Root canal treatment was performed or started on you today. Below we have listed for you what to expect in the next few days.
Anesthesia may still work through
If you have had an anesthetic, it often takes another 1-2 hours for it to wear off. We recommend that you wait until the anesthetic wears off before eating, drinking or smoking. If you do want to have something to eat, be careful with hot drinks and food; you will not feel that you are burning yourself. This also applies to smoking. It is also important to be careful not to bite your lip when eating; again, you will not realize this until the anesthesia has worn off and it can be very painful.
You may have some post-operative pain
The root canal treatment may give you some pain for the next few days. The post-operative pain usually lasts no longer than 5 days and can be suppressed with a normal painkiller (e.g. paracetamol 500-1000mg 3 times a day) or the painkiller prescribed by the dentist. In exceptional cases, severe post-operative pain may occur, requiring more painkillers. In this case, please contact your practitioner, dentist or family doctor. They can prescribe the appropriate painkillers, taking into account any other medication.
It is possible that for several months to as much as six months after treatment, some symptoms may occasionally occur on the treated tooth. As long as these symptoms are mild and they occur less and less frequently, this is part of the normal healing process.
What can you do in case of swelling?
If there is any swelling on the side of the face where the root canal treatment was performed, you can cool the cheek with ice (in a plastic bag with a washcloth wrapped around it) or a cool pack for 15 to 20 minutes. You can repeat this 4 times during the first day. After that, there is no point in cooling. Most swelling is not painful, but it is very annoying. Often the swelling is gone after about 5 days. If the pressure from the swelling is painful, a combination of Ibuprofen and paracetamol provides good pain relief. If there is difficulty swallowing and/or fever, you do need to contact us immediately.
Emergency Fill
If a temporary filling is placed, it may come loose. Please contact us if this happens. Please note that emergency fillings wear out more quickly, so it may appear that part of the emergency filling is gone while it is still properly sealed.
When do you contact your practice directly?
- you develop a high fever above 39 degrees after treatment or if the fever above 38.5 persists for more than 3 days (slight elevation after treatment is normal);
- 5 days after treatment, the pain persists and cannot be suppressed with ordinary painkillers;
- 5 days after treatment the swelling does not decrease but gets worse;
- you develop swallowing difficulties
Any questions?
Of course, if you have any further questions, you can always contact us.
Sincerely,
The Delft Dental Practice
0152023397
receptie@ddtp.nl