Root Canal Treatment in Salinas
WHAT IS A ROOT CANAL?
A root canal is one of the most common dental procedures performed, well over 15 million every year. This simple treatment can save your natural teeth and prevent the need of dental implants or bridges.
At the center of your tooth is the pulp. The pulp is a collection of blood vessels and nerves that helps to build the surrounding tooth. Infection of the pulp can be caused by trauma to the tooth, deep decay, cracks and chips, or repeated dental procedures. Symptoms of infection can be identified swelling and/or pain in the tooth and gums.
If you experience any of these symptoms, your dentist will most likely recommend non-surgical treatment to eliminate the diseased pulp. This injured pulp is removed and the root canal system is thoroughly cleaned and sealed. Root canal therapy usually involves local anesthesia and may be completed in one or more visits depending on the treatment required. Success for this type of treatment occurs in about 90 – 95% of the cases. If your tooth cannot be saved with endodontic treatment or the chance of success is unfavorable, you will be informed at the time of consultation and alternative options will be discussed.
Post-Operative instructions
WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT AFTER MY ROOT CANAL?
Your tooth and its surrounding gum tissue may be somewhat tender for several days after treatment. This is a result of the infection that brought you into our office as well as the endodontic manipulation during treatment. This tenderness is completely normal and is part of the normal healing process. It is not uncommon for this soreness to last for 7 – 10 days, but can last longer. During this healing phase, the tooth will be sore to touch, chewing and brushing – but it is important to continue to brush and floss. Every patient is different and there are varying levels of discomfort. Even those patients who have had multiple root canal procedures will many times experience different post op responses.
HOW SHOULD I MANAGE MY DISCOMFORT?
400-600mg of Ibuprofren (Advil) is recommended to be taken regularly for 2-3 days after treatment. If your pain is more severe, you can add one extra strength (500 mg) Tylenol (Acetaminophen) to 600mg Ibuprofen every 4-6 hours. Please do not exceed 2400mg Ibuprofen or 3000mg Tylenol in a day. If your pain is still too severe and you are taking both 600mg Ibuprofen and Tylenol, please call the office for additional information and possibly a different prescription.
WHAT IF I HAVE SWELLING AFTER TREATMENT?
If you experience significant unexpected swelling after treatment, please contact us. Please do not panic if this happens as it sometimes can occur after treatment. If you have been given an antibiotic, please complete every pill in your bottle. If swelling occurs while on an antibiotic, we may switch your antibiotic. If you have been prescribed an antibiotic and are experiencing significant upset stomach, nausea or diarrhea, please discontinue the antibiotic immediately and call our office. We also suggest taking a probiotic or yogurt when taking any antibiotic.
WHAT IF MY TEMPORARY FILLING FALLS OUT?
If your treatment requires multiple visits, then your tooth has been sealed with a temporary filling. It is a soft filling and needs 1/2 hour to harden. It is important that your tooth remain sealed between appointments. It is possible for the filling to ditch down a little as you chew with it. This is ok, but if you feel that you have lost a significant amount of temporary, please call our office during normal business hours and we will schedule a convenient time for you to come in to replenish your temporary filling. If this should occur over the weekend, please call our office on the next business day.
WHAT DO I AFTER MY ROOT CANAL IS COMPLETED?
Once the root canal treatment is done, and you have been advised that you need a crown, you will be referred back to your general dentist for this procedure. At the completion of your root canal, your dentist will be sent a full report with your X-rays so he/she knows your treatment with our office is completed. If we did not place a permanent restoration in our office, please make an appointment with your general dentist so that a final restoration can be placed within about 4 weeks on the treated tooth. If your dentist cannot see you within about 4 weeks, please let us know.