Are you one of millions of Americans facing tooth loss? Many people today lose a tooth (or teeth) to decay, accident, or injury. Many more are lost due to periodontal disease (gum disease), which affects nearly 50% of Americans over age 30 and nearly 70% of those over age 65. Dental implants can offer a long-lasting, comfortable, realistic-appearing tooth substitute for one or more natural teeth. Here are some important points to consider when weighing whether dental implants are a solution of choice for you.
What Are The Advantages Of A Dental Implant?
There’s no further damage caused to remaining teeth. Bridges and partial dentures both work by using remaining natural teeth as anchor points. Over time, this perpetual stress weakens the anchor teeth, which can lead painfully to further tooth loss and replacement.
Dental implants are in place for good, permanently. Partial or full dentures must be removed and cleaned daily with a special solution. Poorly-fitted dentures can slip, making eating and talking awkward and embarrassing. Dental implants, with proper care, can be expected to last 20 years, comfortably, non-slip!
Dental implants help fight bone loss. When you lose teeth, loss of bone in the jaw follows not long behind. Dental implants bond with the jawbone, helping to preserve and prolong its integrity, which in turn helps your jawbone maintain the natural contour of your face. Neither bridges nor dentures combat bone loss in the jaw, essentially allowing your face to inevitably develop that “caved-in” look.
Dental implants provide a realistic-looking replacement for missing or severely damaged teeth, allowing you to recover your ability to move confidently through life with a beautiful, natural smile.
Dental implants are not automatically the best choice for everyone. Some patients, for example, may need bone grafting to make dental implants an option. Other patients, especially those needing replacement of entire arches of teeth, may be put off by cost, although technology is making dental implants more affordable every day.
Your dentist or endodontist can help you determine whether dental implants might be right for you. If you have severely damaged or missing teeth, “Call us now,” encourages Dr. Jacqueline S. Allen of the Phoenix Endodontic Group. “Make it a holiday gift to yourself to come in and see how we can help restore your smile with dental implants!”
It seems that our schedules continue to get busier these days and are full of activities that need to be accomplished, particularly this time of year. If you are dealing with the challenge of an infected or injured tooth, you may wonder if you really have to schedule a dental appointment to place a permanent crown over a tooth that’s been treated with a root canal. There’s so much else to do!
You may ask,“Can’t I wait until early next year to schedule my crown appointment?” The short answer to that question is NO. Here are a few reasons why you should schedule your follow up appointment to receive your crown within one to three weeks after your root canal.
5 Reasons Why You Should Not Delay Getting A Crown After Root Canal Treatment
A longer wait means a longer period of being extra careful. Many of the instructions you receive after your root canal – especially the ones related to eating soft, bland foods – are designed to protect the temporary crown. If you wait longer to get a crown, you will have to continue that regimen.
Until a final restoration (crown) is placed, your tooth remains at risk of further damage. A root canal-treated tooth can be more brittle after the procedure, and a permanent crown is needed to prevent future damage.
Your tooth may suffer extra sensitivity without a crown. Some teeth treated by root canals can become more sensitive to heat or cold. Permanent crowns reduce this effect.
The longer you wait, the more likely you are to have the temporary crown fall out. Your temporary crown is not secured to your tooth in the same way a permanent crown is. If it falls off, the chances that you will experience increased pain or reinfection can skyrocket, as can cost. Such situations often result in unplanned emergency trips to the dentist.
A permanent crown gives your natural tooth the best shot at long-term survival. A study published in the May 2020 Journal of Endodontics reported that natural teeth treated with a permanent crown restoration have a survival rate of more than 90 percent over nine years. The extra layer of outer protection provided by the crown safeguards the interior protection offered by the root canal.
“Having a root canal is the first step to rescuing a compromised natural tooth,” says Dr. Allen, who practices with the Phoenix Endodontic Group. “Having a permanent crown placed over that tooth within one to three weeks ensures a much higher level of certainty that your tooth repair will last a lifetime.”
When you have a tooth that’s compromised by decay or injury, you need to move quickly to a treatment plan. You may also be suffering some significant pain, which can make it harder to think through your options.
It’s true that general dentists CAN do root canals, but often the best choice is to request a referral to an endodontist. Your general dentist probably has working relationships with several local endodontists, and they can suggest someone who is a good match for your scheduling and clinical needs.
Here are just a few of the many reasons why endodontists are the preferred provider for root canal treatments.
Why Should An Endodontist Do My Root Canal?
Endodontists receive several years of additional training. After graduating from dental school, endodontists receive two to three years of additional specialty training, treating diseases of the soft tissues of the teeth, including the nerve pulp.
Endodontists perform root canals more frequently than general dentists. The average general dentist performs fewer than two root canals a week; the average endodontist performs 25 per week. This means the endodontist will see a greater range of cases and have more experience in treating a variety of challenges that may emerge during the procedure.
Endodontists are trained to use leading-edge technology and microsurgical techniques. Advances in root canal treatment in recent decades have made the procedure successful in more than 90 percent of cases.
Endodontists frequently provide clinical consultations to general dentists on tough cases. General dentists, as noted earlier, often partner with nearby endodontists when they have patients who may need a root canal. This relationship means you can trust that the endodontic referral you receive was preceded by a clinical discussion of your specific needs and challenges.
“Root canals comprise most of an endodontist’s caseload – they are the most common treatment we deliver,” says Dr. Jacqueline S. Allen, who practices with the Phoenix Endodontic Group. “Patients can trust our years of specialized training, the techniques and equipment we have access to, as well as our relationships with local general dentists.”
Goodbye to a friend of Phoenix Endodontic Group. We were all very sad to hear the news that Carl Stewart, our friend and handyman recently passed away. Since 2007, we could always count on Carl for repairs, remodeling and anything that needed to be fixed. We considered Carl as a part of our “work family” – he attended many of our company events. He helped us out of jams many, many times in the last 14 years. Our condolences go out to his family and other friends.
If you’ve been referred to a Phoenix endodontist and have never seen one before, you might wonder what services they provide. Endodontics is recognized as an official specialty field for dentists by the American Dental Association. Endodontists attend two to three years of additional training after graduating from dental school. During their post-graduate training, they receive instruction in advanced microsurgical techniques and learn the latest in effective pain management methods.
Here’s a quick look at the types of procedures Phoenix Endodontic Group performs as part of their mission to save natural teeth whenever possible.
Procedures Performed By Phoenix Endodontists
Root canals and root canal retreatments. Root canals are frequently how patients first meet an endodontist. The procedure preserves natural teeth by cleaning infection out of a tooth’s root canal, and replacing the nerve pulp inside of a tooth with biocompatible material. A crown is placed over the treated tooth to protect it. Root canal retreatments can fix things that go wrong with an initial root canal, such as new decay entering the tooth or the tooth being further fractured.
Endodontic surgeries. Root canals, which are a non-surgical procedure, are typically very effective at treating a tooth threatened by infection or structural damage. Some cases require more intensive treatment. An apicoectomy is a surgery that treats damaged root surfaces or persistent infections in the bone surrounding the tooth. Recovery time for endodontic surgeries, just as for root canals, is usually brief. Postoperative discomfort is usually mild and easily remedied.
Dental trauma treatment. Your Phoenix endodontist can help save a damaged tooth, but you must act quickly. Regardless of the level of damage to a tooth – from a small chip or crack to a tooth that’s been knocked out of your mouth – you need a full examination of your teeth and gums to determine the next steps to be taken. An endodontist has equipment, dental training, and experience to preserve a damaged tooth; they can determine if a root canal or another procedure is the best one to protect and preserve the structure of your tooth.
Dental implants. More and more Phoenix endodontists are providing dental implant services for patients. The reasoning? All dentists receive training related to dental implants in dental school, with many endodontists receiving additional training in the placement of implants, as well. Endodontists are uniquely positioned to determine if a natural tooth can be saved. If a tooth cannot be saved, your endodontist can play a key role in the replacement of it.
“Phoenix Endodontic Group endodontists work closely with general dentists from across the Valley of the Sun to provide the best treatment results for all our patients,” says Dr. Allen of the Phoenix Endodontic Group. “Together, we can diagnose, collaborate, and treat dental challenges, so each patient experiences the most positive outcome for their case.”
This month, the entire country paused to reflect on the 20-year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks that shook us all in September 2001. What also occurred in September 2001 was Dr Jacqueline Allen opening her own endodontic specialty practice in Phoenix, AZ. Dr. Allen purchased the practice of Dr. Martin Goldman – his office was located at 19th Avenue & Tuckey Lane in Phoenix, AZ.
Over the years, Dr. Allen grew her business by acquiring the endodontic specialty offices of Dr. Charles L. Siroky and Dr. Joseph S. Dovgan. In 2014, Dr. Susan Wood joined the practice and we began using the trade name “Phoenix Endodontic Group.”
“Over the last 20 years, I have been blessed to work with some of the best dentists in the Phoenix area”, said Dr. Allen. “I am humbled by the confidence they place in me to take the very best care possible for their patients.”
For 20 years, the Phoenix Endodontic Group has been able to grow and prosper due to the hard work of all of the staff we have had on our team during this time. A special mention goes to Suzie Salas who since 2007 has been Dr. Allen’s main assistant. Additionally, since 2012, Kim Rowell has provided front office, administrative and PR support to our practice. It takes a team effort to be able to provide the best in class service we are known for.
Our patients are the reason we are here in the first place. Dr. Allen and her team are grateful for the opportunities we have had to meet and treat such wonderful people. “My life has been enriched by meeting, treating and getting to know some amazing individuals”, said Dr. Allen. “My patients mean the world to me.” One of the biggest compliments Dr. Allen receives is when a patient self-refers themselves to our practice because of the care they received (and remember) on a prior visit.
Dentistry as a profession has changed significantly over the last 20 years. Dr. Allen has made it a priority to always be on the technological cutting edge. Use of CBCT’s, dental lasers and a huge investment in Continuing Education has helped Dr. Allen provide care using the latest technologies to go along with her “patient first” philosophy and approach.
We do not normally take the time to celebrate milestones, but all of us at Phoenix Endodontic Group feel that a 20- year anniversary is very special. We want to thank everyone who has had a role in our success over the years: our staff, patients, and referring partners alike. We look forward to another 20 years of providing the best endodontic care that can be found anywhere.
