Root canal treatment is a very common dental procedure, with over 15 million performed every year in the United States. The success rate of root canal therapy is over 90%, and can allow patients to maintain their natural tooth, preventing the need for an implant or bridge to replace it.
What is it?
Inside of each tooth is a series of canals where pulp tissue exists. Pulp tissue is made up of a collection of blood vessels, nerves, and other soft tissue. When the pulp tissue becomes effected from trauma or decay, it can become irreversibly inflamed and eventually die, potentially leading to pain and infection.
To alleviate signs and symptoms of pain relating to the pulp, inflamed and dead pulp tissue is removed from the inside of the tooth before the root canals are thoroughly disinfected. Once the root canal system has been cleaned, is it filled and sealed, and a temporary filling is placed on the top of the tooth. With a temporary filling in place, your dentist can now restore the tooth in the most appropriate way. To avoid contamination of the root canal system from bacteria and saliva, it is strongly recommended to see your dentist within 2-4 weeks of completing root canal treatment.
What is recovery like?
Following routine root canal therapy, you will be able to drive home after your treatment, and likely can return to your normal routine. Some patients experience some minor soreness for a few days following root canal therapy, but this can often be managed with ibuprofen or acetaminophen.
02 Root Canal Therapy
Following root canal treatment, most teeth heal uneventfully and regain normal function. There are some instances, however, where pain or infection can persist following root canal treatment. Depending on the suspected cause of this lack of healing or recurrence of prior infection, retreating the root canal system might be required.
Why would I need retreatment?
Reasons why healing may have been unsuccessful could include complex root canal anatomy that could not successfully be addressed during the first root canal treatment, hidden canals that were not detected during root canal treatment, or contamination from saliva occurred. With contamination from saliva, this often occurs due to a final restoration not being placed within a timely fashion following the root canal treatment.
In some cases, root canal treatment can heal successfully, but infection can return. This is typically the case when a new cavity on the tooth allows for bacteria to contaminate the canal system.
How does it work?
If root canal retreatment is determined to be the appropriate treatment option, the original root canal filling material is removed. Once the canal system has been cleaned of canal filling material, it is thoroughly disinfected and re-filled and sealed. A temporary restoration is placed in the top of the tooth, and a final restoration can be placed by your dentist.
03 Root Canal Retreatment
Why would I need Microsurgery?
Most teeth requiring root canal treatment do not require surgical intervention. However, in some circumstances microsurgery is required following or in addition to root canal treatment. This is typically the case when certain aspects of the canal system cannot be readily addressed by root canal therapy, or if infection persists following root canal therapy. In some cases, endodontic microsurgery is required to evaluate a tooth for fractures or other conditions that might not be visible on x-ray or during clinical examination.
What is an Apicoectomy?
A common microsurgical procedure in endodontics, Apicoectomy is highly successful in addressing persistent infection in root canal treated teeth. This procedure is minimally invasive, and is completed using a high magnification operating microscope. Typically, the very end of the tooth root is removed along with infected tissue before the root canal is backfilled. Once the root end has been treated, the site is sutured. Despite falling under the category of ‘surgery’, post-operative complications or pain are uncommon, and patients are generally able to manage discomfort with ibuprofen and acetaminophen.
04 Endodontic Microsurgery
What is it?
The GentleWave® Procedure, an innovative alternative to standard root canal treatment. It presents a major advancement that helps us achieve our goal to effectively clean a tooth’s entire root canal system, no matter how complex.
The GentleWave® System delivers a broad range of sound waves within the complex anatomy found within the tooth, in concert with continuous irrigation.
In a matter of minutes, this procedure results in complete cleaning and disinfecting of the entire network of canals. The incredible effectiveness of this system also allows us to conserve more tooth structure than ever before.
We are very proud to offer this level of care to our patients. We are always evaluating technological advancements and incorporating them into our practice when we believe that doing so will help us provide a higher level of care than previously possible and help us save more teeth for more of our patients. Franklin Endodontics is fully certified in the use of the GentleWave® System and will gladly answer any questions you may have about this exciting new technology.
01 GentleWave Procedure
Why would someone need a Bone graft?
Over a period of time, the jawbone associated with missing teeth atrophies is reabsorbed. This often leaves a condition in which there is poor quality and quantity of bone suitable for placement of dental implants. In these situations, most patients are not candidates for placement of dental implants.With bone grafting, we now have the opportunity to not only replace bone where it is missing, but also the ability to promote new bone growth in that location
Bone grafting can repair sites with inadequate bone structure due to previous extractions, gum disease or injuries. The bone is either obtained from a tissue bank or your own bone is taken from the jaw, hip or tibia (below the knee). Sinus bone grafts are also performed to replace bone in the posterior upper jaw. In addition, special membranes may be utilized that dissolve under the gum and protect the bone graft and encourage bone regeneration.
05 Bone Grafting
There are several ways in which teeth can become traumatized. In some instances, a portion of the tooth might fracture, while in others a change in the position of a tooth might occur. Depending on the severity of the trauma, root canal treatment may be required in addition to repositioning or stabilizing the tooth.
In situations where the tooth is completely knocked out of the mouth, immediate treatment is vital for the survival of the tooth. If possible, place the tooth back into the socket while avoiding touching the root of the tooth (it is best to hold the tooth by the white) and bite onto a handkerchief to maintain its position. While it is okay to rinse the tooth briefly if it is dirty, soaking the tooth in water should be strongly avoided. In the event the tooth cannot be placed back into the socket, store the tooth in milk or saline solution and seek emergency dental treatment immediately.
Injuries in children
When a young tooth is damaged by decay or trauma, attempts to allow for its continued development are always a priority. Successfully ensuring the continued development is strongly dependent on addressing trauma and pulpal damage quickly.