Our Practice

1. You will most likely be numb for several hours (2-4 hours is common).
2. Don’t eat anything solid until the numbness wears off because you could bite your cheek. However, a fruit smoothie, milkshake, protein drink, soup, yogurt, oatmeal, mashed potatoes, etc. would be good if you want to eat something immediately.
3. Drinking through a straw and using a spoon are both fine.
4. Once the numbness has worn off, you can eat anything you want on any of your other teeth. Just don’t chew on the tooth that has been treated for at least one week.
5. If your tooth is still sore after a week, give it another week before you chew on it to let the ligament continue to heal.
6. If you need a crown on your tooth, do not chew with it at all until it is protected with the crown. If you don’t know if your tooth needs a crown, please ask.
7. The ligament of the tooth and gums around the tooth get irritated from root canal treatment.  The tooth and gums will feel very sore when you touch them, and the gums may also look bruised. Maximum strength Oragel (found at your local pharmacy) may help ligament and gum soreness. Some people have no soreness at all, but this is rare; some people are tender or sore for ~1 week and some people are tender or sore for ~2 weeks. These differences are associated with how damaged the tooth was before we started the treatment. Severely abscessed or extremely inflamed teeth may take longer than 2 weeks to calm down.
8. Do not tap on your tooth from the side or press on it with your tongue. This keeps the ligament inflamed, and the tooth will continue to be sore.
9. If you feel that the pain is getting worse (instead of holding steady or getting better) or if you notice increasing swelling, antibiotics may be needed. If you are already taking antibiotics continue until they are all taken.
10. Brush the tooth in gentle massaging circles to keep it clean. It will be sore but will heal better if it is clean, so just be as careful as you can. If you use an electric toothbrush, either turn it off for this tooth or brush manually for a few days.
11. Please make sure you understand how to take your pain medicine. If you “stay ahead” of the pain by taking the medicine on a schedule instead of as a reaction to pain, you will be more comfortable. Expect to take over-the-counter pain medicine (or prescription medicine if needed) “by the clock” for at least 2 days. It may take up to two weeks for your particular tooth to heal. Usually, the more damaged the tooth is when the treatment is done, the longer it takes for the post-op pain to resolve.
12. The over the counter medication we recommend is ibuprofen (Advil) and/or acetaminophen (Tylenol). If you can take ibuprofen, we recommended you take 200-800 mg every 6 hours (not to exceed 3200 mg a day). We recommend ibuprofen as the first-line pain reduction medication. If your medical doctor does not recommend you take ibuprofen and/or you need an additional pain medication, take 500 mg acetaminophen every 6 hours (not to exceed 3000 mg a day). The ibuprofen and acetaminophen can be taken at the same time. 
13. If you have any questions, please call our office.

The Endodontic Center: 469-922-3635

                *Discontinue any medication if allergic reaction occurs.