Root canal treatment · aftercare
After root canal treatment
After root canal treatment at Y3 Smiles Dental in Broadmeadows, the tooth is often tender to bite on for a few days and should improve a little each day. Chew on the other side, protect the temporary filling, and keep the appointment for the permanent restoration even if the pain has gone.
When should you call us or seek urgent care?
Go to hospital or call 000
- Swelling spreading towards your eye, under your jaw or down your neck
- Trouble breathing or swallowing
- A fever with swelling that is getting worse by the hour
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- Pain that is building after the second or third day instead of easing
- Swelling of the gum or face that was not there when you left
- The temporary filling has come out, or the tooth feels open
- The tooth feels high when you bite, or you cannot bring your teeth together evenly
- An allergic reaction to a medicine you were prescribed
Book the next available time
- A dull ache or a bruised feeling when you bite that is easing each day
- Mild tenderness in the gum where the anaesthetic went in
- The tooth feeling different from the others, which is normal for a while
The rest of the day
- Wait for the numbness to go before eating or drinking anything hot, so you do not bite your cheek or burn yourself. It usually lasts a few hours.
- Take pain relief before it wears off if the dentist recommended it. Staying ahead of the tenderness works better than catching up with it.
- Eat on the other side. Soft food is easier while the tooth settles: eggs, pasta, rice, soup once it has cooled, yoghurt, well cooked vegetables.
- Leave it alone. Poking at the tooth with your tongue or checking whether it still hurts keeps it irritated.
- Finish any antibiotics exactly as prescribed, even once you feel better, unless your dentist or doctor tells you to stop.
What is normal in the days that follow?
The inside of the tooth has no nerve left, so what you feel now comes from the tissue and bone around the root. That tissue was inflamed before treatment and stays irritated for a while afterwards, which is why the tooth can feel bruised, tender to bite on, or simply different from its neighbours.
The direction matters more than the level. Tenderness that is a little better each day is settling. Pain that is worse on day three than it was on day one is worth a phone call, even if it is not severe. A small number of teeth flare up before they settle, and we would rather see you and check than have you wait it out.
How do you look after a temporary filling?
If your treatment is being finished at another appointment, the tooth is sealed with a temporary filling. It is doing an important job: keeping bacteria out of canals that have just been cleaned. It is not built to take chewing force.
- Chew on the other side until the permanent restoration is in place.
- Avoid anything hard, crunchy or sticky on that tooth, particularly chewing gum and toffee.
- Clean around the tooth normally, taking care when you pull floss out so you do not lift the filling.
- If it comes out, feels rough or the tooth starts tasting odd, call us to have it replaced.
Why does the tooth still need a crown or a filling?
This is the part people skip, and it is the part that decides whether the tooth lasts. A tooth that has had root canal treatment has lost tissue from the inside and is more brittle than it was, and back teeth take a lot of force when you chew. A crown, or a solid permanent filling where enough tooth remains, holds it together.
A root-treated tooth that cracks below the gum usually cannot be repaired, and the treatment you have already paid for is lost with it. Book the restoration when your dentist advises, not when the tooth reminds you. See dental crowns for what that involves.
When can you go back to normal eating?
Once the permanent restoration is in and the tenderness has gone, you can use the tooth as you would any other. Until then, keep the hard work on the other side. There is no need to live on soup, and a tooth that is comfortable can handle ordinary food carefully. Let the tooth tell you.
What happens at the follow-up?
At your next check-up we look at how the tooth is sitting, how the restoration is holding up, and whether the bone around the root is healing. Healing there happens slowly and shows up on an x-ray over months rather than days, which is why we check it at a routine visit rather than asking you back specially. If anything changes in the meantime, call Y3 Smiles Dental. For what the treatment involves from start to finish, see root canal treatment and what happens during the appointment.
Other questions people ask
Is it normal for the tooth to be tender for a few days?
Yes. The ligament that holds the tooth in the bone is often inflamed, so the tooth can feel bruised when you bite. It should ease a little each day.
Why does my tooth feel tender only when I bite on it?
That tenderness comes from the tissue around the root rather than from inside the tooth, and it settles as the inflammation goes down. Chew on the other side and let us know if it is not improving.
Can I brush the tooth normally?
Yes, brush and clean between your teeth as usual, gently around the treated tooth. Keeping the area clean helps it settle.
What if the temporary filling comes out?
Call us and we will replace it. The seal is what keeps bacteria out of the cleaned canals, so it should not be left open, even over a weekend.
Do I still need to come back if the pain has gone?
Yes. Pain settling means the nerve is no longer sending signals; it does not mean the tooth is finished. The treatment is only complete once the canals are sealed and the tooth is properly rebuilt.
Can the tooth become infected again later?
It can, though it is uncommon when the tooth is sealed and restored properly. That is one reason for regular check-ups, so we can watch the tooth and the bone around it.