Surgical Instructions

Home Care Instructions

General Instructions

Your tooth and surrounding gum tissue may be slightly tender for several days as a result of manipulation during treatment and previous condition of your tooth. This tenderness is normal and is no cause for alarm. Do not chew food on the affected side until your endodontic therapy is completed and your tooth is covered with a protective restoration provided by your restorative dentist. You may continue your regular dental hygiene regimen. Discomfort may be alleviated by taking ibuprofen (Advil), aspirin, or acetaminophen (Tylenol) as directed. NOTE: Alcohol intake is not advised while taking any of these medications. Should you experience discomfort that cannot be controlled with the above listed medications, or should swelling develop, please contact this office immediately. The office telephone is answered day and night. If you need to call after hours, please have your pharmacy number available. Calls placed after 9:00pm will be answered the next morning

After Completion of Endodontic Treatment:

Endodontic treatment has now been completed. The root canal system has been permanently sealed. However, the outer surface is sealed with a temporary restoration. A follow-up restoration must be placed to protect your tooth against fracture and decay. Please telephone your restorative dentist for an appointment. A complete report of treatment will be sent to your restorative dentist. Included in your treatment is a follow-up examination to evaluate the progress of healing. This appointment will require only a few minutes and no additional fee will be charged for the first check-up visit. Please call for an appointment during the following month.

After a Root Canal

After the root canal therapy is completed, a temporary filling or crown is placed on the tooth to protect the treatment between dental appointments.

When anesthesia is used, your lips, teeth and tongue may be numb for several hours. Please, avoid any chewing until the numbness has completely worn off.

Between appointments, it's common (and not a problem) for a small portion of your temporary filling to wear away or break off. If the entire filling falls out, or if a temporary crown comes off, please call the office so that it can be replaced.

It's normal to experience some discomfort for several days after a root canal appointment, especially when chewing. Pain medication can be taken to help control the discomfort while the tooth is healing. If antibiotics were prescribed, continue to take them for the indicated length of time, even if all symptoms and signs of infection are gone.

To protect the tooth and help keep your temporary in place:

Avoid chewing sticky foods (especially gum).
Avoid hard foods and hard substances, such as ice, popcorn, and pretzels.
If possible, chew only on the opposite side of your mouth.

It's important to continue to brush and floss normally.

The last step after root canal treatment is the placement of a crown on the tooth. A crown covers and protects the tooth from breaking in the future. Please contact your general dentist within 1-2 weeks for the crown appointment. If the tooth already has a crown and it is without decay, then at the discretion of your general dentist a filling maybe placed into the access cavity instead of making a new crown.

Upper teeth and Sinus Communication

The upper teeth are situated near your sinuses, and root canal surgery can result in a communication between your mouth and the adjacent sinus. Should this complication occur, it will usually heal spontaneously. We will give you special instructions if this is apparent at the time of surgery. We prefer that you don’t blow your nose for two to three days after surgery. If you have to sneeze, you should sneeze with an open mouth into a tissue. You should not create any pressure in the sinus area. If you sense a complication after surgery, please contact us.

After Tooth Extraction:

After an extraction, it's important for a blood clot to form to stop the bleeding and begin the healing process. That's why we ask you to bite on a gauze pad for 30 to 45 minutes after the extraction. If bleeding or oozing continues after you remove the gauze pad, place another gauze pad and bite firmly for another thirty minutes. You may have to do this several times.

After the blood clot forms it is important to protect it especially for the next 24 hours. So Don't: smoke, suck through a straw, rinse your mouth vigorously, or clean the teeth next to the extraction site. These activities will dislodge the clot and slow down healing. Limit yourself to calm activities for the first 24 hours, this keeps your blood pressure lower, reduces bleeding and helps the healing process.

After the tooth is extracted you may feel some pain and have some swelling. You can use an ice bag to keep this to a minimum. The swelling usually starts to go down after 48 hours.

Use pain medication only as directed, call the office if it doesn't seem to be working. If antibiotics are prescribed, continue to take them for the indicated length of time, even if all symptoms and signs of infection are gone. Drink lots of fluids and eat only soft nutritious foods on the day of the extraction. Don't use alcoholic beverages and avoid hot and spicy foods. You can begin eating normally the next day or as soon as it is comfortable.

Gently rinse your mouth with salt water three times a day beginning the day after the extraction (a tsp. of salt in a cup of warm water, rinse-swish-spit). Also, rinse gently after meals, it helps keep food out of the extraction site. It is very important to resume your normal dental routine after 24 hours, this should include brushing your teeth and tongue and flossing at least once a day. This speeds healing and helps keep your breath and mouth fresh.

Call us right away if you have heavy bleeding, severe pain, continued swelling after two or three days, or a reaction to the medication. After a few days you will be feeling fine and can resume your normal activities.