» Patient Resources

What to expect after you have had a root canal.

It is natural to experience some minor discomfort in the tooth, gums, or jaw after having had a root canal. Usually, this discomfort is slight to moderate and lasts from several days to 1 week. Taking 1 or 2 Advil (200-400 mg Ibuprofen) will help decrease this discomfort or the
The doctor may prescribe something stronger if necessary.

It is also important to continue to take any antibiotics that may have been prescribed for you, as this will help the infection heal faster. Be sure to take the antibiotics until they are completely gone – do not stop taking them even if you feel fine.

By two weeks, your tooth should feel back to normal. If your tooth was a bicuspid or molar (a “back” tooth), then it is very important to have a cap or a crown placed immediately for support. A tooth that has had a root canal is no longer receiving a blood supply and is, therefore, weak and could fracture easily and be prematurely lost. If you already have a crown on your tooth, then you are probably fine.

If you need anything, please call us here at the office at 916.447.3600.

We look forward to helping you again in a couple of weeks!!

Care for Veneers

If you’ve been instructed to wear a night guard after your veneers have been placed, WEAR IT NIGHTLY.
Brush and floss veneered teeth as you would your natural teeth using a non-abrasive tooth paste and soft bristle brush.
Use a rubber tip along your gumline of your veneers.
Avoid chewing on hard objects such as pens, ice and even your nails.
Do not skip your regular dental check-ups.
Avoid foods and drinks that may stain your teeth. Use a straw.
Do not smoke. This may cause discoloration along the edges of the veneers.

Invisalign Aligner Care and Instructions

Wear each set of aligners for 2 weeks unless otherwise instructed.
Wear each set for 20-22 hours a day.
Brush and floss after meals and before placing aligners back on your teeth.
Aligners can be cleaned with a toothbrush and lukewarm water (no tooth paste) or denture cleaner such as “Stain Away”.
Always remove aligners starting from the back molars.
Keep 2-3 of your previous aligners in a clean plastic bag.

Post Operative Care Instructions for Root Planing

After your appointment today your gums may feel tender. Please follow these instructions for best results.

Avoid spicy food, hard foods, popcorn, berries or food with seeds.
Eat a soft diet for the next 48-72 hours.
Avoid use of tobacco products.
Take Advil, Motrin, or Tylenol (ibuprofen or Acetaminophen) as needed for discomfort.
The following products may be used to rinse with or apply to irritated areas: Glyoxide Gel- Peroxyl-Ricinol-Crest Pro Health rinse-Warm salt water rinse if you are on a salt restricted diet or have high blood pressure.
You might notice tooth sensitivity after root planing, this is normal and can last for up to two weeks. Any sensitivity toothpaste can be used to help.
You might notice a slight oozing of blood for the next 24 hours, or a bluish hue to the gum tissue. This is also normal.
If you are having discomfort other than tenderness of the gums or have any questions , please call our office. at (916)447-3600.

Instructions for a Temporary Crown

It’s important to maintain a temp crown on your tooth even if the tooth is not sensitive. Your permanent crown will not fit properly if you go without it for any length of time.
It’s normal to have some sensitivity to hot and cold.
Sensodyne toothpaste may help with sensitivity.
If pain persists for more than a few days, please call the office.
If the temp feels uncomfortable or feels too “high”(like you’re biting on it first), please call the office.
If the temp comes off and you have a problem with cementing it with the temporary cement provided, please call the office.

How to Cement the temporary

Clean the old cement from the inside of the crown with a toothpick. Try the crown on to know how it fits back on. Mix part A and part B of the cement with a toothpick and lightly line the inside of the crown, place it on the tooth and bite down to seat it. Wait about 1 minute for the cement to dry, clean off with a toothbrush of toothpick and floss. If you have any problems, please give us a call.

Care for a new Filling or New Crown

Your anesthesia will wear off in 1-3 hours so you need to be careful not to bite your tongue, lip or cheek.
Your tooth may be sensitive to hot or cold from this procedure which may last from a few days to a few weeks. As long as your teeth continue to feel better there is no cause for concern.
If the teeth that have been worked on feel as if they are hitting first when you bite down or chew , please call our office immediately. The imbalance may cause further discomfort and trauma and should be adjusted.
The gum tissue may be irritated from the procedure and may be sore for a few days. The anesthetic injection site may also be sore or bruised.
Please call our office if you have any other concerns or questions.

Bleaching Instructions

Brush & Floss teeth.
Load each tooth with a bead size drop of Bleach, if there is a black dot on the outside of the tray don’t put bleach in it. If you put too much bleach in the tray your gums will become irritated, take 1 -2 days off before resuming the bleaching process.
After tray is loaded place it in your mouth and lightly press up against the teeth, any bleach that may come out is extra, wipe it off your gums.
Bleach for no more than half an hour once or twice a day, but there needs to be an hour or more between.
When a half hour is up take trays out and gently clean with a tooth brush under running water to get bleach out.
Lay the trays on a paper towel to dry and place the trays in the case when your are done.
Brush teeth again to get the bleach off your teeth.
If you have any questions please refer to the Patterson instructions in the box bleach comes in.
If your teeth become too sensitive to bleach skip a day or two and use tooth paste for sensitive teeth. (Sensodyne over the counter).
Bleach for 3 (three) weeks or until all the bleach is used, which ever comes first.