If you’ve received a referral to a Phoenix endodontist, you know that your general dentist wants your oral health issues to be assessed by a specialist. While the extra training and experience that an endodontist receives can reassure you that your teeth are receiving the best care possible, it also can be helpful to understand precisely how endodontists do their work. Here’s a brief look at how your Phoenix endodontist will work to save your smile and preserve your natural teeth whenever possible.
How Phoenix Endodontists Can Save Your Smile
An endodontist can save teeth impacted by decay with several different procedures.You’ve probably heard about root canals and know that endodontists perform them to save natural teeth compromised by decay and/or infection. However, they also can perform a retreatment if a tooth treated by root canal shows signs of the infection returning; or they can treat a compromised tooth with an apicoectomy when infections persist in the bony area around the root of the tooth.
An endodontist can save teeth injured by trauma. Many patients are aware that root canal treatments are done by Phoenix endodontists when a tooth has become infected or suffers from decay; fewer are aware that endodontists are frequently recommended as the specialist to see when a natural tooth is cracked, chipped or even knocked out of one’s mouth! Damaged natural teeth often suffer disruption to their root canals, which opens up the possibility of the tooth pulp becoming infected. Endodontic treatment can ensure the tooth will be healthy enough to remain in the mouth.
An endodontist can save teeth with the use of cutting-edge technology. One of the reasons endodontists have become so successful in saving natural teeth is because improvements in materials and instruments used in endodontic treatments have revolutionized the field over the past 30 years. Today, endodontists are reviewing the use of lasers for more effective disinfection, computed tomography imaging (CBCT) to get a 3-D view of a patient’s tooth, and other technologies to make treatment of your natural teeth faster, safer, less painful and more effective than ever.
“Your Phoenix endodontist is an important ally in keeping your smile healthy and whole,” says Dr. Jacqueline S. Allen, who practices with the Phoenix Endodontic Group. “Our specialty has many ways to help you preserve your natural teeth for a lifetime!”