Post Operative Instructions After a Root Canal Treatment

1. Root Canal treatment is done, to save your decayed/carious tooth, that might or might not have pain. The treatment might require a Single sitting or Multiple sittings at an interval of two or three days.
2. Your Dentist might prescribe you with Antibiotics and painkillers (if required) one or two days prior to your appointment date. Kindly start with your medications as instructed by your Dentist. It is essential to start with pre-medications because the local anesthetic will not act completely in the area of severe infection. Starting with an antibiotic course prior to your appointment reduces the infection, just enough for the anesthetic to act completely. Even after prescribing, if you have not started or you have missed your medication, do inform your Dentist about the same.
3. Always eat something one hour prior to your appointment. Do not go empty stomach or do not starve before your appointment. However, if you are fasting, kindly inform your Dentist about the same.
4. Your teeth might require to be numbed with a local anesthetic prior to your treatment so that you do not experience any pain during the treatment.
5. Avoid eating anything, post your treatment, until the effect of anesthesia wears off. Do not check if the effect of anesthesia has worn off, by biting your lips or the tongue. You might not realize the amount of pressure with which you are biting and that might lead to a cut or an ulcer on your lips or cheeks.
6. If your Root Canal treatment requires multiple sittings, your Dentist would fill the tooth with a Temporary cement. Do not eat anything for an hour until the cement hardens and sets.
7. If your tooth requires multiple sittings, Do complete the treatment in the stipulated amount of time as suggested by your Dentist. Do not delay your treatment at your will. Doing so can lead to the re-infection as well as an increase in the number of sittings required for your treatment. That might ultimately increase your treatment cost as well.
8. You can Brush all your Teeth as usual, including the tooth undergoing treatment. Flossing should be done at least once in a day.
9. Avoid eating anything from the side of the tooth that is undergoing treatment. Chewing of food(even soft food) would inflict pain in the tooth undergoing treatment. You can start eating from that side once your entire treatment is completed with placing of a Cap/Crown on the tooth.
10. Post Root Canal Treatment since there is no blood supply to the tooth, the tooth tends to become Brittle. Avoid eating hard food from over the Root Canal treated tooth. Eating hard food over that tooth might fracture and damage your tooth.
11. Avoid eating Sticky and Chewy food from over the capped tooth. Sticky chewy food over time can make your cap fall off from over your tooth. If your cap falls off and if the tooth is not damaged, you can get the same cap recemented by your Dentist, provided you visit him within one weeks period of time. If you neglect and delay visiting your Dentist over a week the same cap cannot be fixed and you will have to go in for fabrication of a new cap.
12. Do inform your Dentist about any Medical conditions that you have. Informing your medical history is of utmost importance so that no other complications arise during your treatment. You might be asked to get a Fitness certificate from your physician prior to your treatment.