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Implants, Wisdom tooth surgery, Root Canal treatment, Crowns, Emergencies
Office: +65 6222 7075 (Voice only)
Emergency: +65 9671 1096 (Voice/SMS/Whatsapp)
Email: drhcleong@leongdental.com.sg

Post Root Canal Treatment

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Root Canal Treatment is performed under local anaesthetic and is usually painless. Unless there is pre-existing infection, which will take time to subside, most patients find that there is little or no discomfort after a root canal treatment.

How to take care of a tooth during root canal treatment
1) Avoid biting on the tooth - A tooth that is undergoing root canal treatment will usually have a temporary dressing and medication placed in it. The temporary dressing is not as strong as a permanent filling. 

2) Maintain good oral hygiene (brushing and flossing). There may be some difficulty flossing if the cavity in the tooth and hence the temporary dressing extend in between teeth but otherwise normal (or even improved!) oral hygiene is important.
  
How to take care of a tooth after a root canal treatment

If the tooth structure was badly damaged then the tooth should be restored with a crown to reduce the risk of cracking and/or leakage. This is the norm for almost all molar and premolar teeth that undergo root canal treatment.

A root canal treated tooth is not as strong as an intact tooth and so you should avoid biting very hard foods/objects with it.

Also, a tooth that has undergone root canal treatment has no nerve, and therefore there will be no warning signs should tooth decay be affecting it, so it should be checked by a dentist regularly to reduce the risk of undetected tooth decay.

If the tooth is not crowned and starts to discolour, it may be possible at that point to crown the tooth or to do an internal whitening procedure.

Other than that, a root canal treated tooth should be cared for the same way any other tooth or restoration should be cared for.

Pain immediately after root canal treatment visits

Occasionally, patients may still experience pain after root canal treatment visits. This is relatively uncommon but is known to occur and can be due to
  1. residual inflammation in or around the tooth
  2. pressure buildup in the tooth
  3. disturbance to the linkage between the nerve of the tooth and the connecting nerve in the gum
  4. the body's reaction to the medication

You are more likely to experience pain if the tooth being treated was already infected and inflamed before the root canal treatment was commenced. What to do:
  1. Take the medication as prescribed.
  2. Inform us of the situation either during our follow-up or (if you are concerned) call our office. 

When you do so, please note and provide us the following information, which will greatly help in deciding what should be done.
  • the location of the pain
  • the frequency and duration of the pain
  • anything that brings on the pain or makes the pain better or worse
  • the severity of the pain (especially in reference to any pain that may have been there before the treatment)
  • any other distinguishing features - e.g: throbbing, dull, sharp, etc.

Pain/infection that occurs long after a root canal treatment
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The most common cause of re-infection after in a root canal treated tooth is breakdown of the restoration and leakage. This allows bacteria to travel back into the root of the tooth and infect the area around the root tip. This can lead to an abscess or cyst or pain and tenderness.

Other more common causes of such pain/infection are:

1) cracked tooth
2) problems unrelated to the root canal treatment like gum problems, sinusitis, TMJ or heart attack


Read more 
What is Root Canal Treatment?
Why is Root Canal Treatment necessary?
Aftercare Root Canal Treatment
Causes of root canal treatment failure

Normal Hours : Monday to Friday 9am to 7pm, Saturday 9am to 6pm

Contact : +65 6222 7075 (Voice)   
Email : drhcleong@leongdental.com.sg 

Emergency : +65 96711096  (Voice/SMS/Whatsapp)


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© 2017 All Rights Reserved. Dr H C Leong Dental Surgeon LLP. UEN: T08LL1404J ​
​All information here is general in nature, is covers common situations. It is not possible to cover all possible situations and should not be used as a substitute for specific professional advice on your specific situation.