Preparing for Root Canal Therapy

Mar 01, 2022

Undergoing root canal therapy when you receive a recommendation from your dentist may appear like a daunting prospect. You might think of leaving the dentist’s office right away because this intensive treatment to deal with the excruciating toothache in your mouth with lingering sensitivity to heat and cold. However, did you consider how the dentist determined you need a root canal?

When you visit dentists complaining of discomfort like your experience, the professionals don’t merely look at your teeth and recommend root canals. On the contrary, they x-ray your tooth to verify whether you have a dental pulp infection inside before they suggest this painless procedure to alleviate the pain you experience.

Root canal therapy is not scary but is merely a treatment to alleviate the excruciating toothache you experience by eradicating the dental pulp infection inside your tooth. The dental pulp is the soft center of your tooth, containing blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue. Infections of the dental pulp can occur from untreated, deep decay, chips or cracks on a tooth, and repeated dental procedures on the same tooth. Without root canal therapy, the diseased tooth in your mouth can cause further complications and will need the extraction to prevent the spread of the infection.

If you accept the proposal of the dentist in Phoenix, AZ, to undergo root canal treatment, they remove the infected or inflamed pulp after giving you anesthesia to ensure your comfort before painlessly removing the infection, cleaning and disinfecting the canals before filling the tooth with a biocompatible rubberlike material called gutta-percha.

Before scheduling the procedure to treat the infected tooth, the Phoenix dentist recommends you prepare for the treatment to ensure your recovery is not complicated.

Preparing for Root Canals

Avoiding Alcohol and Tobacco for 24 Hours Prior to the Procedure

Root canals are a severe procedure requiring you to prepare beforehand to ensure that you go through the process and recover comfortably. Therefore the dentist recommends the following tips for you for the preparation.

You either receive local anesthesia or sedation, depending on the level of your dental anxiety when undergoing root canals. Dentists advise that you refrain from smoking or alcohol to prevent adverse reactions to the anesthesia you receive.

Eating before the Procedure

The anesthesia injected in your mouth requires time before wearing off, making it challenging for you to eat after undergoing root canal treatment. Therefore unless you receive instructions from your dentist not to have any foods because you are receiving sedation or intravenous anesthesia, you can have foods a couple of hours before your appointment to make your recovery comfortable.

Remember root canal treatments require anything between 90 minutes to three hours, and the numbing medication in your mouth requires another three hours before wearing off. Therefore it helps if you visit the dentist’s office with a full stomach unless you are instructed to fast.

Get Sufficient Sleep before and after

Your body recovers faster when resting. When you are asleep, your body repairs itself, making it essential for you to get a whole night’s rest before your appointment and also after undergoing the treatment.

Take Painkillers before the Procedure

If you receive advice from your dentist to take a painkiller before your appointment, please do so a few hours earlier. If you are receiving sedation dentistry, the dentist prescribes medications you can purchase from a drugstore to have before you proceed for your appointment. However, you must have someone to drive you because the prescription makes you tired and incapable of operating machinery. However, the medication also equips you for this intensive process. In addition, it leaves you feeling calm and relaxed without anxiety to have the treatment and protect your natural tooth.

Make Inquiries

When your dentist recommends root canal treatment, they are aware you will likely have many questions in your mind. You must try to understand the entire endodontic procedure that helps eradicate infections from inside your tooth to save it and prevent the spread of the infection.

Collect all information about the procedure besides the after-care instructions from the dentist during your preparatory stages. The information helps you overcome your fear of root canals to have the treatment without anxiety to prevent dental and overall health complications.

Before you proceed with your root canal from On Pointe Dentistry, use the tips mentioned herein to surprise the dental facility about the lack of fear in your mind about root canals.

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