5 simple Dos and Don’ts after a Root Canal Treatment

Root Canal Treatment is a dental treatment procedure, which is unique in more ways than one…

• It helps to relieve the pain and infection associated with a tooth
• It helps restore the functions of a tooth, mainly chewing, speech and aesthetics
• Tooth is the only organ in the body which can survive and still perform its function even after its blood supply is completely cut-off, thanks to root canal treatment procedure, which has made this possible.

Whenever a tooth is infected due to a cavity or fracture, the pulp of the tooth, which is the 3-dimensional central layer, containing the blood vessels and nerves of that particular tooth get affected resulting in pain to the patient. By doing a root canal treatment, we the team of dentists at DT Smile Care will clean and remove this infected pulp from the pulp canal, cleanse the canals, sterilise it and fill it with an inert biocompatible material, thereby saving the tooth along with its functions.

We at DT Smile care request you to follow these 5 simple Dos and Don’ts to ensure a comfortable and pleasant experience during and after the procedure

Dos

1. Take medications as prescribed by your doctor.
2. Brush and floss your teeth gently and regularly
3. Stick to your normal soft diet till the completion of treatment
4. It is normal to feel a mild discomfort in the region following the procedure, but if there is severe pain/discomfort do contact your dentist immediately
5. Make sure to stick to your follow-up visits and get a permanent restoration or a crown done on top of the root canal treated tooth

Don’ts

1. Do not chew food and avoid speaking till the anaesthetic effect wears off, to prevent accidentally biting your tongue, lips, and cheeks
2. Avoid extremes of hot and cold beverages and avoid chewing on that side for 2 days
3. Avoid eating hard and crunchy food, till a permanent restoration or a crown is fixed on to the tooth
4. Do not quit or alter the dosage of medications prescribed by your doctor
5. Avoid smoking and consuming alcohol, especially when you are on medications

Do I need a crown after root canal treatment

One of the most sought after / lingering doubt in most patients’ mind is whether a dental crown is a must following a root canal treatment. The need for a full crown is decided based on 3 factors

• HISTORY OF PREVIOUS TOOTH FRACTURE

A history of previous tooth or restoration (filling) fractures is a strong indicator for restoring a root canal treated tooth with a crown

• HABITS OF THE PATIENT

Patients with para functional habits like teeth grinding at night, forceful brushing and very hard chewing including gum chewing definitely would benefit from having a crown

• AMOUNT OF TOOTH STRUCTURE REMAINING

This is one of the major determining factors. Depending upon the amount of tooth structure lost along with the amount of sound dentin and enamel left, walls of the tooth saved, the absolute need for a crown is established.

Studies have shown that a dental crown after a root canal increases the chance of the tooth surviving by around 6 times (Steven A Aquilino et al). Another study by Rapeephan et al also point out that only 1/3 rd of the molars survive without a crown at 5 years

However with more advancement in research, scientific data points to preserving whatever amount of tooth structure that is left over and not grind them further for the sake of fabricating a crown. This is called “The Biomimetic Approach” which includes stress-reduced direct composite restorations (called as CORE BUILD UP) and porcelain/composite inlays and onlays that restore the biomechanics of broken and damaged teeth

We the team of best dentists in Chennai take utmost care to decide what is best for you based on all the above mentioned criteria to give you a long lasting successful restoration.

Save your tooth with Root Canal Treatment

The only organ / part of the body that can function even after becoming non-vital (losing nerve supply, blood supply and nutrition), or in other words becoming dead is the tooth. And the procedure that makes it all possible is the “ROOT CANAL TREATMENT”.

Root canal treatment is a unique and tooth saving procedure done to

• Remove infection from inside the tooth
• Relieve the patient of pain
• Save the tooth and restore its function

Every tooth has its own nerve and blood supply which lies in a hollow space in the three dimensional centre of the tooth, called as the root canals. The nerve and blood supply of a tooth can get infected due to reasons like decay, injury, cracks etc., resulting in severe pain. In such a case, extraction (removal)l of the tooth is the easiest and simplest way to remove the infection and pain. However, removing a tooth can result in severe loss of functions of the oral cavity.

Root canal treatment basically involves 3 steps
1. Following a local anaesthetic injection, the dentist will remove all the infected nerves and blood vessels from the inside of the tooth using special instruments called files.
2. The dentist would then sterilise / clean the root canals using special irrigating solutions and sometimes even using dental lasers.
3. Finally the dentist would fill the root canals with specialised filling materials, thus ensuring a pain and infection free tooth ready to perform its function.

There is always a fear of pain associated with this procedure and so many patients shy away from getting this unique treatment done finally resulting in loss of tooth, but in the hands of best dentists in Chennai, one can actually experience a hassle free and pain free procedure. DT Smile Care, multispeciality dental centre is among the best dental clinics in Chennai where one can get pain free root canal treatment done.