A root canal is performed when the soft center of your tooth known as the pulp becomes damaged. When your pulp becomes damaged, it can become infected or inflamed and needs to be removed through a root canal. Show
During the procedure, you will be given a local anesthetic to numb the area, so you will not feel any pain. An access hole is made by drilling into the tooth and the damaged pulp
is scraped out. Each of the canals inside of the tooth will be cleaned and then your tooth will be filled with gutta-percha material. You will receive a temporary filling and need to come back with a permanent one. You will likely also require a dental crown to be fitted on the tooth that received the root canal for additional protection. Smoking and Dental ComplicationsSmoking in general, let alone after a root canal treatment, is highly discouraged by doctors and dentists. Not only does smoking contribute to many negative health outcomes, but it also increases the likelihood that you will need more root canals. According to studies, smokers are twice as likely to need root canal treatment than nonsmokers. The longer you smoke, the higher this risk increases. Root canals are somewhat invasive procedures and
they can be costly, so it’s best to avoid behaviors that increase your risk of needing them. Smoking and Healing After a Root CanalSmoking also negatively impacts the healing process following a root canal. A root canal requires oral surgery, and your mouth is very sensitive and vulnerable in the days following oral surgery. After your root canal treatment, you should follow aftercare directions from your dentist closely. For the first few hours
after the root canal, your mouth will still be numb so you should not eat or consume hot liquids until the local anesthesia has completely worn off. You should also refrain from smoking during this time and while you are recovering, as it can delay the recovery process. Cigarettes contain toxic chemicals which cause cancer and essentially poison the sensitive tissue in your mouth. Because smoking reduces blood flow, an adequate supply of oxygen and other nutrients
cannot reach the gums, which can prolong your recovery time and cause other oral health problems. Post Root Canal Recovery TipsAfter receiving a root canal, the local anesthesia will not wear off for a few hours. It’s important to avoid consuming anything other than cold or room temperature water until your mouth is no longer numb to avoid accidentally biting your mouth or burning yourself with hot liquids. Once the anesthetic wears off, you can
eat, but you should stick to soft foods and try to chew on the opposite side of your mouth. It’s a good idea to stick to softer foods like yogurt, ice cream, oatmeal, and mashed potatoes for a couple of days. You may feel some slight discomfort, pain, or swelling in the following days once the local anesthetic has worn off, but this tends to be mild. For relief, you can take anti-pain medication and an ice pack to reduce swelling. Within three days you should be able to
return to your normal routine, but until then you should not use straws or smoke. Follow oral hygiene directions provided to you by Dr. Niraj Patel. Cibolo Family Smiles Performs Root Canals to Save Teeth From ExtractionAre you experiencing signs of an inflamed or infected tooth? Contact us at Cibolo Family Smiles to
find out what your options are. Root canals are a last resort treatment option used to salvage a tooth so it doesn’t need to be extracted. It is not ideal to have a missing tooth, so needing an extraction requires filling the missing space with a prosthesis or artificial tooth. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Niraj Patel in Cibolo to find
out if a root canal would be a good option for you. If you’re experiencing pain, we can relieve this during the first root canal treatment in which we remove the tooth’s pulp. Dental crowns are prosthetic teeth designed by a dentist and usually created by a lab technician (or more recently, a CAD-CAM machine). They can be either metal like gold or platinum, porcelain fused to metal (PFM), or all porcelain/ceramic. All ceramic restorations are typically not as strong as those with metal substructures and can cause increased wear of the opposing teeth. Dental crowns are usually needed under the following circumstances:
The ProcessThe process of a dental crown involves preparing a tooth by first reducing its tooth structure (size) in order to accommodate a crown. Because the process involves removing tooth structure, this is an irreversible procedure. If the dental crown will be made using gold material, only a minimum amount is taken off of the tooth because gold is fairly thin. If the fixed crown will be made using a porcelain material, more tooth structure is shaved off. The following contains very specific steps on the process of a dental crown procedure.
Temporary CrownA temporary crown may feel a little rough and sensitive to hot and cold because it does not touch the gum area. It is adjusted to fit your bite and then cemented with temporary cement for easy removal later.
If you smoke cigarettes or cigars, you should know that smoking can also stain the temporary crown. In addition, it is important to keep your dental appointments during the process of getting a fixed crown. The condition of this area can change before treatment is completed. This will result in the permanent crown/bridge not fitting and requiring either a lot of adjustments and chair time, or having to do the process again. Dental Crown ProcedureHow long after getting a temporary crown can you smoke?It is advisable not to smoke for the first week after installing the dental crown. However, if you are a regular smoker, strictly refrain from smoking for the first 48 hours. Otherwise, it may result in losing the crown permanently.
What should you avoid with a temporary crown?After placement of your temporary crown you should avoid:. Foods that are extremely hot or cold.. Tough foods such as steak or hard breads.. Hard foods like ice, hard candy, and granola.. Sticky foods such as taffy, caramel, or gum.. Can you vape with temporary crown?I just had a crown or a filling. Can I still vape? If the procedure you had with your dentist is minimally invasive and involves little to no bleeding — you can vape.
Can you smoke after a temporary filling?Tip #4: Do Not Smoke
It's especially bad for your overall oral health, and smoking after you get a filling should never be done while any part of the mouth is still numb. You may feel confident when you have most of the feeling back, but don't risk it, or you could easily burn yourself or otherwise get hurt.
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