Root canal therapy after care

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It is important that you read and adhere to the care guidelines below following your root canal procedure. Root canal treatment is invasive and the body needs time to heal. Root canal treatment can be stressful on the body, and it may be up to 5 days before you are feeling back to normal.

If you choose not to follow these guidelines you can compromise your recovery and your body’s ability to heal at the root canal site.

•  Take pain killers as prescribed by your dentist. Pain killer analgesics are usually in the form of Ibuprofen, Paracetamol, or a combination of both, and are mostly required for up to 48 hours post treatment.
• Take antibiotics as prescribed by your dentist. Antibiotics, when needed, are prescribed for 5 days. It is important to complete the course, even if you are feeling 100%.
• Do not eat or drink until local anaesthetic has completely worn off, to avoid cheek, lip or tongue burning and / or biting.
• As your tooth will be vulnerable to breaking during root canal treatment, go easy on chewing very hard items such as candy, plastic pens, ice etc…. The temporary filling and natural tooth enamel can break under such circumstances.
• At the completion of root canal treatment, have a permanent filling placed as recommended by your dentist. Most of the time, back teeth need to be fitted with a crown, to prevent the tooth from splitting, and having to be extracted. Front teeth, most of the time, require a white filling, porcelain veneer or crown to be fitted.
• Good oral hygiene and diet is essential for the success of root canal treated teeth. Brush and floss twice a day and maintain a healthy diet to increase the longevity of your root canal treated tooth.
• Visit your dentist TWICE A YEAR for a routine check-up and clean, to increase the longevity of your root canal treated tooth.