In a root canal, the dentist removes the infected pulp inside the tooth. In the past, the procedure was too painful, which is why many people avoided it. However, you are under local anaesthesia the entire time during the procedure so that you do not feel much pain. As root canal is no small procedure, you will most likely feel pain once the anaesthesia wears off. It’s totally normal and expected. To deal with that, you can take painkillers. You can also conduct your GP to prescribe you stronger painkillers.
After having the procedure, the pain will start to decrease after a few days. If everything’s normal, it will continue to decrease. Root canal treatment requires your mouth to be open for a long time, so after some time your jaw might start hurting as well. The pain in your jaw can be felt for a few days after the procedure.
While your tooth is healing, you need to take some precautions. For instance, you should avoid chewing food from that side of the mouth. Soon after the tooth has healed, the dentist will put a crown on top of it or they might fill the area with fillings. The fitting of the crown can also cause you pain around your gums, however, this is a temporary pain.
If you don’t properly care for your oral hygiene, you can start experiencing pain. Some other complications related to the root canal can also be the cause of your pain.
Other than taking painkillers, your dentist will recommend some other measures for taking care of your tooth. For starters, you need to avoid smoking for some time. Smoking decreases the flow of blood to the wounded area, which will delay healing. Moreover, you should not eat anything sticky and sweet like chocolates or caramel. This also means that you should reduce the intake of carbonated, fizzy drinks. If you bite down on hard foods, it can also cause you pain.
You need to brush twice a day and floss every day to maintain good oral hygiene. Also, make sure that you brush for at least 2 minutes to get all the nooks and crannies. After eating your meals, you can drink water to wash down the food particles stuck to your teeth. Try to eat healthy food. And do get regular dental cleanings every 6 months. A lot of oral health diseases are preventable if you take proper care.