Every medical procedure carries an infection risk. It’s also possible to have a root canal infection after the procedure, however, if you don’t stop the spread of the infection, it can spread to other areas of your mouth and cause tooth loss in the end. Therefore, it’s better if you seek treatment as soon as possible.
How Do I Know If I Have Root Canal Infection?
After the root canal treatment, you will feel pain for some time. Initially, it is difficult to know if the pain is due to an infection. You might continue to feel pain, discomfort, and tenderness for about a week after the procedure. These are normal and expected. However, if you notice that instead of getting better, the pain is getting worse, then something’s wrong.
Discharge of pus, tenderness, swelling, redness, warmth, and bad breath are all signs of root canal infection. You need to keep an eye out on them. That’s because the infection can spread, and it will continue spreading until you start getting treatment. If the infection continues to spread, it can enter your bloodstream which is highly dangerous.
Your root canal infection can also cause abscess around the root. You’ll have swelling and pain in your gums and jaw in such a case. Pus will gather around the root. It can possibly spread and affect other teeth around that one. This will cause more harm to your oral health.
How Did I Develop A Root Canal Infection?
The importance of good oral hygiene cannot be stressed enough. Whatever happens, even if your teeth are perfectly healthy, brush twice a day and floss. If you don’t floss, food particles can remain stuck in the spaces between your teeth that even your toothbrush can’t reach. You can also use mouthwashes to support your oral health. You can develop a cavity after getting the root canal, which can also cause root canal infection.
There are other reasons. For instance, if your tooth has more than one canal, it can also contain bacteria, which can cause root canal infection. The shape of the canal can also act as a hindrance in its thorough disinfection. The bacteria in these curvatures might go undetected, giving them a chance to develop root canal infection.
Lastly, if after getting a root canal, you don’t get a filling or crown fitting, the bacteria can enter the tooth and cause an infection.
What Can I Do to Prevent Root Canal Infection?
Over-brushing your teeth can also lead to cavities. It is not advisable. However, you can use water to clean your mouth after meals. After the root canal, you are encouraged to use a mouthwash as it can help prevent the infection. Get a crown fitting as soon as possible after the root canal, and get dental cleanings two times a year. These measures will help protect you from an infection.