How durable are temporary fillings after root canal?

[Sir Hemlock]

Evening all.

I had my first root canal yesterday morning and, though terrifying, it went pretty great (according to my endodontist.)

He placed a temporary filling and I am to see my primary dentist on the 12th to begin the crown process. I'm admittedly pretty disturbed by the notion of having a temporary filling in my root canal. I've not been chewing on it, save once or twice gently and by accident. I've flossed it and gently brushed it, too.

I know these temporary fillings are nowhere near the strength of a standard filling - but just how brittle and delicate are they? I'm scared of it chipping away and exposing the gutta-percha and cotton the tooth is currently stuffed with. Any sort of comfort or insight you can offer regarding their durability would be immensely appreciated as I wait for the dentist to crown me.

Cheers.

 

[Sir Hemlock]

If it helps you offer a more accurate answer, it's tooth #30 - a back-right bottom molar.

 

[LauraQ68]

I’m not a dentist (I’m sure one will chime in with a real answer), but I also had #30 with root canal and crown. I did not chew on that side of my mouth until I got the crown. I brushed normally. The dentist told me not to pull up with the floss, but to pull it through horizontally to avoid dislodging the temporary filling. Just be gentle and you will be fine. Good job on getting through the root canal!

 

[Gordon]

It kind of depends what was used for the temp filling, which we don't know, but most of them are strong enough to chew on for a few months and will happily stand up to brushing and flossing. Even the softest ones will be good for a few weeks at worst.