What should I do in the first 24 hours after a root canal?
Cited to 4 sources. Reviewed 2026-08-25.
For the first hour, do not chew, do not drink hot or cold liquids, and do not smoke. Then wait until the numbness has completely gone before eating anything, so you do not bite your lip or cheek. After that, eat soft food on the opposite side, brush and floss as usual but gently around the treated tooth, and stay off the treated tooth entirely until it has its permanent crown or filling.
- No chewing, no hot or cold drinks, no smoking
- First hour
- No eating until
- Numbness completely gone
- Chew on
- The other side, until the crown is on
- Brushing and flossing
- As usual, gently around the tooth
What to expect, step by step
Completely numb, temporary filling settling.
What to do: Nothing to chew. No hot or cold liquids. No smoking or vaping. Room temperature water only if needed.
The tooth wakes before the lip does. Speech is slightly slurred on that side.
What to do: Still no eating. Test by touching your lip, not by biting. Take pain relief now if your endodontist advised it, so you are ahead of the soreness.
Tenderness when the treated side is loaded.
What to do: Soft food that needs little chewing, at room temperature or lukewarm. Everything on the opposite side.
A dull ache and clear tenderness to bite. This is the normal peak building.
What to do: Brush and floss gently, including around the treated tooth. Warm salt water rinse if the gum is sore.
Often the sorest stretch. Some people notice it more lying down.
What to do: Prop your head a little if it helps. Call in the morning if the pain has climbed rather than plateaued.
The complete first day checklist
Everything below is either an explicit instruction from the American Association of Endodontists or a direct consequence of one.
- No chewing for the first hour
- No hot or cold liquids for the first hour
- No smoking for the first hour, and ideally longer
- No eating at all until the numbness is completely gone
- Chew on the opposite side once you do eat
- Do not bite on the treated tooth until it has a permanent crown or filling
- Brush and floss as usual, gently around the treated area
- Take pain relief as advised, following the label and what your endodontist told you
- Do not test the tooth by tapping or biting on it to see how it feels
- Book the permanent restoration appointment
What day one is supposed to feel like
Numb, then increasingly tender to bite, with a background ache that responds to ordinary pain relievers. The gum around the tooth may be sore from the rubber dam clamp. That is the whole normal picture.
It is not supposed to involve severe spontaneous pain, visible swelling, or pain that gets dramatically worse through the evening. Those belong to a flare up, and the response is to phone the office rather than to wait for the second night.
The mistakes people actually make
Three account for most of the avoidable trouble on day one. Eating while still numb and chewing a hole in the lip or cheek, which produces a genuinely painful ulcer that gets blamed on the root canal. Testing the tooth repeatedly by biting on it, which keeps the ligament inflamed and slows everything down. And chewing something hard on the treated side and dislodging the temporary filling.
None of these are subtle, and all three are entirely preventable by leaving the tooth alone for a day.
What to have ready before you go
A little preparation makes day one easier. Have soft food in the house, ideally something you do not need to cook. Know what pain relief you are allowed to take and have it already. Clear your evening if the tooth was painful going in, because the teeth that hurt most beforehand are the ones that are sorest afterwards.
If you had any sedation rather than local anesthetic only, you need a lift home and you should not drive or work for the rest of the day.
Call your dentist or oral surgeon if
- Severe pain that gets worse through the evening rather than plateauing
- Visible swelling inside your mouth or on your face
- The temporary filling or temporary crown coming out or breaking
- The tooth feeling high or hitting first when you bite
- An allergic reaction to any medication you were given
- Fever with facial swelling, or trouble breathing or swallowing (emergency care immediately)
Related questions
Can I rinse my mouth on the first day?
Yes. Unlike an extraction there is no clot to protect, so gentle rinsing is fine and a warm salt water rinse can help a gum sore from the clamp.
Should I take painkillers before the numbness wears off?
Many endodontists suggest it so you are ahead of the discomfort rather than chasing it. Ask them directly, because it depends on what you take and what else you are on.
Can I sleep on that side?
Yes, there is no restriction. If the tooth aches more lying flat, propping your head up slightly is a reasonable thing to try.
Sources
- Root Canal Post Treatment Care (American Association of Endodontists)
- Root Canal Treatment Patient FAQs (American Association of Endodontists)
- Root Canal (Cleveland Clinic)
- Root Canals (American Dental Association (MouthHealthy))
Reviewed against the sources above on 2026-08-25. General information only, not dental advice. Your own provider's aftercare instructions come first.
Keep reading
Most people are sore rather than in pain, and that soreness settles within three to five days. Day 1 is numbness followed by tenderness, days 2 and 3 are usually the peak of bite tenderness, and by the end of the first week most people forget the tooth is there. The tooth is not finished healing until a permanent crown or filling goes on, which is a separate appointment with your general dentist.
Do not chew for the first hour, and do not eat anything until the numbness has completely worn off, which usually takes a few hours. After that you can eat, but chew on the opposite side and keep to soft food for a day or two. The bigger rule lasts longer: avoid biting on the treated tooth until it has its permanent filling or crown, because a temporary filling is not built to take chewing force.
Usually a few hours. Local anesthetic wears off gradually, and the soft tissue numbness in your lip, cheek and tongue lasts noticeably longer than numbness of the tooth itself. Lower teeth typically stay numb longer than upper teeth because the injection blocks the whole nerve to that side of the jaw. Do not eat until it has fully cleared. Numbness that persists past the same day, or into the next day, should be reported.
Most root canal discomfort settles within three to five days. It typically peaks in the first 24 to 48 hours, when the tooth is tender to bite on, then drops off steadily. Roughly a quarter to a half of patients report some pain afterwards, and most of it is mild. Pain that is severe, that lasts more than a few days, or that is climbing rather than falling is the version worth calling about.