Patient Instructions after Completed Endodontic Treatment

Root canal treatment is a serious dental intervention allowing to save a tooth. It involves the removal of infected tissues from a canal, mechanical, medical, ultrasonic root canal debridement and filling with a therapeutic (temporary) or permanent material. To ensure the more comfortable treatment, please adhere to the following recommendations:

• Filled teeth must be cleaned with a toothbrush and toothpaste in the same way as natural teeth — twice a day. After every meal, rinse your mouth to remove loose food particles. Use an irrigator or dental floss to clean the interdental spaces.
• In the event of bleeding gums when brushing teeth, hygiene procedures should not be stopped. If bleeding is not stopping within 3 or 4 days, please consult a doctor.
• If after completion of tooth filling and wearing off the effect of local anaesthetic, the filling precludes the dental occlusion, it is necessary to consult a doctor as soon as possible.
• Local anaesthetic, which can last for several hours, is most commonly used for the tooth filling. During the action of anaesthesia, refuse to eat, especially hot meals, in order to protect yourself from possible burns or injury.
• After wearing off the effect of local anaesthetic, you may suffer from an aching pain and(or) pain when biting down on a tooth. This is due to the body’s natural biological reaction to the intervention and the presence of therapeutic or filling material in tooth canal(s), and also depends on the degree of periapical tissue inflammation already existing at the time of medical appointment. These painful feelings can persist for several days. For this period it is recommended to:
  • limit the bite force on the treated tooth;
  • take a pain reliever recommended by a dentist, if necessary;
  • if the pain grows, edema appears, and temperature rises, please contact immediately your dentist.
• During the first two days following composite filling, do not eat foods containing natural and artificial dyes (for example, blueberries, tea, coffee, etc.) for the first two days after tooth filling.
• In order to avoid chipping fillings and dental hard tissues surrounding the filling, it is not recommended to eat and chew very hard foods (for example, nuts and rusks), bite off large pieces (for example, take a bite of an apple).
• After endodontic treatment, a tooth may be covered with a temporary filling – dental dressing. It is recommended not to eat during the first two hours after treatment until the filling is completely hardened, as well as to reduce the bite force on the treated tooth during the entire period of treatment. Dental dressing may slightly crumble when chewing and an unusual taste may be felt in the mouth. If a temporary filling fell out, it is necessary to close the dental cavity with a cotton-wool ball and immediately consult your dentist to prevent root canal(s) infection.

We remind that the warranty period of 2 years is valid only on condition of conducting primary root canal treatment and absence of irritation sites of bone tissue provided that a patient visits the dental clinic at least once every 6 months for a routine checkup by general practitioner, as well as for carrying out compulsory procedures aimed at maintaining oral hygiene.