7 Root Canal Aftercare Tips

You’ve scheduled your root canal, and you’re ready to do whatever it takes to save your tooth and ensure your healing goes off without complications. The best way to help that happen is to prepare in advance for what you’ll need to do after your procedure.

This article shares 7 best aftercare tips to help you recover as quickly and easily as possible after your root canal.

Follow Your Doctor’s Instructions

Root canals are rarely performed without advanced notice. You’ll visit the dentist for a toothache, only to be informed that more intensive care is necessary to save your tooth. You’ll then schedule your root canal with an endodontist. 

At that time, you should receive instructions on how to prepare. Follow your doctor’s instructions carefully.

In general, they’ll look like this for pre- and post-procedure care:

Pre-Procedure

The day of your procedure doesn’t have to be stressful. Begin with a good breakfast or lunch as your pre-procedure meal. You’ll be able to eat later, but with the anesthesia and numbness, you may not want to. So fill up early!

Medications and vitamins are often a concern. Should you take them or skip your daily dose until after the procedure? For root canals, the rule of thumb is to take your medications as directed. This includes any antibiotics, if necessary, and all pain meds as discussed with your oral surgeon.

Also, avoid caffeine and alcohol. These can affect anesthesia’s effectiveness and delay your recovery. If you’re on medication, check with your doctor to find out which over-the-counter pain relievers you can take before your procedure.

Can I Take My Blood Thinner?

If you’re on a blood thinner, be sure to tell your dentist and oral surgeon. There’s a good chance they’ll ask you to continue taking your medicine. (Current guidelines suggest root canals are minimally invasive, with bleeding that should be easy to handle — even with anticoagulants.) Don’t stop taking your blood thinner without a doctor’s or dentist’s approval.

Can I Drive After My Root Canal?

Finally, have someone ready to drive you home just in case you don’t feel well after your procedure. Some root canals can be performed with local anesthesia. But if your surgeon uses nitrous oxide, oral sedatives, IV sedation, or general anesthesia, you typically won’t be able to drive after. In some cases, the type of anesthesia can change during the procedure, so it’s better to arrange a driver in advance.

As a precaution, check with the front desk staff to verify the practice’s policies. No matter how well you handle the anesthesia, many doctors today refuse to perform root canals and other procedures if you don’t have someone on-site to drive you home. 

Post-Procedure (24-48 hours)

For the first 48 hours post-treatment, don’t eat or drink anything hot or cold. This instruction is a non-negotiable for many reasons. For one thing, you’ll still be numb from your anesthesia, so very hot drinks and foods may burn your mouth without you realizing it. 

Importantly, though, the ligaments and tissues around the procedure are still inflamed. Extreme temperatures can worsen this inflammation and increase pain. These sudden changes may also cause the temporary crown or filling to stress, leading to cracks and micro-leakage.

Stick with room-temperature or warm meals and drinks for 48 hours, then gradually introduce hotter or colder items from there.

How Can I Handle the Pain?

Some discomfort is to be expected after a root canal. Since the area is swollen, the inflammation presses on nerves, increasing pain. Apply an ice pack or a cold compress wrapped in a cloth to the affected cheek for 15-20 minutes at a time to reduce swelling and minimize discomfort. 

Take your prescribed or over-the-counter pain medication (like ibuprofen), as directed, even if you aren’t hurting when it’s time for your next dose. It’s easier to recover from your procedure when your body isn’t feeling stressed.

How Do I Know If There’s an Infection?

Watching for warning signs of infection is an ongoing job after surgery. Infection can show up at any time during the healing process, and it may look like any of the following:

• Pain that doesn’t go away after a few days and worsens with chewing or when pressure is applied
• Redness, tenderness, or swelling in the gums, face, or jaw around the treated area, particularly the lymph nodes in the neck
• Abscesses or pimples in the mouth, foul odors, or discharge
• Discoloration of the tooth
• Fever, chills, or ongoing fatigue

If you notice any of these symptoms, contact your endodontist as soon as possible. 

Protect the Surgical Site Against Grinding

Protecting your temporary filling or crown and the surgical site is vital if you want your healing to be effective and fast. This becomes challenging if you’re a teeth grinder, but bruxism and root canals are common. 

Until the problem is treated, teeth grinding and jaw clenching can erode enamel, leading to infection, chips, and cracks that may require a root canal.

However, these actions don’t stop just because you had the procedure done. Bruxism is a comorbidity, meaning it’s a secondary diagnosis. Until you fix the reason behind your grinding, it will continue and be destructive to your new restoration. 

A simple protective step is to wear your night guard. High-quality, custom-made night guards (like those you’ll get from JS Dental Lab) act as a barrier between your upper and lower teeth. The biting forces are absorbed by the plastic instead of the surgical site. Spreading and cushioning the clenching reduces the risk of damage to your new restorations or aggravating the already-sensitive area and causing more pain. 

Minimizing grinding also means your jaw muscles and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) experience less exertion, reducing pain. Without this extra stress, your surgical site can heal more easily.

Keep Up Your Oral Hygiene Routine (With a Few Tweaks)

Many people think they should skip oral hygiene after a root canal to avoid irritating the healing area. The opposite is true. Without proper care for your teeth and gums, bacteria can take over, increasing your risk of infection.

As you get back into your recovery routine, brush your teeth gently with a soft-bristle toothbrush. Flossing is okay, but just be cautious when brushing or flossing near the treatment site. 

If you use a Waterpik, ask your dentist about including this step in your oral health regimen, as it could disrupt the surgical site. For optimal recovery and a reduced risk of infection, rinse with warm salt water between brushings. 

Adjust Your Diet 

We’ve discussed the importance of adjusting your diet based on temperature, but the consistency of your food matters, too. The goal is to avoid any extra stress on your tooth so it can heal. 

Moving to soft foods that don’t need chewing, like mashed potatoes, yogurt, and scrambled eggs, gives your mouth a chance to recover faster. You’ll also want to avoid sugary items to reduce bacteria and acid buildup. Sugar contributes to inflammation, as well, which may keep your pain levels high.

In addition to skipping extreme cold and hot foods, add “chewy, sticky, hard, and sugary” to your list of “wait until I’m healed” meals. You can always celebrate your smooth recovery with your favorites from this list when you’re

Get Rest

The timeline for healing varies for everyone, but the more rest you give your body, the more time your immune system has to help you recover.

The typical root canal takes 3-7 days for discomfort to subside and 2-4 weeks for most of the healing to occur. You may “feel” up to your regular routine sooner than that, but recovery from a root canal requires rest.

Returning to normal before you’ve given your body time to heal from a root canal might set you back further! If you forget that you’re supposed to be protecting the site, you can damage the tooth. Exercising or other strenuous activities increase blood flow, which strains the healing site and puts additional pressure on it.

You have a legitimate excuse for resting. Use it, and enjoy the downtime until your check-up!

Just Say No to Drinking and Smoking (And Using a Straw)

You’ve heard your surgeon ask you multiple times if you use tobacco or alcohol. This isn’t a judgment question. It’s a serious factor that determines how they handle your aftercare.

Nicotine is a known vasoconstrictor. When you use tobacco, it constricts your blood vessels, limiting nutrients and oxygen to the surgical site. Not only does this slow down healing and recovery, but it also significantly boosts the risk of infection.

Alcohol is just as dangerous. It dehydrates your tissues and thins your blood, increasing bleeding and swelling. Using alcohol may interfere with your medications, so your antibiotics and painkillers don’t do the job they’re intended to perform. Ultimately, alcohol impairs your judgment, potentially leading you to make choices that can damage the surgical site.

But what about straws? Why are these in the same category of dangerous things to avoid as alcohol and tobacco? 

Straws and other suction devices like vapes (even non-nicotine vapes) can dislodge the protective blood clot that is preventing excessive bleeding and the nerves and bone from air exposure. When that clot is gone, pain and the risk of infection (known as dry socket) skyrocket.

Attend Your Post-Op Appointment

You left your root canal procedure and are ready to get on the road to recovery and back to your normal life. But you’re not quite done yet.

You may have a temporary crown or filling protecting your natural tooth. Although it’s designed to withstand mild to moderate wear, the temporary cover won’t last long. 

At your last visit, your dentist or surgeon made an impression of your affected tooth to prepare a permanent crown. You’ll still need at least one more follow-up appointment to ensure your surgical site is healing well, and have this permanent restoration placed.

Conclusion

A smooth root canal recovery with minimal hiccups depends on how well you understand — and follow — the aftercare instructions in this article. From preparing ahead to knowing what to do and what to avoid, this dental procedure doesn’t have to be scary. 

Resting is made easier when you know your treated tooth is safe from grinding and clenching. Before your root canal treatment, head to JS Dental Lab for a custom-made, professional-quality night guard.

Shop our night guards!