Pain after Root Canal Treatment (RCT)
Dr. D.Sendhil Nathan MDS, DNB Prosthodontics And Implantology
Root Canal Treatment in your mouth is performed when the tooth is badly damaged and needs immediate repair. To elaborate, when the pulp present in the tooth consisting of nerves and blood vessels gets infected, the operation is performed to remove the infection.
Whilst the root canal treatment in general doesn’t cause much pain and discomfort, what precedes the operation sure does. Here, in this article let us talk about when to undertake a root canal surgery and how to assuage the pain. These are the signs you need to go with a root canal procedure:
- When the pulp of the teeth is filled with pus or when you start suffering from swelling in your mouth, face or neck, then it is time to consult a doctor as soon as possible.
- Pockets existing near your tooth resulting in bone loss is also one of the major reasons why root canal treatment is usually undertaken.
- Severe tooth pain when performing an activity related to mouth.
- Tooth sensitivity when consuming hot or cold food substances.
- Tenderness of your dental region.
Your dentist after consultation would then take X-rays to probe the affected region. The region is then isolated from saliva and removed during the operation. There might be a couple of complications arising in a few cases after the operation. Some common reasons for complications are the presence of multiple root canals, undetected crack present in the mouth or a breakdown of the dental restorations. Consult your dentist if the complications get serious. Here is what you can do with regards to reducing the intensity of the pain in a natural way:
- Apply an ice pack in the affected region.
- Swish salt water in regular intervals.
- Apply cucumber in the affected region.
- Do not consume spicy food or food that is either very hot or cold. Liquid or semi-liquid food should be preferred at least for some time immediately after the operation.
- Putting tea bags in the affected region to assuage the pain.
- Drip a cotton ball in olive oil and put it in the affected region.
- Chew on raw garlic.
- Chew on raw onion or drink its juice.
- Apply hydrogen peroxide directly or swish your mouth with a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water and spit it out.
- Apply pepper and salt paste in the affected region.
- Take an over the counter painkiller like Ibuprofen.
Remember to maintain good oral hygiene going forward by brushing and flossing regularly and never hesitate to consult a dentist if the issue escalates.
