Top tips for new mums recovering from root canal treatment

Dentist Blog

As a pregnant woman or new mum, it's easy to neglect your dental health in favour of focussing on the demands of your new baby. Looking after your teeth is vital to maintaining your health, so it is important to prioritise dental treatment as a new mum. To ensure a quick recovery so that you can keep up with the demands of parenting a newborn, check out these top tips for new mums recovering from root canal treatment.

Go easy on the tooth

After your initial and subsequent root canal treatment visits, your tooth and gums may feel tender, irritated or inflamed. Give your tooth a break in between root canal visits and resist the temptation to chew on the tooth until your root canal treatment has been completed. While it is easy to neglect your dental routine when you are knee-deep in laundry and nappies, it is important that you maintain your routine dental care after your root canal treatment with regular tooth brushing and flossing. If your tooth or gum is sensitive to brush, just give it a gentle clean. In between visits for your root canal treatment, your tooth will have a temporary filling that may be difficult to floss around, so take care when flossing and discontinue if you feel the floss snag or get wedged on the affected tooth. Let your dentist know if you have had any trouble brushing or flossing at your next visit.

Prepare soft foods ahead of time

As a new mum who is short on time and energy, it's easy to choose hard or crunchy quick meal options such as toast, apples, carrot sticks, and perhaps a little hard candy treat. If can find the time prior to your root canal treatment visits, prepare some nutritious, soft meals ahead of time and pop portions in the freezer. This way, you'll only have to worry about reheating a meal after your root canal treatment, and won't try to settle for foods that may damage your tooth. Alternatively, ask supportive friends or family members to deliver a home-cooked meal after your treatment appointments- it's a great way to make them feel involved and helpful after the birth of your child.

Manage your discomfort and pain

You shouldn't suffer from significant pain or discomfort after your root canal treatment appointment, and if you do it is important to contact your dentist for expert advice. A little discomfort and pain from is normal- the tooth and gums are tender from the procedure, and there may be some inflammation of tissues that have been irritated during the treatment. Pain and discomfort can be temporarily treated with an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen or aspirin. If you are breastfeeding it is important to confirm that any medication is breastfeeding-friendly with your dentist and chemist prior to consumption.

For more information and advice on how new mums can successfully recover from root canal treatment, contact your local dentist (or visit sites like http://www.djydental.com.au).

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13 April 2016

Teeth And Tears: Dental Dramas Of A School Nurse

I have worked as a school nurse for decades. Children come to me with all sorts of scrapes and bumps and bruises. Black eyes from playing football, sprained wrists from falling off the monkey bars and stomachaches from too many sweets are common complaints. However, the issue that seems to cause the greatest angst is tooth problems. Sometimes a child will have a second tooth knocked out when playing sport and parents arrive in tears. At other times, children come to my office crying because their friends are teasing them about teeth that are discoloured or stick out. I take an active interest in the latest dental news so that I can give parents and children comfort and advice. I have included some of my collected wisdom on these pages. Perhaps this information can help you understand some options when faced with a dental problem. Thank you for reading.