Can I Use Mouthwash after a Root Canal?

Have you recently received endodontic treatment to eradicate dental pulp infections and wonder how to care for your teeth and gums as your mouth recovers? The specialist providing the therapy gives you after-care instructions to help you recover quickly and enjoy years of excellent dental health.

If you want to care for your teeth after having a root canal, it helps to understand why you needed this treatment and how to care for your teeth. The root of your tooth connects it to your gums and jaw. You require a root canal if tooth decay infects the dental pulp of your tooth and results in a dental abscess forming a pocket of infection around the root of your tooth. You might also need this treatment because you have injured or damaged your tooth.

When performing a root canal, the dental office in Phoenix cleans the infected tooth and places a special biocompatible rubber-like filling in the tooth to seal the canal. As the tooth becomes brittle without the dental pulp, you must follow up with your dentist to have the tooth restored with a dental crown.

Expectations Following a Root Canal

Root canal treatments from the family dentistry in Phoenix, AZ, ensure the pain in your tooth lessens and stops following the procedure. However, you will likely experience some tenderness and soreness in your jaw by having your mouth open for an extended period when receiving the treatment.

Your dentist recommends or prescribes painkillers to ensure you don’t panic after receiving the therapy and rush to the emergency dentist near me seeking additional treatments. The pain relievers help alleviate the pain you experience following the therapy, and exercise caution when eating or biting with the treated tooth. In addition, your dentist provides appropriate instructions for managing the tooth and preventing infections in your mouth after undergoing severe therapy.

After having a root canal, you must ensure you maintain excellent oral health by cleaning your teeth but remaining cautious near the treated tooth until you have it restored by your dentist. After that, you can resume appointments for exams and cleanings, as usual, to prevent needing another similar treatment.

Using Mouthwash after a Root Canal

After undergoing a root canal, the dentist recommends you refrain from having certain hard foods and drinks like alcohol and smoking. The restrictions ensure your treated tooth remains safe from damage or infections that might develop.

Alcohol is restricted because it interacts with the painkillers and antibiotics provided by your dentist. Similarly, most brands of mouthwash available over-the-counter in drugstores contain a minimum of 20 percent alcohol making them unsuitable for use after receiving endodontic therapy. In addition, the chemicals from tobacco also delay recovery and cause infections that might require additional treatments from an emergency dentist. Under the circumstances, dentists recommend not to use branded mouthwash available over-the-counter.

Best Mouthwash for Root Canal

You might become concerned about not using mouthwash to eliminate mouth bacteria after a root canal. However, dentists recommend a DIY technique of using saltwater rinses containing antiseptic properties to eliminate mouth bacteria and to ensure your recovery after a root canal without complications.

You can use salt water rinses up to four times per day after the procedure to help cleanse your mouth and keep it healthy from the bacteria responsible for causing tooth decay and cavities.

Except for five percent, most root canals are successful, but there are complications you must be aware of. For example, if you underwent the treatment on a molar containing multiple canals, the dentist might miss one to leave it untreated. In such cases, you begin experiencing pain, making it essential to contact your dentist for help.

You mustn’t consider using mouthwash brands purchased commercially because of the alcohol they contain. Instead, you can continue using homemade saltwater rinses as long as you wish until you have recovered entirely from this procedure. It would help if you avoided over-the-counter mouthwash unless your dentist recommends a specific brand as optimal after a root canal.

Root canal treatments are not as fearsome as they are made out to be because patients claim the therapy was no more painful than having a cavity filled. However, proper tooth care is essential after undergoing the treatment, including avoiding mouthwash except for the one recommended in this article.

Arizona Family Dentistry performs many root canals with high success rates but suggests using the mouthwash variety described in this article. If you must have dental pulp infections in your tooth eradicated, kindly schedule your appointment with this practice to preserve your tooth.