by Dr. Jacqueline S. Allen | Jul 20, 2023 | Blog
When you have an infected or injured tooth, your first priority is to stop the pain right-now-immediately-this-instant. Or possibly yesterday. If your dentist has recommended that you see an endodontist to have a root canal to repair your tooth, you may wonder why. If the dentist could do it, why is it better to see an endodontist?
Endodontists – who are dental specialists focused on saving your natural teeth – are the providers-of-choice to perform root canals. There are a host of reasons, but here are some advantages endodontists hold over general dentists when it comes to who’s better prepared to provide root canal treatment.
Endodontists Are Your Best Choice For Root Canal Therapy
1. Endodontists have extra training. After four years of dental school, endodontists complete an additional two years training, including practicing skills in a residency program, to receive their clinical certificate in endodontic dental medicine.
2. Endodontists have access to and experience with the latest technologies. Part of endodontic training focuses on using 3-D imaging technology, digital radiographs, dental operating microscopes, and other tools that make cleaning the tiny canals in your tooth roots easier.
3. Endodontists have more experience performing root canals. General dentists perform an average of two root canals per week. Endodontists perform an average of 25 root canals per week. That adds up to a lot more root canals!
4. Endodontists can handle unusual, complex, or challenging root canals. If the tooth that needs treatment has a complex root system, is strategically necessary to complete other dental work, or has other challenges outside the norm, an endodontist is the one to call. Chances are, they’ve seen a similar situation and been able to formulate an effective treatment plan.
5. Endodontists have other treatment options to preserve your natural teeth. If your root canal treatment is ultimately unsuccessful, an endodontist can provide a retreatment or an apicoectomy (treating the canals from the root-side of the tooth) to save the tooth.
6. Endodontists are specialists in pain management. Before, during, and after the root canal, your endodontist can provide suggestions and prescribe medication to relieve any minimal discomfort you may experience.
“Only three percent of all dentists become endodontists,” says Dr. Jacqueline S. Allen, who practices with the Phoenix Endodontics Group. “Our specialty training allows us to provide expert care for your root canal. Schedule your consultation today.”
by Dr. Jacqueline S. Allen | Jun 19, 2023 | Blog, Endodontics, Endodontist, Root Canal
Time is precious. That’s why, even when a natural tooth needs saving through a root canal procedure, we typically want to know how much time we’ll need to commit to the endodontist. Depending on the condition of your tooth, which tooth is getting the root canal, and a host of other factors, the amount of time needed for the root canal can vary considerably.
Here’s a brief look at some things that can impact the time required for your root canal – including care before and after the procedure itself.
Factors That Impact How Long A Root Canal Procedure Takes
1. The preliminary examination before your root canal procedure. This appointment is needed to confirm the diagnosis and help your endodontist plan your treatment.
2. You may need antibiotic treatment before your treatment. If your tooth is badly infected, you’ll need to complete a course of antibiotics before your root canal. This can delay your appointment or make the treatment itself more complicated.
3. Before the root canal itself, your endodontist will prepare your tooth. Before the actual cleaning of the tooth roots, your endodontist will have the area around the impacted tooth numbed with local anesthesia. Then a dental dam – a small sheet of latex or another material – will be placed to isolate the tooth and keep the area clean.
4. Root canal treatment itself can take anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes. This includes cleaning the root canals, flushing them with a disinfecting agent, and placing a temporary filling. Teeth with multiple roots may take longer.
5. After the root canal treatment, you’ll need to schedule a follow-up appointment to place a permanent restoration. To provide extra protection from reinfection or additional damage, a crown is the necessary final step in the root canal process. It’s important to get a crown placed quickly to protect against new infection and ensure the root canal treatment succeeds.
“At our practice, we understand our patients have busy lives, so we provide an estimate of how long their root canal should take, from start to finish,” says Dr. Jacqueline S. Allen, who practices at the Phoenix Endodontic Group. “We welcome questions about our time estimates and any additional steps they may want to take at home before or after the procedure.”
by Dr. Jacqueline S. Allen | May 10, 2023 | Blog, Endodontics, Endodontist, Save Your Tooth Month
Recent years have brought amazing advances in dental care. Veneers, crowns, and even dental implants are available to restore or replace many functions of natural teeth. Perhaps the most important advances of all relate to saving natural teeth, allowing you to use them for your entire lifetime.
The American Association of Endodontists (AAE) designates May as its “Worth Saving” public awareness month. This awareness campaign highlights the role that endodontists, who are highly trained dental specialists, play in saving natural teeth through root canal treatments and other techniques.
Reasons Natural Teeth Are Worth Saving
Given the replacement or restoration options dental professionals have when a natural tooth is compromised by decay or injury, why do endodontists work so hard to save your teeth?
1. Most people want to save their natural teeth. In a survey sponsored by AAE, 95 percent of respondents said it is important to save their natural teeth. In fact, nearly a quarter of Millennials (born 1980-1996) said saving their natural teeth is their top concern about saving or restoring their body.
2. Natural teeth have benefits that artificial restorations cannot mimic. Natural teeth have connections to the gum tissue around them through the periodontal ligament and an epithelial attachment. These connections help teeth adapt to changes when chewing or talking and also help sustain gum health. Dental implants lack these connections.
3. Treatments to save teeth are less invasive. A root canal treatment has less impact on your mouth than an extraction or implant. Your post-procedure pain and recovery time is also lessened.
4. Root canal treatments are often overall less costly. Teeth extraction by itself is not expensive, but implants can cost thousands, even if only one or a few teeth need replacement.
5. Treatments to save natural teeth are more cost effective. A 2009 British study determined that for a tooth that could be saved with a root canal treatment or a re-treatment of a previous root canal, the lifetime costs of endodontic treatment were equal or less than replacing it with an implant.
“Our natural teeth are designed to last a lifetime, and they can last a lifetime, with proper care and the assistance of endodontists if a tooth is badly infected or injured,” says Dr. Jacqueline S. Allen, who practices with the Phoenix Endodontic Group. “Our staff welcomes you to discuss your case with us. We’re happy to help you experience the benefits of saving your natural teeth.”
by Dr. Jacqueline S. Allen | Apr 25, 2023 | Blog, Root Canal
Few dental procedures are the subject of as much misinformation as root canals. The procedure has existed for hundreds of years. However, advances in medical knowledge and endodontic technology have continually refined how root canals are performed, as well as how effective they are.
If you have an infected or damaged tooth, and your dentist has recommended you get a root canal, you should carefully read the most up-to-date information available. Here are five timely fast facts related to root canals to help you understand what’s involved in the process and how it works.
5 Important Things To Know About Root Canals
1. Root canals treat tooth pulp that has become infected. The procedure is named for the canals in your tooth, which are filled with dental pulp containing nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissue. Dental pulp keeps your teeth alive.
2. Successful root canals can preserve natural teeth for a lifetime. Root canal treatment saves your teeth from extraction. The endodontist cleans the tooth canals and removes the infected dental pulp. Biocompatible material such as gutta-percha replaces infected pulp and the tooth receives a crown to protect it from further damage.
3. Endodontists specialize in performing root canals. Endodontics is a specialty field within dentistry. Endodontists have two to three extra years of training in methods for preserving natural teeth. Additionally, endodontists typically perform an average of 25 root canals a week, while a general dentist performs far fewer.
4. Root canals relieve pain rather than causing it. Modern root canals bear little resemblance to the procedures of even your parents’ or grandparents’ day. Patients overall report a significant decrease in pain after their root canal.
5. Root canal treatments have become far less invasive. Gentlewave technology, for example, is an exciting recent development in endodontics using fluid dynamics and special irrigating fluid to clean tooth canals more efficiently. This minimally invasive approach to root canal treatments results in even less postoperative pain than a traditional root canal.
“Patients who come to our practice are often very surprised how effective modern root canals can be in stopping tooth pain – and greatly relieved,” says Dr. Jacqueline S. Allen, who practices with the Phoenix Endodontic Group. “We are happy to speak with anyone about needing a root canal before they come in, so they can feel relaxed and confident.”
by Dr. Jacqueline S. Allen | Mar 21, 2023 | Blog, Endodontics, Endodontist, Phoenix Endodontic Group, Root Canal
Pain sends many patients to the dentist. This is certainly the case when it comes to patients who need root canals. However, not feeling pain does not mean you don’t need a root canal.
Root canals are an endodontic technique to preserve natural teeth that have irreversible pulpitis, an infection of the nerve pulp of a tooth not able to be treated successfully. This condition can result from severe decay or an injury to the tooth. Often there is pain, but not always.
Here are a few important reasons to look beyond pain to discover whether your tooth needs a root canal treatment.
Looking Beyond Pain – Root Canal Treatment
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Your endodontist is looking for infection as the cause of your troubles, not pain. Inflammation in the tooth’s nerve pulp is the cause the endodontist is looking for. Pain can accompany inflammation, but it is not a reliable guide to diagnosis.
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Pain is only one symptom of needing a root canal. Other symptoms include teeth that are sensitive to heat or cold, swelling of the face or gums, or teeth that become gray or discolored.
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Your infection may be draining, perhaps temporarily reducing pain, but also pouring foul toxins into your mouth. A pimple on the gum, called a fistula, or other types of pus drainage from the tooth are also symptoms of pulpitis. These conditions may temporarily reduce your pain, but the tooth will still need treatment: a root canal.
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Pain associated with inflamed nerve pulp can be inconsistent. If your dentist puts you on an antibiotic to deal with an infected tooth, your pain may be relieved. Your pain may go away on its own, but this might be because the nerves in your tooth have died – not because the tooth is healthy again. Some patients who require root canals report “positional pain,” pain that emerges only when they sit up, lay down, or run in place.
“Determining whether a patient needs a root canal can be complex, and pain is only one factor considered in an evaluation,” says Dr. Jacqueline S. Allen, who practices with the Phoenix Endodontic Group. “Regular checkups with your general dentist and referrals to endodontic specialists as needed are the most reliable way to know if your natural teeth need a root canal to save them.”
