Root Canal Recovery

Nobody enjoys a root canal. In fact, some people are so terrified of the pain that they experience extreme anxiety before the procedure happens. Unfortunately, it is something that almost everyone will have to go through at some point in their life. Thankfully, advances in dentistry have made the fearsome root canal procedure much easier to deal with. With that in mind, follow these few tips to make root canal recovery as comfortable as possible.

• Eat soft foods only for the first few days after the surgery. The tooth and gums surrounding the tooth will be sore, so look for foods like soup, mashed or steamed veggies, hot cereal and smoothies.
• Try icing the outside of your face to ease the pain. Place some cubes in a sealable plastic bag and put a cloth around it.
• Try not to do any heavy lifting and refrain from too much physical strain. It may cause your jaw and tooth to ache when the blood rushes to those areas.
• You may also want to consider taking a non-prescription pain killer to help ease swelling. Most dentists suggest ibuprofen or Advil.
• It is also very important to stop smoking while you are recovering after a root canal. The highly toxic carcinogens from the smoke may infect your mouth, and actually will lengthen the healing process.