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Why Your Root Canal Tooth Needs Extra Mechanical Protection

Choosing a root canal treatment at Lighthouse Dental Care is an incredible win for your oral health. It stops active infections, saves your natural tooth root, and protects your jawbone structure here in Burlington. However, once the inner nerve tissue is removed and the pain disappears, a common misconception we see among patients is the idea that the tooth is instantly back to 100% strength. Understanding the basic physics of a treated tooth shell is the absolute key to preventing accidental fractures and ensuring your tooth stands the test of time.

Why Your Root Canal Tooth Needs Extra Mechanical Protection

The Importance of Proper Care After a Root Canal

To understand why a root canal tooth needs extra care, envision a hollow piece of glassware. Before your treatment, deep decay or a large crack hollowed out the inside architecture of your tooth. While our root canal therapy sterilizes and fills the inner root pathways to save the foundation, the remaining outer enamel walls are thin and brittle. Until that shell is reinforced by a custom porcelain crown, it lacks its original structural strength to handle heavy chewing. 

Avoid Chewing with an Unprotected Tooth

Until you return to have your permanent dental crown bonded into place, you must establish a strict no chew zone. Train your tongue to push all of your soft food over to your opposite side to chew. Crunching down on a hard nut, a stray seed, or a piece of crusty bread with your unprotected, root-canal-treated tooth can damage the enamel all the way to the bone line.  

Keep a Close Eye on Nighttime Clenching Stress

If you have a natural habit of grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw tightly together when you are stressed or while you sleep at night, your healing tooth faces an extra threat. Intense nighttime grinding applies hundreds of pounds of continuous force onto your teeth. If you catch yourself clenching during the day, consciously relax your lips and drop your jaw. Talk to our team about getting a thin, comfortable night guard to protect your entire smile.  

Complete Root Canal Treatment in Burlington, ON

You must respect your body’s structural limits to ensure proper healing. Treating your tooth with extra gentleness helps protect it after a root canal while you wait to get your crown. Whenever possible, we complete the entire procedure in one day, so you can get back to normal life as soon as possible.  

Restore your tooth today. Schedule a consultation for a root canal in Burlington with our team at Lighthouse Dental Care. 

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