Endodontics -"Root Canals"
A root canal is one of the most common dental procedures performed, well over 14 million every year. This simple treatment can save your natural teeth and prevent the need of dental implants or bridges. Call to schedule an appointment today.
At the center of your tooth is pulp. Pulp is a collection of blood vessels that helps to build the surrounding tooth. Infection of the pulp can be caused by trauma to the tooth, deep decay, cracks, and chips, or repeated dental procedures. Symptoms of the infection can be identified as visible injury or swelling of the tooth, sensitivity to temperature or pain in the tooth and gums. If you experience any of these symptoms, Dr. Martinez will most likely recommend non-surgical treatment to eliminate the diseased pulp. This injured pulp is removed and the root canal system is thoroughly cleaned and sealed. This therapy usually involves local anesthesia and may be completed in one or more visits depending on the treatment required. Success for this type of treatment occurs in about 95% of cases.
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Endodontic Re-treatment
With the appropriate care, your teeth that have had endodontic treatment will last as long as other natural teeth. Yet, a tooth that has received treatment may fail to heal or pain may continue to exist. Sometimes, the pain may occur months or years after treatment. If so, Endodontic Re-treatment may be needed.
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Improper healing may be caused by:
-Curved or narrow canals were not treated during the initial treatment.
-Complicated canals went undetected during the initial treatment.
-The crown or restoration was not placed within the appropriate amount of time following the procedure.
-The crown or restoration did not prevent saliva from contaminating the inside of the tooth.
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In some cases, new problems can influence a tooth that was successfully treated:
-New decay can expose a root canal filling material, causing infection.
-A cracked or loose filling or crown can expose the tooth to new infection.
Once re-treatment has been selected as a solution to your problem, Dr. Martinez will reopen your tooth to gain access to the root canal filling material. This restorative material will be removed to enable access to the root canal . Dr. Martinez will clean your canals and carefully examine the inside of the problematic tooth. Once cleaned, Dr. Martinez will fill and seal the canals and place a temporary filling in the tooth. A new crown or restoration will be placed on the tooth to restore full functionality.
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Call to schedule an appointment today
559-733-4478.
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