If you’re going to have a root canal, it’s important to find the right dentist, prepare yourself for the treatment and follow some simple steps to speed up your recovery and avoid any potential complications.

Here are 7 tips to ensure your root canal treatment is a complete success.

1.
Root canal treatment is a specialised aspect of dentistry, so to make sure you get the very best outcomes and your recovery time is as short as possible, it’s important to make sure you find the best endodontist you can to help you with your treatment – even if it means travelling a bit further.

When you’re looking, use Google to help you find some who’s within a reasonable distance. Google one of the following phrases to find endodontists near you: “root canal treatment,” “root canal” or “endodontist.”

If you’re happy to search a little further afield or wish to ensure you only search in a particular area, add your location to one of the terms above, for example, to find an endodontist in the Putney area of London, you’d use “root canal treatment Putney.”

Once you’ve zeroed in on who provides the treatment locally, you can then check their websites for more information about their experience, facilities and patient experience – look for things like their root canal treatment page, before and after images and testimonials or video reviews. It’s also a good idea to check the practice’s online reviews to see if patients have left information about the quality of their treatment and experience there. Don’t just check one site, have a look at reviews on Yelp, Facebook and Google.

2.
Before your root canal treatment appointment, it’s a good idea to have a chat with your endodontist to find out if you’ll be prescribed painkillers to help with any post-treatment soreness. If so, it makes sense to get everything ready so that they’re on hand and you won’t need to go and pick them up after your appointment.

3.
Take especially good care of yourself in the days running up to your root canal as even minor dental surgery takes a toll on the body. Getting plenty of sleep will ensure you and your immune system are in tip-top shape ready for the recovery process.

4.
Just as with food, eating healthily prior to the treatment will help keep you strong and ensure you have all the nutrients needed to aid your recovery. It’s common not to be able to eat as easily for a few days after a root canal as would normally, so making sure your body is nourished makes good sense.

5.
When you’ve had your root canal, your main focus should be on recovery and not finding out what to do next, so make sure you’ve discussed the aftercare steps you’ll need to follow with your endodontist before your treatment. And also when you need to come in for your next appointment. It’s a good idea to have notes or a printout of anything that’s been recommended to you in your unique case.

6.
If you’ve been asked to take antibiotics before your treatment, make sure you’ve completed the full course and have not stopped mid-way through. This will ensure any harmful bacteria is killed off before your treatment. Even if you feel like you don’t need the full course of antibiotics, you should continue with them until they’re all gone, otherwise this step to prepare you for treatment can actually do more harm than good.

7.
Lastly, if you have any fears, questions or concerns related to your treatment or about attending the practice, make sure you talk to your dentist about them ahead of time. We have a wide range of experience dealing with all kinds of dental issues and one of the most important things we’ve learned is that not everyone is the same and that each individual needs the support that matters to them. Whatever’s on your mind before any kind of treatment, please let us know if we can help in any way.