After Completion of Endodontic Treatment
Home instructions following root canal procedures.
Endodontic treatment has now been completed. The root canal system (internal portion of the tooth) has been permanently sealed. However, the outer coronal surface (biting surface or external portion of the tooth) is typically sealed with a “relatively hard” temporary restoration. A post-endodontic final restoration of the external tooth surface will be completed by your restorative dentist to protect it against fracture and deterioration. Please telephone your restorative dentist to make an appointment approximately 2 weeks after the completion of the endodontic treatment (or when the tooth is comfortable to biting pressure) to restore this external surface, or to obtain a restorative assessment of the tooth to determine if a different external post-endodontic coronal restoration is required. A complete report of treatment, including post treatment concerns, recommendations, and restorative recommendations, will be sent to your restorative dentist. Included in your endodontic treatment procedure, is a follow-up examination in our office to evaluate the progress of post-operative healing. This appointment will require only a few minutes and no additional fee will be charged for this check-up or recall visit. Please call our office for a post-operative appointment at the time interval recommended by your endodontist (usually 3-6 months following the endodontic procedure).
About your filling:
Avoid chewing with this tooth until the tooth is properly restored. The opening of the tooth on the biting surface has been sealed with a “hard”filling material. This material may be replaced at the discretion of your dentist. The determination to replace the material will be based on many factors that effect the long term retention of your tooth. If the material wears away or breaks away from the tooth after treatment, please contact your dentist ASAP for a replacement restoration.
Pain relief guidelines:
Most teeth will be sensitive to pressure and biting for 7-14 days after the procedure (similar to a bruise). Take the analgesic (pain reliever) that you usually use for aches and pains to control the mild discomfort you may experience after the procedures. Most healthy people may safely take 600 mg of Ibuprofen every 4-6 hrs (maximum 3200 mg/day) for tooth pain. If needed, additional pain relief may be provided by adding 500-1000 mg of Tylenol every 4-6 hrs (maximum 3000 mg/day). Ibuprofen and Tylenol may be combined for maximum relief but neither drug should be taken more frequently than every 4 hrs. The side effects from ibuprofen (bleeding, GI irritation or stomach upset) may be diminished by alternating between 600 mg Ibuprofen and 1000 mg Tylenol every 3-4 hrs. Please follow analgesic instructions provided by your doctor at the conclusion of your treatment. If your post treatment pain is not controlled by these recommendations, please call the office for further instructions or to determine if a prescription is deemed necessary by your doctor.
If you experience severe pain or swelling:
If you experience any severe pain or swelling, please contact the office immediately. After hours emergency phone numbers for the doctors (provided at the conclusion of the treatment visit) should be used. Emergency contact numbers for the doctors can also be obtained from the office answering machine when we are out of the office (Elgin Office Phone Number 847-742-9150). Accurate clinical advice and prescriptions can only be provided to patients of record for whom we have a current health history document and recent dental exam.
Follow-up with your dentist:
Unless otherwise instructed, you should return to your general dentist 1-2 weeks after the procedure (when the tooth feels completely back to normal) to have the tooth evaluated, restored, and protected. If the tooth does not feel normal within this time frame, please contact our office for a follow-up appointment. Please do not delay having the tooth restored. Delaying the final restoration can lead to tooth fracture, or recontamination of the internal aspect of the tooth. Both of these event may lead to the ultimate loss of the tooth.
Follow-up with our office:
Contact our office for a follow-up appointment 3-6 months after the treatment has been completed (even if the tooth feels completely back to normal). This examination takes only a few minutes of your time, and will help us ensure that the bone and the tissues supporting the tooth are healing normally. A non-healing response to treatment may not always cause pain but can possibly be detected on an x-ray obtained 3-6 months after the completion of treatment. This evaluation is usually done after the final restoration is complete, so do not delay having the tooth restored by your general dentist.
Your tooth is more prone to fracture immediately after endodontic treatment. You should chew on the other side until your restorative dentist has placed a core build-up and a protective restoration, usually a crown. If your tooth’s strength is seriously compromised, your endodontist or restorative dentist may place a post and core build-up inside the tooth. Your restorative dentist and endodontist will determine the appropriate restoration to best protect your tooth.
Are There Any Potential Problems After Treatment?
- Lower teeth and nerve injury. There is a slight possibility that nerve injury can occur during root canal surgery to the lower posterior teeth. Your endodontist is trained to assess this possibility prior to treatment and will advise you accordingly. For lower posterior teeth, the root tips may be near a nerve that supplies feeling to the lip, chin and gums. Your endodontist is trained to design your surgery to minimize the chances of damaging this nerve. Rarely, this nerve can become irritated during the process of surgery. In these cases, when the local anesthesia wears off, you may experience tingling, altered sensation or, in rare cases a complete lack of feeling in the affected tissues. Should this occur, it is usually temporary and will resolve over a period of days, weeks or months. In rare cases, these changes can be permanent and/or painful.
- 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.
- Post-operative infections. Post-operative infections occasionally occur. This usually requires just an office visit and examination. Many times placing you on an antibiotic for one week will take care of the infection Occasionally, other follow-up procedures will be needed.
If you have any questions, please call our office at Elgin Office Phone Number 847-742-9150
Home Instructions after an Incision and Drainage ( I & D) Procedure.
General post-operative instructions:
1. Change gauze every 20 minutes until clot forms or drainage stops.
2. Do not apply ice.
3. A moist heated compress can be used to enhance healing for 24-48 hrs.
4. Avoid spicy or acidic foods and over the counter mouthwashes for 24 hrs.
5. Brush teeth as per your normal routine. Use caution when brushing the surgical area.
6. Rinse with salt water (1/2 tsp salt in one glass of warm water) as needed for cleaning.
7. Slight oozing of blood from the incision is common (the day/evening of the surgery).
8. Expect minimal post surgical discomfort with area of the incision feeling tender/sore.
9. Use analgesics/antibiotics as recommended by your doctor.
10. Smoking or alcohol intake in the first 3 post surgical days may delay wound healing.
Pain Relief Guidelines: are the same as for those following a root canal procedure. See section written above.
If you experience Severe Pain or Swelling:
If you experience any severe pain, persistent swelling, or progressive swelling 48-72 hrs following the procedure, please contact the office immediately. After hours, the emergency contact numbers for the doctors (provided at the conclusion of the procedure) should be used. Emergency contact numbers for the doctors can also be obtained by the office. The contact numbers will be listed on the answering machine message (Elgin Office Phone Number 847-742-9150) when we are out of the office.
If you have any questions, please call our office at Elgin Office Phone Number 847-742-9150
Home instructions after a root canal procedure has been initiated but not completed.
Totally avoid chewing with this tooth until the root canal is completed and the tooth is properly restored.
The tooth has been sealed with a dental filling material that may be replaced at the next dental visit. The restorative material in the biting surface of the tooth will be placed over cotton and medication in the tooth, and will gain hardness very quickly, but do not be surprised if it starts to wear away slightly with chewing. If the tooth breaks, or the temporary restoration feels like it has come out, please call the office to have it evaluated. When a medication is placed inside the tooth, the doctor will specify a distinct period of time that needs to pass prior to the completion of the root canal treatment. The temporary filling material in the top of the tooth, and all medication will be removed and the root canal treatment completed after the specified time frame.
Pain Relief Guidelines: are the same as for the completed endodontic procedures. Please see the printed section above.
If you experience Severe Pain or Swelling:
If you experience any severe pain, persistent swelling, or progressive swelling 48-72 hrs following the procedure, please contact the office immediately. After hours, the emergency contact numbers for the doctors (provided at the conclusion of the procedure) should be used. Emergency contact numbers for the doctors can also be obtained from the office answering machine message (Elgin Office Phone Number 847-742-9150) when we are out of the office.
Home instructions after endodontic surgical procedures.
Instructions for Immediate Post operative Care
1) After leaving the office, apply an ice bag with gentle pressure on the area of the face over the surgical site. (A bag of frozen vegetables covered with a thin towel or cloth is very convenient for this purpose.) The ice pack can be applied for 20 minutes on, then 20 minutes off, for 6-8 hours. Do not use the ice bag for longer than 8 hours. After 24 hours ice should not be used, but a moist heated compress can be used to enhance healing.
2) Do not lift or manipulate the tissues over the surgical site as this may cause the stitches to tear. Should you lose any stitches in the first 48 hours after surgery, please call the office.
3) Slight oozing of blood from the surgical site is common the day and evening of the surgery. Slight swelling of the internal and external tissues is common following the procedure and may last up to 1 week following the procedure with the most profound swelling occurring within the first 48 hours of the procedure.
4) During the first 24-48 hours tooth brushing should be limited to the chewing surfaces of the teeth in the surgical site and cautious brushing of all other teeth. The surgical site can be cleaned with a cotton swab, moistened with a mouth rinse or 3% hydrogen peroxide. Gentle tooth brushing of the teeth in the surgical site can be resumed after 24-48 hrs.
5) Smoking and alcohol intake in the first 3 days following the surgery may delay wound healing.
6) Avoid strenuous activity for the remainder of the day following the procedure. Routine non-strenuous activity starting the day after the procedure is not harmful unless otherwise directed.
7) Eat a soft diet high in protein and avoid acidic or spicy foods and nuts for 24 hours following the procedure.
8) Starting the day after the surgery, rinse with salt water (1/2 tsp salt to gone glass of warm water). Rinse after meals and at bedtime.
Pain Relief Guidelines: same as for the previous endodontic treatment procedures. See printed instructions above.
If you experience Severe Pain or Swelling:
If you experience any severe pain or significant swelling, please contact the office immediately. After hours, the emergency contact numbers for the doctors (provided at the conclusion of the procedure) should be used. Emergency contact numbers for the doctors can also be obtained from the office answering machine message (Elgin Office Phone Number 847-742-9150) when we are out of the office.
If you have any questions, please call our office at Elgin Office Phone Number 847-742-9150