If you have an aching tooth, this is not something you should ignore. The pain should tell you that something is wrong with your pulp. The pulp is the feeling center of your tooth and should be removed if infected. Since the dental issue will not go away by itself, it is essential to visit the Encino Dentist immediately. We will not only remove the pulp but also clean the tooth's interior hence boosting your elegant smile.

Introduction to Endodontic Services

Endodontic services is a specialty in the dentistry field which handles the tissues surrounding your tooth's root and pulp. It focuses on the prevention, treatment, and diagnosis of injuries and diseases of these tissues. One of the most performed endodontic procedures is the root canal.

The pulp is the part of your tooth that houses nerves, lymph, and blood vessels. Sometimes the pulp can be injured or diseased hence not in a position to repair itself. As a result, your pulp dies, and you will be required to undergo endodontic treatment.

To know if your pulp is hurt or diseased, you will experience symptoms like:

  • Sensitivity to cold and hot foods and beverages
  • Pain while chewing or biting
  • Tooth loosening
  • Swelling of the gum near the injured tooth
  • Facial swelling
  • Oozing of pus surrounding the affected tooth
  • Unprovoked pain

So What is the Right Time to See your Endodontist?

It is essential to take care of your tooth's pain and sensitivity to temperature as soon as possible. It will not only help you feel better but can also save the tooth. You can also return to your work the same day after the procedure.

However, you need to schedule an appointment with a specialist immediately if:

  • You have swelling around your face, gums, or teeth, or
  • Have been involved in an accident.

Delaying the tooth's treatment may complicate the case as well as reduce the possibility of saving the tooth.

Different Endodontic Treatments and Procedures

You cannot take your motor vehicle to a garage for repair without understanding the issue and how it can be fixed. It is even sensible to understand the different available treatment options when it comes to something you use daily to eat like your teeth. There are several repair options available today. Therefore, it is essential to weigh the options and know how they can impact your lifestyle and dental health.

Any reliable endodontist will answer your questions as well as guide you to sources, where you can learn more about dental solutions. Discussed below are the most common endodontic procedures:

Root Canal

A root canal is a treatment used to repair and save a tooth that is severely infected or decayed. The procedure involves removing your pulp and nerves, cleaning the inside of your tooth, and then sealing it.

When your pulp is damaged, it breaks down, and bacteria start multiplying within your pulp. Decayed debris and bacteria can lead to an abscessed tooth or infection. An abscess is a pocket filled with pus that forms at the tooth root's end. It happens when infection extends beyond the roots.

The procedure requires a few visits to your endodontist.

Step One

The initial step involves taking an x-ray that will show the root canal's shape. It will also help tell if there are signs of infections around the surrounding bone.

The dental specialist will also use local anesthesia to numb the surrounding area. Although anesthesia is not necessary (your nerve is already dead), your endodontist will use it to make you feel at ease and relaxed.

Step Two

Next, the dentist will keep the affected area free from saliva and dry by placing a rubber dam around your tooth. Then a hole will be drilled in the tooth, removing the pulp, rotting nerve tissue, debris, and bacteria. The process is achieved through root canal files. Several files are placed in the hole and put down the tooth's full length to scrub all sides of your root canals. Sodium hypochlorite or water is used periodically to remove the debris.

Step Three

Once your tooth is clean, it will be sealed. The endodontist could wait for one week before sealing it, particularly if it has an infection. The dentist will put medicine in your tooth to clear the infection up.  Your endodontist may also decide to seal your tooth the day it's cleaned.

If your root canal isn't finished on the same day, a temporary filling is placed into the tooth's exterior hole. The filing keeps out contaminants such as foods and saliva between your appointments.

During the second appointment, the access hole is filled using a gutta-percha that is placed in the root canal, whereas the access hole's exterior is filled with a filling.

Step Four

This step involves the restoration of your tooth. Often a tooth that requires a root canal has extensive decay, a large filling, or weakness. Therefore, a crown and post or crown should be placed. Restoration prevents and protects the tooth from breaking as well as restores its function. Moreover, it is not evident that you underwent the procedure.

The treatment has a success rate of above ninety-five percent.

Is a Root Canal Procedure Painful?

Most patients fear that this treatment will be painful. However, the procedure ought to be relatively painless if conducted by an experienced endodontist. The pain you experience does not come with the treatment but the infection.  Instead, treatment assists alleviate pain.

Your dentist will relieve the treatment's discomfort by numbing your tooth and the neighboring tissues with anesthesia. You can alleviate the tenderness experienced after the procedure using pain medication. Your dentist could also prescribe antibiotics to prevent or treat an infection.

Dental Implants

A dental implant is a surgery that replaces missing and damaged teeth with an artificial tooth, which functions and looks like a natural tooth. It uses metallic screw-like posts.

How the procedure is performed depends primarily on the condition of the jaw bone and the type of implant. The procedure involves numerous stages.

The implant offers robust support for the new tooth. The process needs the bone to heal so that it can heal tightly around the implant. As a result, the bone healing process requires months to heal.

You may be the right candidate for a dental implant if you:

  • Your jawbone has reached full growth
  • Have at least one missing tooth
  • Have healthy dental tissues
  • Do not smoke
  • Want to enhance your speech
  • Do not have medical conditions which will affect healing
  • Enough bone to place the implant

If the jawbone is extremely soft or not thick enough, you may require bone grafting before undergoing a dental implant. It is because the chewing action exerts a lot of pressure on the bone. And in case it cannot support your implant, the procedure will fail.

There are numerous bone graft materials. It could be a synthetic bone graft or a natural bone graft from another body's location. Ensure you discuss with your dentist about the option that suits you best.

  1. Placing your Dental Implant

To install the implant, the specialist will cut open the gum exposing your bone. Then a hole is drilled in the bone where your implant post will be positioned. Because the post will act as the root, it is implanted into your bone.

  1. Bone Growth

After the post is installed in the bone, osseointegration starts where your jawbone grows and unites with the implant's surface. The process offers a firm foundation for your artificial tooth.

  1. Placing Your Abutment

Once osseointegration is done, you will undergo an abutment procedure. To place your abutment, the endodontist will reopen the gums exposing the implant, attach the abutment to the implant, and then close the tissue around.

After placing the abutment, the gums should take two (2) weeks before your artificial tooth is attached.

  1. Selecting the Artificial Tooth

The next step involves taking impressions of your teeth. The impressions are used to make the crown. The crown can be either fixed or removable.

A removable crown looks like a denture. It has artificial white teeth with pink plastic gums. It is mounted on the metal frame attached to the abutment, and it holds firmly in place. You can remove them with ease for cleaning or repair.

A fixed crown, on the other hand, is an artificial tooth that is permanently cemented or screwed onto your abutment.  You cannot remove your tooth while going to bed or for cleaning.

  1. After the Dental Implant

You are likely to experience typical discomforts related to the procedure like pain at the surgical site, gums and skin bruising, gums and face swelling, and minor bleeding. As a result, you will require antibiotics or pain medication. If the discomfort or swelling gets worse, contact your endodontist.

Also, you should consume soft foods as the implant site heals.

Usually, your oral specialist will use self-dissolving stitches. If the stitches are not dissolving on their own, the doctor should remove them.

Endodontic Retreatment

Did you undergo a root canal procedure with the hope that the pain will go away for good, only to find the same tooth bothering you later? Maybe the nerve did not heal as anticipated. The discomfort you feel could be a signal that you need endodontic retreatment. According to the American Association of Endodontics, you may require endodontic retreatment if your previously treated tooth:

  • Has a fracture or crack
  • Has an infection resulting from decay or damaged filling or crown exposing the tooth to bacteria
  • Restricted or oddly shaped root canals which weren't detected and treated initially
  • The restoration didn't stop salivary contamination in the tooth

What Takes Place During the Endodontic Retreatment Procedure

During your first consultation, your endodontist will discuss the available treatment options. If you settle on retreatment, the specialist will reopen the tooth to access the root canal filling material. That means the restorative material will be removed.

The next step involves cleaning the canal and examining the interior of the tooth using illumination and magnification. The specialist will also look for unusual anatomy or additional canals that need treatment.

Then the canals will be filled and sealed. If your canals are blocked or unusually narrow, the endodontist could recommend endodontic surgery.

Finally, you will require restoration like a crown placed on your tooth. It will restore the tooth to its function as well as protect it.

Endodontic Surgery

If a non-surgical root canal cannot save your tooth, your endodontist could suggest endodontic surgery. The procedure is instrumental in:

  • Finding a hidden canal or tiny fractures formerly undetected by x-rays in your initial treatment
  • Treating damaged surrounding bone or root surface
  • Removing calcium deposits in the canals that makes the canal extremely narrow for the tools used in non-surgical root canal procedure to reach the root end

Common types of endodontic surgery include:

  • Intentional replantation- Your tooth is extracted, treated using the endodontic procedure, and finally returned to its socket.
  • Apicoectomy- The dental expert opens the gum tissue surrounding the tooth. This allows the endodontist to remove the infected tissue and see the underlying bone. The root is also removed. A filling could be placed in the root to seal the canal's end. Also, a couple of sutures or stitches are placed in your gingiva to assist the tissue heal.

Just like any procedure, you will feel experience swelling or discomfort after the procedure. The dentist will recommend the right medication to reduce the discomfort. You will also be given post-operative instructions to follow. If you experience pain that doesn't respond to medication or have questions, consult your doctor immediately.

One of the advantages of this procedure is the fact that you can return to your daily routine activities of work the following day. An experienced doctor should be able to discuss the expected recovery time with you.

Find an Experienced Endodontist Near Me

When you feel a lot of pain on your tooth with no apparent reason, and your dentist has discovered that the tooth cannot heal, it could be time to seek endodontic treatment. The treatment will save your natural tooth as well as help you return to your daily life without tooth pain. You can get the endodontic procedure done quickly at Encino Dentist. To learn more about the endodontic procedures discussed above or our practice, contact us at 818-650-0429.