Root canal treatment is a remarkable milestone in dentistry. It puts an end to a chronically painful tooth! Root canal treatment is a surgical procedure. Therefore, you should pay attention to your food, your hygiene and your daily routine during the aftercare of a root canal treatment!
What do I need to consider after root canal treatment?
After your treatment, it is important that you look after your repaired tooth and take good care of your teeth in general. These tips will help you keep your mouth, teeth and gums healthy after root canal treatment.
Guidelines for eating after root canal treatment
Immediately after the operation
As the filling has not yet hardened and the treated area is probably still partially anaesthetised, you should avoid eating for a few hours.
The first 24 hours after the operation
Avoid consuming hot drinks or hot food. If your sensitivity to heat is inhibited due to a still active anaesthetic, you may burn yourself.
The first 3 days after surgery
- Avoid crunchy or sticky foods such as raw apples, carrots, corn on the cob, chewing gum or stale bread. These can loosen your temporary filling.
- No alcohol or highly blood-thinning foods, as well as spicy foods. These include in particular: ginger, garlic and peppers. They can increase bleeding and therefore slow down the healing process.
- No dairy products: Products that contain milk can promote the growth of various bacteria in the mouth.
You should avoid physical stress as much as possible
Root canal treatment is a surgical procedure. You should therefore take it easy after the procedure. It is best to ask your dentist when you can resume your normal daily routine. Exercising too soon could cause your tooth or gums to start bleeding again.1
Good dental hygiene is essential
Although the tooth is medically "dead" and no longer causes pain, you should still take good care of it. Continuing good oral hygiene after root canal treatment is crucial. Brush twice a day, floss once a day and use an antiseptic mouthwash regularly to maintain the health of your teeth.
Smoking is a no-go for the first 24 hours!
After root canal treatment, it is particularly important not to smoke for at least 24 hours, as the pro-inflammatory substances in smoke further irritate the already irritated gums. Smoking is generally bad for the general health of the teeth. In addition, smokers are almost twice as likely to need root canal treatment than non-smokers, so you should consider quitting smoking permanently.2
Pain after root canal treatment
Even if the dentist has removed the nerves of the tooth, there are still many nerves in the surrounding tissue surrounding the tooth. This area is often somewhat swollen and inflamed after root canal treatment. The pain and hypersensitivity of the gums usually become noticeable a few hours after the treatment when the local anaesthetic wears off. This pain is completely normal and should subside within a few days. If you still have discomfort after several days, you should visit your dentist again.
Summary of root canal treatment aftercare
OK: NOT OK
Cold or lukewarm food: Food immediately after the operation
Pureed fruit: Hot meals or drinks 24 hours after the operation
Cooked vegetables: Alcohol
Soft fruit (e.g. avocados or bananas): Crunchy food (raw fruit and vegetables, nuts or seeds)
Breakfast cereals: Soft fruit (e.g. avocados or bananas)
: Crunchy food (raw fruit and vegetables, nuts or seeds)
: Crunchy foods (raw fruit and vegetables, nuts or seeds)Breakfast cereals: Sticky foods (chewing gum or bread)
Pureed vegetables: Blood-thinning foods
Spicy foods: Spicy foods
Non-alcoholic beverages: Smoking
Practising your usual care routine
Pain-relieving and/or anti-inflammatory medications
When and why should root canal treatment be carried out?
Root canal treatment is carried out when the soft inner part of a tooth known as the pulp is injured, inflamed or infected. Your dentist will examine the aching tooth and take x-rays to confirm their suspicions. The crown of the tooth - the part of the tooth visible from the outside - remains intact after root canal treatment, even if the pulp is dead. Removing the injured or infected pulp is the best way to preserve the structure of the tooth while relieving the patient of pain.[<[sup>3
Inflammation, infection and injury to the pulp are most often caused by one of the following:
- Multiple dental procedures performed on the same tooth
- A crack in the tooth or a broken tooth
- Caries from an untreated cavity
- An internal injury to the tooth. The pulp of your tooth can be injured by vibrations without visibly damaging the crown of the tooth.
The most common symptoms of a damaged pulp include pain in the tooth, swelling and a sensation of heat on the gums.
What is root canal treatment and who does it?
Once the tooth area has been anaesthetised, your dentist will place a thin, green rubber sheet in your mouth. The so-called rubber dam covers everything except the tooth being worked on. This helps to keep the area around the tooth clean and prevent the spread of infection.6
The dentist uses a drill to make a hole in the upper part of the tooth and remove the pulp. He cleans the empty hole with small instruments and a liquid to rinse and disinfect the inside of the tooth. The instruments help to give the canals a more regular shape so that the tooth can be better filled and cleaned. The rinsing fluid ensures that the infected material is quickly removed. Once the tooth is clean, your dentist will fill and seal it.
If the dentist is not sure that all infection has been removed, they will make a temporary filling. You will then have a second appointment to have the tooth permanently filled.7
If your tooth is badly worn down or at risk of further damage, your dentist may suggest you have a crown fitted. This is an artificial cap that fits over your tooth. You are more likely to need a crown if you are having one of your back teeth treated because they are used for chewing. Root canal treatment can be uncomfortable because you have to sit still with your mouth open for longer than you are used to. However, thanks to technological advances, having a root canal has become much more comfortable these days.
The most important facts about root canal treatment at a glance
How long does root canal treatment take?
The duration depends on the initial situation. Most root canal treatments take less than an hour. For more complex cases, it can sometimes take 90 minutes.
What is root canal treatment?
Root canal treatment is necessary if a tooth area is severely damaged, infected or inflamed. During root canal treatment, the inside of the tooth is hollowed out and then filled and sealed. The nerves of the tooth are also removed. A root-treated tooth has no pain sensation.
How long does the pain last after root canal treatment?
During root canal treatment, the inner chamber of the tooth root is deeply cleaned, which in turn can irritate the surrounding nerves and gums. Mild to moderate pain after root canal treatment is quite normal. However, the pain should be gone after about a week. If not, you should visit the dentist again8
What should I eat after root canal treatment?
- Pureed fruit and vegetables / smoothies
- Cooked vegetables
- Soft fruit (e.g. bananas or avocados)
- Breakfast cereals
How painful is root canal treatment?
Thanks to modern treatment methods and local anaesthesia, root canal treatment is generally not painful. You will feel pressure during the treatment, but no pain. Once the anaesthetic has worn off, the treated tooth may be sensitive for a few days and the jaw may be slightly sore, but this can be easily controlled with painkillers.
How do you realise that you need root canal treatment?
Typical signs that root canal treatment is necessary include severe, throbbing pain in a tooth and increased sensitivity to heat, cold and pressure. Swelling of the gums or face can also be an indication. Ultimately, however, only a dentist can determine whether the tooth nerve is inflamed or dead and whether root canal treatment is necessary based on an examination and an X-ray.
You might also be interested in this
Sources
- Nixdorf, D. R., Law, A. S., Lindquist, K., Reams, G. J., Cole, E., Kanter, K., Nguyen, R. H., Harris, D. R., & National Dental PBRN Collaborative Group (2016). Frequency, impact, and predictors of persistent pain after root canal treatment: a national dental PBRN study. Pain, 157(1), 159-165.
- Krall, E. A., Abreu Sosa, C., Garcia, C., Nunn, M. E., Caplan, D. J., & Garcia, R. I. (2006). Cigarette smoking increases the risk of root canal treatment. Journal of dental research, 85(4), 313-317.
- Levine M. (1988). Root-canal therapy: a means of treating oral pain and infection. Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien, 34, 1357-1365.
- Murray, C. A., & Saunders, W. P. (2000). Root canal treatment and general health: a review of the literature. International endodontic journal, 33(1), 1-18.
- Parirokh, M., Zarifian, A., & Ghoddusi, J. (2015). Choice of Treatment Plan Based on Root Canal Therapy versus Extraction and Implant Placement: A Mini Review. Iranian endodontic journal, 10(3), 152-155.
- Levine M. (1988). Root-canal therapy: a means of treating oral pain and infection. Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien, 34, 1357-1365.
- Iqbal A. (2016). The Factors Responsible for Endodontic Treatment Failure in the Permanent Dentitions of the Patients Reported to the College of Dentistry, the University of Aljouf, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Journal of clinical and diagnostic research : JCDR, 10(5), ZC146-ZC148.
- Levine M. (1988). Root-canal therapy: a means of treating oral pain and infection. Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien, 34, 1357-1365.
