If you have suffered some sort of trauma to a tooth, maybe a fall that has damaged it, or you have a case of tooth decay, this can lead to your tooth becoming infected. This is when the bacteria in your mouth gets through the gaps of your teeth and infects the roots and pulp inside your tooths structure.
You can usually tell when you have an infection as you will have pain when eating or drinking, when biting or chewing or you may have a loose tooth. Sometimes these symptoms can disappear and you will get progressively worse symptoms such as:
- pain when biting or chewing returning
- swelling of the gum near the affected tooth
- puss oozing from the affected tooth
- a swollen cheek or jaw
- the tooth becoming a darker colour
Come and see us as soon as you feel any symptoms, no matter how mild they are. If the infection has spread to the roots and pulp of your tooth, we will need to carry out a Root Canal treatment.
What is a Root Canal Treatment?
A root canal treatment is done under local anaesthetic so should be painless. The dentist will extract the bacteria from the tooth and fill in the root canal to seal the tooth. This will stop any more bacteria or other substances from entering the tooth structure.
Is there any foods I should avoid after a root canal?
You can eat after having root canal treatment however we recommend sticking to soft foods that don’t require much chewing. Any hard foods try to avoid, so things like nuts or boiled sweets as they can crack the filling or get stuck inside the treated areas. We also recommend avoiding very hot or very cold food as your teeth will still be very sensitive. Foods that need to be teared with your teeth like bread, burgers, crusty pizzas may cause pain and should be avoided if possible.
Please try and keep your oral hygiene to a high standard after your root canal, try not to eat too much sugary food, if you some you should try and give up and book to see your hygienist for regular teeth cleaning.
Source: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/root-canal-treatment/
