You did it! You made it through your treatment!

Please follow these instructions for a smooth recovery.

 

Instrucciones en Español Abajo

 

Pain: What’s normal?
Expect to experience soreness or tenderness in your tooth and its surrounding gum tissue for 3-5 days after your treatment. This discomfort is perfectly normal, and there’s no need to worry.

Continue brushing and flossing your teeth as normal. We do recommend that you avoid chewing food on the affected side of your mouth until you’ve visited your restorative dentist.

Every patient is different, so that means your level of discomfort will be different from other patients—and this is totally fine. It’s possible you could experience discomfort for as long as 2 weeks. The more your tooth hurts when you bit down or chewed before the procedure, the more tender it will be afterward.

As long as your discomfort lessens every day, you are headed in the right direction and don’t need to be concerned!

You can take ibuprofen (Advil), acetaminophen (Tylenol), or aspirin, as directed. Do not take alcohol with either of these medications. If your pain isn’t responding to these medicines, please contact our office as soon as possible.

What if I’m swelling?
Don’t be alarmed if you notice any swelling after your treatment—this is not uncommon, especially for patients whose x-rays showed a “black spot” on their tooth.

You may be able to feel the swelling, or you might see that your face looks asymmetrical in the mirror. Give our office a call when you notice the swelling, and we will prescribe you an antibiotic or steroid. If you are swelling and are already taking an antibiotic, we may prescribe a different one.

If you’re taking an antibiotic, it’s important you take every pill in the bottle, and that you follow the prescription instructions.

If you have been prescribed an antibiotic and are experiencing significant diarrhea, discontinue the antibiotic immediately and call our office. This side effect can happen with any antibiotic, but is more common with Clindamycin.

We also suggest taking a probiotic or eating yogurt when taking any antibiotic. This will populate your body with “good” bacteria and help you recover.

How Do I Take My Pain Medication?
When you were at our office, we gave you over-the-counter pain medication, followed by anesthesia (either 600mg Ibuprofen or 650mg acetaminophen) to help you stay ahead of any discomfort.

We recommend you continue to take the medication (600mg Ibuprofen or 650mg acetaminophen)—whether you have pain or not—around the clock every 6 hours for the next 3 days. A good way to remember is to take a dose of food at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bedtime. This will help you keep your discomfort to a minimum.

If you forget or skip a dose, your pain may return, and it will be harder to get rid of the discomfort. Try keeping your pain medication on your nightstand so you don’t forget your bedtime dose. If you sleep longer than 6 hours, be aware your tooth may be more tender in the morning. This is normal, but you can always call if you’re concerned.

Use this chart for our dosage recommendations, based on your level of pain. Start your pain medications at the “Mild Pain” level, and increase as needed.

Pain Management Medications – Take Every 6 Hours
	Patients who can take NSAIDS	Patients who CANNOT take NSAIDS
Mild Pain	600 mg Ibuprofen	650 mg Acetaminophen
Moderate Pain	600 mg Ibuprofen + 650 mg Acetaminophen	Hydrocodone (7.5mg/325mg) + 325 mg Acetaminophen
Severe Pain	Follow the Moderate Pain regimen. We may need to add an antibiotic and possibly a steroid. Please contact our office.

Ibuprofen = Advil or Motrin. Don’t take more than 3200mg in 24 hours. If NSAIDS can’t be used for pain management, the tooth tends to be more sore after treatment, and the healing can take longer.

Acetaminophen = Tylenol. It comes in two doses: Regular (325mg) and Extra Strength (500mg). Don’t take more than 3000mg in 24 hours. Hydrocodone already contains 325mg of Acetaminophen per dose, so please factor that into your pain management plan.

Aleve is Naproxen Sodium. We suggest taking Ibuprofen instead of Aleve because you can take Ibuprofen more often. If you prefer Aleve, please check the dosage on the bottle.

Have questions? Call our office!

If we gave you a prescription pain medication like Hydrocodone, take it along with your over-the-counter medication. Don’t stop taking your Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen. For the most effective pain management, alternate between the medications every 3 hours. For example, you’d take the over-the-counter medication at 6am, 12pm, 6pm, and 12am, and you’d take the Hydrocodone at 3am, 9am, 3pm, and 9pm. Your schedule will vary.

If you find your pain is still too severe and you’re taking both 600mg Ibuprofen and Hydrocodone or Acetaminophen, please call our office for additional information. We might recommend a different prescription, like an antibiotic or a steroid.

How do I take care of my temporary filling?
When we finish your root canal, we will permanently seal your root canal system to keep it infection-free.

Then, we will seal your tooth’s outer surface with a temporary restoration, and you’ll need to visit your restorative dentist to get a crown placed.

It is important that the filling remains intact before your full restoration appointment. The filling is soft when we put it in, and it takes 30 minutes to harden.

You may notice the filling sinking while you chew. This is normal. However, if you believe that you’ve lost a significant amount of filling, or if it’s completely fallen out, please call our office during normal business hours and we will schedule a visit to replenish your temporary filling.

If this happens over the weekend, don’t worry, it’s not an emergency. Just call our office on the next business day.

What do I need to do next for restoration and follow-up?
After your root canal therapy, we will send your general dentist a full report about how everything went. Schedule an appointment with your general dentist within 2 weeks of your root canal (or as soon as possible) for a final restoration on the treated tooth. This restoration is critical to prevent tooth fracture and decay.

Your root canal treatment at Ballantyne Endodontics includes a follow-up examination, where we will see how your tooth is healing. We know, you just want to get on with your life! But this follow-up appointment is super important. It allows us to make sure everything is going well.

This appointment will typically take place between 6 months and a year after your treatment. The appointment is brief—normally between 10 and 15 minutes—and there is no fee for you. So you really have nothing to lose, and lots of assurance to gain!

It’s extremely important you make and come to that appointment, even if you’re feeling fine. Our special imaging technology will help us make sure everything is healing as it should be inside your tooth.

Remember, we stand behind our work with a guarantee. In the super-unlikely event your root canal fails in the year after treatment, we’ll retreat it again for no cost. So coming to this appointment will make sure you can take advantage of this guarantee, just in case you need it.

Contact us with questions and instructions—even after hours.
If you have any questions or concerns following your treatment, please don’t hesitate to call our office at 704-541-7017. The office telephone is answered day and night. If you need to call after hours, keep in mind the pharmacies may also be closed.

If you need to speak with someone after normal business hours, leave a voice message in your Ballantyne Endodontics doctor’s emergency mailbox, and Dr. Chopra, Dr. Tadrissi, or Dr. Reiter will return your call as soon as possible.

When leaving your message, please spell your name, tell us your date of birth, provide your pharmacy phone number, and provide your phone number (including area code). If possible, it’s best to call between the hours of 8:00 am and 10:00 pm, since those are the operating hours of most pharmacies.

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