Dr. Hall:
Is there any contraindication about taking a long plane trip (11 hours) within 24 hours of a root canal treatment?
Elaine from Massachusetts
Elaine:
Root canal treatment, over the last few years, because of new treatment techniques, has gotten quicker and easier than it used to be. You should be fine taking a long plane trip after your treatment. There is nothing about a plane trip that will tend to cause any extra problem.
Since you will be far away from the treating dentist right afterward, though, I would ask the dentist to take extra precaution against post-operative flare-up by reducing the tooth so that you don’t hit it at all when biting. Some dentists do this automatically, but many don’t feel it is necessary. I’m in a little different position because, besides having done hundreds of root canal treatments myself, as I got older I have tended to get cracks in my molars which has led me to need five molar root canal treatments myself. And I will tell you that making it so you don’t touch the tooth at all when you bite makes it a LOT more comfortable and greatly reduces the chance of pain after the root canal. So, regardless of whether your treating dentist wants to or not, I would insist that he or she reduce the tooth so that they can see a small amount of daylight between this tooth and any teeth that bite against it.
– Dr. Hall
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About David A. Hall
Dr. David A. Hall was one of the first 40 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world. He practiced cosmetic dentistry in Iowa, and in 1990 earned his accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is now president of Infinity Dental Web, a company in Mesa, Arizona that does advanced internet marketing for dentists.
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