by Dr. Jacqueline S. Allen | Dec 5, 2024 | Tooth Abscess
When you have a toothache, you don’t care why it hurts – you just want it to STOP. Many toothaches are caused by an abscessed tooth, which is a pocket of pus (infection) located near your tooth. Visiting an endodontist can not only help end the pain, it can also help you strategize to maintain your long-term dental health.
Tooth Abscess Causes And Symptoms
A tooth abscess happens when the nerve-rich pulp inside your tooth becomes infected. Such an infection can have many causes, including:
- A cracked or chipped tooth
- Severe, untreated tooth decay
- Gum disease spread to the tooth roots
- A dental injury exposing the nerve pulp to bacteria
Once a dental infection, regardless of cause, progresses to an abscess, your symptoms may include:
- An open, draining sore on your gums, or a “boil” near your tooth
- Swollen, red gums
- Bad breath
- Gnawing or throbbing pain
- Pain that radiates into your neck, jawbone, or ear
- Bitter taste in your mouth
- Fever and a general feeling of illness
An endodontist will use X-rays or other imaging tools like Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) to evaluate your teeth and see whether the tooth abscess is located at your tooth’s root, near the bones and ligaments supporting your tooth, or in the gums around your tooth.
Treating A Tooth Abscess The Endodontic Way
The most common treatment to save an abscessed tooth is a root canal. At the Phoenix Endodontic Group, we use the leading-edge GentleWave treatment system to thoroughly clean and remove infected tooth pulp. An endodontist fills the tooth roots with gutta-percha or another biocompatible substance. Later, a general dentist will add a crown to provide permanent structural support to the tooth.
Call Us About Your Tooth Abscess ASAP
If you’re worried your toothache may be due to an abscessed tooth, call the Phoenix Endodontic Group at 602-242-4745 to arrange an appointment. Infected teeth can pose a serious risk to your health. We offer 24/7 emergency care, so if you’re in pain, call right away!
by Dr. Jacqueline S. Allen | Nov 4, 2024 | Cracked Teeth
Perhaps if we were able to treat cracked or broken teeth with the ease of treating broken bones, more people would seek treatment promptly. Unfortunately, cracked teeth are often invisible to the outside world, and small enough that, even though they can cause a great deal of pain, those who suffer them feel as if “toughing it out” without treatment is a workable option.
The sad truth about cracked teeth is that, unlike bones, they will never mend without attention from a dental professional. Fractured teeth can lead to tooth decay and serious infection, so it’s critical to have cracked teeth cared for immediately.
Answers To Common Questions About Cracked Teeth
Many people delay treatment of a cracked tooth from lack of knowledge of its nature. Here’s a review of some helpful information about cracked teeth.
What are some causes of cracked teeth?
Most cracked teeth happen because the teeth encounter a strong force – like being hit in the mouth with a basketball or falling face-first on a pool deck – or because the teeth have been weakened by tooth decay, or through a combination of those factors. Other potential causes include biting down on ice, popcorn kernels or hard candy, and bruxism (teeth grinding).
What are common symptoms of cracked teeth?
With a minor crack, you may only know because you can see it or feel it with your tongue. More seriously cracked teeth can result in pain when you bite down, sensitivity to hot or cold substances, or swelling around the tooth.
How does an endodontist treat a cracked tooth?
Treatment for your cracked tooth will depend on the crack. Your general dentist may be able to repair a minor crack using dental bonding. If the crack is more than superficial, particularly if the damage extends to the interior of the tooth, an endodontist may perform a root canal to save the tooth. A root canal removes infected nerve pulp and replaces it with a biocompatible filler material. The process is completed with a crown, which protects the treated natural tooth from infection and decay.
Don’t Ignore Cracked Teeth – Get Seen Today!
A cracked tooth can rapidly escalate from nuisance to emergency. Call the Phoenix Endodontic Group at 602-242-4745 to arrange urgent care for your cracked or broken tooth.
by Dr. Jacqueline S. Allen | Oct 9, 2024 | National Dental Hygiene Month
Whether you believe “Well begun is half done” was said by film character Mary Poppins or by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, it’s a useful adage. Even if you didn’t get a great start with dental hygiene as a child, it’s not too late to improve your oral health. Make positive changes, and you will see more positive dental outcomes.
October is National Dental Hygiene Month, which celebrates the hard work that dental hygienists do and promotes the value of good oral self-care. In that spirit, the Phoenix Endodontics Group offers a few tips for building strong natural teeth. Proper dental hygiene and daily self-care can build (or re-build) your teeth, protect them from decay, and improve their resilience to events like impact injuries.
Dental Hygiene Tips for Healthy, Strong Teeth
Establish or re-commit to a daily oral health routine. Brushing twice daily and flossing are essential to removing bacterial plaque, which can build up on teeth and cause tooth decay. Augment these two pillars of dental hygiene with daily use of a fluoride-based mouthwash.
Eat and drink tooth-friendly foods and beverages. Milk, yogurt, and cheese are excellent sources of calcium. Fibrous veggies and fruits, including berries or carrots, provide Vitamin C to protect your gums and stimulate saliva, which protects against dry mouth. Other foods – such as meat, poultry and eggs or leafy greens like kale or spinach – contain the helpful nutrients phosphorus and Vitamin A, which work with calcium to protect your tooth enamel.
Stop tobacco use and limit alcohol consumption. Chronic tobacco and alcohol usage can damage your teeth and gums. The less you indulge in these, the better.
Visit your dentist regularly. Office visits to your general dentist provide the best chance to track and assess any emerging oral health issues. Prophylactic teeth cleaning removes bacterial plaque hardened into tartar. If needed, your provider may use fluoride treatments or dental sealants to further protect your teeth.
Address possible threats to your teeth. Your dentist can advise how best to treat conditions such as bruxism (teeth grinding) or dry mouth, which can weaken tooth structure if left untreated. An endodontist can provide emergency care if you’ve damaged your teeth in a car accident or while playing a sport, like basketball or hockey.
Improve Your Dental Hygiene Today
Dental professionals, including general dentists and specialists such as endodontists, work together with patients to preserve and protect natural teeth. Take your next steps today toward better dental hygiene by scheduling an appointment with your dentist for an office visit.
Call the Phoenix Endodontic Group to resolve dental conditions requiring a root canal, or for emergency repair of injured teeth. For more information, call our office at 602-242-4745 to schedule a consultation.
by Dr. Jacqueline S. Allen | Sep 4, 2024 | Dental Implants
If you have failing or missing teeth, you may be investigating dental implants as a possible solution. While root canals can often save natural teeth, sometimes teeth are beyond saving, and retaining a full mouth of teeth is essential for maintaining your natural bite, as well as your natural smile.
Dental implants can be a great investment for many patients. Their long-term success rate is above 90 percent, and nine out of 10 patients say they are happy with the end result. Getting the most out of your implants begins with preparing for your procedure properly. We’ve assembled a list of key tips to get you started on your road to implant success.
6 Tips To Aid Dental Implant Recovery And Post-Recovery Success
- Learn about how dental implants will change your life. It doesn’t hurt to have a little motivation going into your implant surgery! Implants can give you back your full smile and help you erase issues with chewing and speaking clearly. They can also help combat bone loss in your jaw.
- Be aware of any health conditions that could impact your recovery. The dental professional who performs the dental implant will do a thorough exam beforehand. They will address conditions such as diabetes in terms of implant success, as well as dental issues such as bruxism (teeth grinding). They will also discuss your options for addressing the impact of tobacco use on implant success, since smoking reduces bone density and slows wound healing.
- Understand the dental implant process timeline. Being clear about how long the process of placing your implant will take ensures you can take the right steps to focus on your recovery. Your dentist will let you know if you will receive your implant through a “teeth in one day” (one-step) process, or if you will require multiple steps (and appointments) before your implant is complete. They will also discuss whether you need preliminary procedures before the implant, such as bone augmentation, to make sure the implant integrates properly into your jaw.
- Prepare for your initial appointment properly. Some of the steps taken before your dental implant appointment may seem familiar if you’ve had another type of surgery. You’ll receive instructions on things like when to stop smoking before surgery, when to limit food and liquid intake, and any medications you will need to take ahead of the procedure. Follow your dentist’s directions closely, and ask questions if you have concerns.
- Know what to expect immediately after dental implant surgery. You’ll want to take it easy for the first three days after your implant surgery. Your dentist may send you home with pain relievers and antibiotics – if they do, take them as prescribed. It’s normal to experience some minor bruising and bleeding, and for you to feel pain around the implant site, but contact your dentist if these don’t subside quickly. You’ll need to follow a soft-foods diet until your gums heal.
- Develop a self-care routine to ensure dental implant success. You will need to care for your dental implants like natural teeth. That means brushing twice a day, flossing daily, and visiting your dentist regularly. Checkups allow your dental professional to see how the implant is impacting your other teeth and gums and provide suggestions to help you keep your dental implants for a lifetime.
“The recovery period after dental implant surgery is one of the most critical phases of the process,” says Dr. Jacqueline S. Allen, who practices with the Phoenix Endodontic Group. “Our team can walk patients through each step, so you feel confident before, during, and after the procedure.”
by Dr. Jacqueline S. Allen | Aug 1, 2024 | Dental Implants, Root Canal
More than 25 million root canal treatments are performed each year in the United States – that’s an average of more than 68,000 every day. Yet myths persist about root canal treatments, decades after they have become a common dental treatment. Nearly 15 percent of Americans put off needed dental care due to fears and anxiety, so it’s important to address misconceptions about root canals. Here are the facts to set to rest five of the most harmful and persistent myths about root canal treatments.
Busting 5 Common Myths About Root Canal Treatments
- Root canal treatments hurt. Today’s root canal treatments are delivered using modern local anesthetics or light to moderate sedation, and employing cutting-edge technology such as GentleWave to ensure a thorough and complete cleaning of the infected tooth roots. On top of that, endodontists are experts in pain management, so they work carefully to minimize any discomfort during or after the procedure.
- Having a root canal will make me sick. This myth, based on poorly conducted, long-debunked research done nearly a century ago, is particularly troublesome. The infection in your failing natural tooth will not “travel” anywhere else in your body. Nor will the root canal treatment itself give you cancer. In fact, recent research indicates that patients with multiple endodontic treatments had a greatly reduced risk of head and neck cancers.
- It’s better to extract a tooth than have a root canal. Tooth extraction is rarely an endodontist’s top recommendation. Missing teeth cause lifelong oral health challenges, and artificial replacements such as implants or bridges require more time and preparation to provide, as well as more investment, compared to a root canal.
- I’m not experiencing (X symptom), so I don’t need a root canal. While symptoms such as pain with a quick onset, tenderness to pressure on the tooth, or swelling of the surrounding tissues are common indications you need root canal treatment, absence of these symptoms does not rule out the need for one. Endodontists look for clinical signs that may not be obvious to you, but which give a more accurate picture of what’s going on inside your tooth.
- After my root canal treatment, I don’t need to do anything else. Natural teeth saved by a root canal can last a lifetime with proper care. A dental crown placed on top of a tooth after receiving a root canal treatment is a critical part of proper care. The crown provides stability and enhanced protection from tooth decay or infections due to a cracked or broken tooth. This step is not optional. In fact, your endodontist may follow up to ensure you’ve had a crown placed within a few weeks of your root canal.
Get The Facts About Your Situation – Make An Appointment Today
Learn more about the advantages of the root canal treatment process at the Phoenix Endodontic Group. Our staff is happy to conduct a detailed examination and review what you need to do to save your natural tooth. Call 602-242-4745 today to schedule an appointment.
