What Can I Expect After a Root Canal?

Root canals have a bad reputation for being painful, but we have good news! Most patients experience significant reduction in pain following their root canal treatment. Root canal therapy is necessary for patients who have experienced tooth decay or damage that accesses the inner layers of the tooth where the nerve system is housed. If you’re in need of a root canal, a skilled restorative dentist will relieve pain and renew your smile. The treatment itself is moderately invasive, but most patients feel completely free from pain within a few days. Keep reading to learn more

Caring for Your Smile Immediately after Root Canal Therapy

Root canal therapy is a relatively simple procedure. We drill a small access hole from the top of the tooth to the pulp layer where the nerve is housed. Then, we extract the pulp and nerve tissue and refill the tooth. Finally, the access hole is resealed, and in most cases, we will plan to place a dental crown to protect the root canal treated tooth. Following this procedure, you’ll be given specific instructions for brushing and flossing to protect the tooth. You may also receive an antimicrobial mouth rinse to reduce risk for infection and promote healing. The smile should be completely healed within just a few days of treatment. However, you may experience some discomfort immediately after your procedure. Over the counter pain relievers and cold compresses should effectively reduce pain following root canals.

When to Call the Dentist for Additional Treatment

You should not experience severe pain following root canal therapy or increasing discomfort as days go by. These are both signs that the root canal may be failing. When this occurs, you need to reach out to your dentist as soon as possible. In some cases, we’re still able to save the tooth with retreatment. Contact a dentist immediately if you experience any of the following issues following root canal therapy:

• Severe pain or dental sensitivity that doesn’t abate after a few days or worsens
• Swelling in the soft tissue around the tooth, inflammation, fever, and other warning signs you may have an infection
• Tooth chips or cracks
• Dental shifting when biting down

Meet the Applegate Dental Team

At Applegate Dental, we offer West Seneca dentistry patients a wide range of services to put smiles on their faces. That includes root canals. If you’re worried you need a root canal or you’re experiencing pain or discomfort after root canal therapy, contact our caring dentist to schedule an appointment. We’ll get you out of pain and back to smiling quickly. Read our dentistry blog regularly to find out more about the services we offer.