Patients may experience some discomfort following endodontic treatment. This is normal and may occur due to irritation produced by the inflammation that was present in your tooth or fro the procedure itself. The tooth should feel much better in three to five days. If medications are prescribed, please take them as directed to help the healing process.

To minimize discomfort, avoid chewing on the tooth for several days. Then progress to try chewing soft food on the tooth. If it should continue to be sensitive, please contact our office.

A safe and effective way to help with discomfort is to take 400-600 mg of Ibuprofen (i.e. Advil/Motrin/Aleve) every 6 hours for a few days after treatment. You might also elect to combine this with 500-750 mg of Tylenol, also every six hours. Together, these two over-the-counter medications work very well to decrease post-operative inflammation and pain. Be careful NOT to exceed 3200 mg of ibuprofen or 3000 mg of Tylenol in a 24 hour period. Also, DO NOT take them if you are sensitive/allergic to these medications. Should this approach not control your discomfort, please call for a prescription or further evaluation. It is not normal to have severe pain or onset of swelling after your visit.

If the gums around the tooth are irritated following your appointment, this may be due to placement of the rubber dam during treatment. Rinsing your mouth with warm salt water (1/2 tsp. to a cup of warm water) will speed up the healing. This should be repeated every three or four hours until the area is comfortable. Should the sensitivity continue for more than a few days, please contact our office.

Upon completion of the root canal therapy, a permanent restoration (filling) may have been placed in the tooth to prevent possible recontamination of the root canal by saliva and bacteria. If the time allotment did not allow for placement of a permanent restoration, a temporary may have been placed.  It is very important that you have a permanent restoration placed on the tooth as soon the tooth is comfortable. This restoration should cover the entire biting surface of the tooth (in most cases). This will protect the root canal treated tooth and help prevent possible future fracture of the remaining tooth structure. Even if we placed a permanent filling in our office, a crown is commonly required to preserve the delicate remaining tooth structure. PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL with chewing on this tooth until it has been permanently reinforced with a final restoration. Teeth that crack may not be salvageable.

It will be necessary to have you return to our clinic at a future date for one or more complimentary check-up (recall) appointments so we can evaluate the healing process of the root canal treated tooth. This allows us the opportunity to provide the best possible care and make sure that you are not having any further issues.

Additional information: A root canal treated tooth will not have any hot or cold sensitivity, but could be tender to touching or biting for a few days to a week, possibly up to a month.

You will be given written and verbal instructions on how to minimize any discomfort by taking ibuprofen, Tylenol, or another prescribed pain reliever.

If you have swelling or a reaction to any medications, please call us immediately.

Please wait for anesthetic to wear off before chewing so that you do not bite your cheek or tongue. This usually takes 2-5 hours from the time it is given.