An endodontist is a dentist who spends most of their time treating issues that primarily affect a tooth’s pulp chamber. These oral professionals spend most of their time performing root canals, a procedure used to save teeth that have been severely decayed or damaged.
An endodontist can help to address oral issues like decay, damage to teeth structures, and infection. They have additional training on diagnosing and treating problems that affect the pulp chamber.
Root canals are one of the most feared treatments dentists provide, but there is nothing to fear. Patients do not experience significant pain or discomfort during the treatment since they are injected with a local anesthetic at the start of the treatment.
The root canal procedure or endodontic therapy is performed to clean out the soft tissues in the pulp chamber. The pulp of a permanent tooth is no longer needed once it has fully erupted since it can get all the nutrients it needs from the blood vessels of surrounding teeth. It can be used to address tooth pain caused by severe damage or decay to a tooth. It prevents and treats infections.
Endodontists spend up to three additional years after dental school learning how to diagnose and treat issues that cause toothaches. Some of the issues they might recommend root canal therapy for include:
The process starts with the endodontist evaluating the patient to determine if a root canal is needed. Mild to moderate damage to a tooth usually does not require endodontic therapy since it can be fixed with treatments like fillings, composite bonding, and crowns.
The endodontist will assess the severity of the damage to the patient’s teeth by performing a visual examination, probing, and using diagnostic tests like x-rays.
Once it has been determined that a root canal is the proper treatment for the patient’s problem, a local anesthetic will be injected near the tooth being treated to numb the area. A dental drill will be used to make a hole through the tooth, giving the dentist access to the soft tissues in the pulp chamber.
Dental files are then used to extract the nerve and blood vessels in the pulp chamber. Medication might be pushed into the tooth to combat any infection there. Gutta-percha is used to seal up the tooth to prevent acids and bacteria from getting into it. The tooth can then be covered with a crown or rebuilt with composite bonding.
By the time the procedure is completed, any pain the patient had before the treatment should be gone. They might experience some mild soreness for the next few days while their teeth recover from the treatment.
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