Post-Op Instructions

Next Steps

• We placed a temporary filling at our office, which will wear down and start to feel rough over time. This needs to be replaced with a permanent restoration by your general dentist, ideally within 3 weeks of having the root canal procedure done at our office.
• Call your general dentist immediately and schedule an appointment to have the treated tooth restored as soon as possible.
• Remember, proper restoration of your treated tooth is essential to the success of your root canal treatment. So please don’t delay calling your general dentist to schedule your appointment.

As a general rule, endodontic treatment is directed at disinfecting the inside of the root canals of an inflamed or infected tooth. These procedures have a high degree of success, but it is not unusual to have the following symptoms:

It is Not Unusual For:

1. Your tooth to be uncomfortable with mild swelling for several days.
2. Your tooth is sensitive to biting pressure and to even appear to feel loose. This feeling is a result of the sensitivity of the nerve endings in the tissue just outside the end of the root, where we cleaned and irrigated the tooth. This feeling will last several days.
3. You 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 the area, which may wear away to some degree.

What to Do:

1. TAKE ALL MEDICATIONS PRESCRIBED BY DOCTOR
2. Warm salt water rinses.
3. Whenever possible, try to chew on the opposite side of your mouth until you have the tooth restored. Until that time, your tooth is weakened and could fracture.
4. Please avoid chewing gum, candy, and other sticky items, which could dislodge the temporary filling material in the access opening of the tooth.
5. Be sure to brush and floss your teeth as you normally would.

Please Call Us If:

1. You are experiencing symptoms more intense or for a longer duration than those described above.
2. You encounter SIGNIFICANT post-operative swelling.
3. The temporary material is completely dislodged, loose, or feels high when biting.
4. Your tooth fractures.
5. You have any questions.