Why Choose an Endodontist
Endodontists are specialists in saving teeth, committed to helping you maintain your natural smile for a lifetime. They have at least two years of additional education to become experts in performing root canal treatment and diagnosing and treating tooth pain.
Why are endodontists called specialists?
Endodontists are specialists in saving teeth. After dental school, they complete at least two more years of training focused on diagnosing tooth pain and performing root canal treatment. Their goal is to help you keep your natural teeth for a lifetime.
Treatments
Non-Surgical Root Canal Treatment
Saving your natural tooth with root canal treatment helps you:
- Chew efficiently
- Bite with normal force and sensation
- Keep your smile looking natural
- Protect your other teeth from excess wear and strain
Root Canal Retreatment
Endodontic Retreatment
With proper care, even teeth that have had root canal treatment can last a lifetime. But sometimes, a tooth that has been treated doesn’t heal properly and can become painful or diseased months or even years after treatment. If your tooth failed to heal or develops new problems, you have a second chance. An additional procedure may be able to support healing and save your tooth. If you are experiencing dental pain or discomfort in a previously treated tooth, talk to an endodontist about retreatment.
As occasionally happens with any dental or medical procedure, a tooth may not heal as expected after initial treatment for a variety of reasons:
- Narrow or curved canals were not treated during the initial procedure.
- Complicated canal anatomy went undetected in the first procedure.
- The placement of the crown or other restoration was delayed following the endodontic treatment.
- The restoration did not prevent salivary contamination to the inside of the tooth.
In other cases, a new problem can jeopardize a tooth that was successfully treated. For example:
- New decay can expose the root canal filling material to bacteria, causing a new infection in the tooth.
- A loose, cracked or broken crown or filling can expose the tooth to new infection.
- A tooth sustains a fracture.
During retreatment, the endodontist will reopen your tooth and remove the filling materials that were placed in the root canals during the first procedure. The endodontist then carefully examines the tooth, looking for additional canals or new infection. The endodontist then removes any infection, cleans and shapes the canals, and places new filling materials. The opening is then sealed with a temporary filling. Once the tooth heals, a new crown or other restoration is placed on the tooth to protect it.
Root Canal Surgery
Sometimes a nonsurgical root canal alone can’t save your tooth, and your endodontist will recommend surgery. Surgery can help find small cracks or hidden canals that didn’t show up on X-rays or during earlier treatment. It can also remove calcium deposits in the root canals or treat damage to the root surface or surrounding bone. Your endodontist uses digital imaging and operating microscopes to make surgery as precise and comfortable as possible.
The most common procedure is an apicoectomy, or root-end resection. It’s used when inflammation or infection lingers in the bone around the end of your tooth after a root canal.
During the procedure, your endodontist opens the gum tissue near the tooth and removes any inflamed or infected tissue, along with the tip of the root. A small filling may be placed to seal the end of the root canal, and a few stitches help the tissue heal. Over the next several months, the bone heals around the root.
Local anesthetic keeps you comfortable, and most patients return to normal activities the next day with only mild discomfort.
