It is important to make sure that you are well aware of what you should expect once you are home from your root canal appointment. Along with any insight that your dentist will give you, you will want to remember this information:

You Can Expect A Sore Jaw

This is something that you may experience for a few days. You will not notice much in the way of discomfort until the numbing medication begins to wear off. However, over the following hours after that, and possibly for a few days, you may experience a sore jaw. This is the result of having your mouth wide open for so long. While your dentist may prescribe a narcotic to help get you through the first day or two of pain, the other days should be able to be easily managed with over-the-counter pain medication. The pain and discomfort will gradually dissipate until you do not have any more problems with it.

You Must Avoid Using That Tooth

The tooth that received the root canal is not going to be ready to be used for chewing until you have returned to your dentist to finish the remaining treatment. Therefore, even though the pain might have subsided, you will want to refrain from chewing with that tooth until you have been given permission by your dentist to do so. To help avoid that tooth, you will need to try chewing on the other side of your mouth. Also, if you are prone to grinding your teeth at night while you sleep, you will need to invest in a quality mouth guard. This will prevent damage to your tooth that has already gone through a lot of trauma.

You Might Lose A Thin Layer Of Your Temporary Filling

Losing an entire chunk of the temporary filling is not okay. However, losing a very thin layer of it is normal. Your return visit to the dentist should be in the near future and you should not experience any problems from a thin piece missing. However, you will need to quickly return to your dentist if you do experience the loss of the majority or the entire temporary filling. This way, you will not experience too much pain or cause severe damage to the tooth that still needs to have a lot of work done to it.

With those points in mind, you should be well prepared for your upcoming root canal. Contact a dentist, like Top Dental, for more help.