Long Island Endodontics

Recovery From Root Canal Surgery

What To Expect

• It is not uncommon for a tooth to be uncomfortable or exhibit a dull ache immediately after receiving root canal therapy. This should subside within one week.
• Your tooth will be sensitive to biting pressure and may even appear to feel loose. This feeling is a result of the sensitivity of the nerve ending in the tissue just outside the end of the root. This feeling will be short-lived.
• You may feel a depression or rough area on the top of a back tooth or the back of a front tooth where our access was made. There is a soft, temporary material in that area, which may wear away to some degree before your next visit.
• 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.

What To Do

• We recommend you take something for pain-relief within one hour of leaving our office so as to ensure the medication has entered your blood system before the anesthesia we administered wears off. Generally, only one dose is needed. We recommend ibuprofen (Nuprin, Advil, Motrin)—800 mg (four tablets). If you have a medical condition or gastrointestinal disorder that precludes ibuprofen, acetaminophen (Tylenol, Excedrin) works as 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.
• Whenever possible, try to chew on the opposite side fromm the tooth we have just treated until you have a crown or only placed, or the tooth is restored. Until that time, your tooth is still weak and could fracture.
• Please avoid chewing gum, caramels, or other sticky, soft candy that could dislodge the temporary material or fracture your tooth.
• Call your general dentist for an appointment to do the restorative work on the root canal tooth ASAP.

Please Call Us If:

• You are experiencing symptoms more intense, or of longer duration, than those described above.
• You encounter significant post-operative swelling.
• The temporary material is dislodged, feels loose, or 'high' when biting.
• Your tooth breaks or fractures.
• You have any questions at all.