No matter how permanent something seems in our lives, the element of change is always in play. Telephones have evolved from a device affixed to a wall that had us shouting into a large funnel to send our voice across the wires, into today’s “smartphones” that are basically tiny computers that fit in our pockets. We’ve transformed exercise gyms from places with vibrating motor-driven belts that jiggled our waists and thighs to slick suites offering Bikram “hot” yoga and Pilates.
Root canals – one of the key procedures used by endodontists to save weakened or infected natural teeth – have also evolved. The American Association of Endodontists showcase this progression during Root Canal Awareness Week, which this year will be observed from March 27 to April 2. The week casts a spotlight on how the root canal procedure has changed over the years and why endodontists are the best equipped providers to perform it.
Facts About Root Canals and Endodontists
- More than 15 million root canals are performed each year in the United States.
- Eighty-nine percent of patients who receive root canals from endodontists say that they are satisfied with the results they received.
- As root canal specialists, endodontists receive two to three extra years of training beyond dental school, and typically perform 25 root canals per week, compared to an average of less than two root canals performed each week by general dentists.
- Endodontists have the following advantages when they perform a root canal procedure: access to advanced equipment, knowledge of microsurgical techniques, and a professional focus on saving natural teeth and diagnosing and treating tooth pain.
“Family physicians turn to medical specialists, such as cardiologists and podiatrists, when their patients have serious health issues,” says Dr. Allen, an endodontist who practices with the Phoenix Endodontic Group. “General dentists turn to endodontists when your natural tooth needs to be treated with a root canal.”