If
you are given PenicillinVK take 2 pills every 4 hours for 48-72 hours, then
complete prescription taking 1 pill very 6 hours. Please take the full course of antibiotic medication.
If you were given a prescription for pain, it is meant to help you with
more serious discomfort only for a couple of days. Refer to pain
control article
|
| Whenever
possible, try to chew on the opposite side from the tooth we have just treated,
until you have a crown place.
Until that time, your tooth still is weakened and could fracture.
|
|
Do
not smoke during the first 24 hours and
minimize the number of times you smoke
during the remaining healing process
because smoking delays the healing
process. Avoid drinking alcoholic
beverages. Avoid strenuous
exercise for 24 hours. |
| Please avoid
crunchy or hard foods which could
cause the tooth without a crown to
fracture.
|
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Delay in obtaining final restoration
(crown) may result in
fracture and/or possible loss of the tooth
WHAT TO DO FOR NON-HEALING AFTER ENDODONTIC TREATMENT
Fortunately for everyone, most root canals heal with about a 95%
success rate. When they don't heal, we would prefer to call this
"non-healing". Be aware that this is not mere carpentry -- it
is a medical procedure and all medical procedures do not heal 100% of
the time, including root canals. Generally speaking, the non-healing
takes one of two avenues:
1. Pain (mild too severe) with or without swelling, or
2. No symptoms at all, but rather changes on the x-ray suggestive of
non-healing (i.e.: bone dissolving around the root tips).
Typically, the non-healing is caused by one of two things:
1. Inflammation-The inflammation may be from the tooth being inflamed prior to
treatment, or the treatment itself may elicit more inflammation. Usually
time, and medication like Advil, or steroids can resolve this.
2. Infection
can be from three main causes:
- 1. The original infection persists
- 2. There is a crack in the tooth,
3. There is leakage through the top of the tooth (i.e.: the
filling) that re-infected the root canal filling.
If the non-healing is due to infection, usually time and antibiotics
will resolve this. If signs or symptoms persist, there are three
options:
1. Retreat the root canal, or
2. Surgically clean the bone that surrounds the root tip and seal
the
tip of the root, or
3. Extract the tooth.
Obviously, every case is different and careful evaluation is
paramount to resolving any conditions of non-healing.
We will contact you by mail and/or phone in six months for a
re-examination to determine that healing is progressing normally. We may
take a x-ray to ensure that the tooth and surrounding tissues are
healed. There will be no additional fee for this service.
If you ever have any questions, or should difficulties arise as a
consequence of your endodontic treatment, please do not hesitate to call
Dr. Peterson: office 436-3491
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