Root Canal

February 22, 2021 By Dr. Susan Wood Leave a Comment

Are You Awake During a Root Canal?

While more and more Americans are becoming aware of the benefits of preserving natural teeth, you may still find yourself with a number of questions and no little anxiety when a root canal is the suggested option for saving a diseased or damaged tooth. Root canals can be an intricate procedure, depending on the extent of the damage to the tooth. Occasionally, sedation is called for. However, most of the time, patients are awake during the procedure and fully aware of each step the endodontist is taking. Each case is different, though, so let’s look at the issue a little more broadly.

How Endodontists Manage Pain And Patient Awareness During Root Canals

For most root canals, local anesthesia is used to numb the area around the affected tooth. This is a necessary step because your endodontist will be removing pulp and nerve fibers from your tooth. You will likely be fully awake during the entire procedure. Your mouth, including your lips, may feel numb for several hours after the procedure, so it is important to be careful if you eat or drink before full feeling returns to the numbed area. Be sure to follow your endodontist’s guidelines for eating and drinking, though.
For patients with dental anxiety or dental phobia, some level of sedation may be necessary for the root canal to be a success. Sedation can range from minimal (just to take the edge off your jitters) to deep (where you may be barely conscious, but able to be awakened). It can be delivered by inhalation, orally, or intravenously. General anesthesia – during which you are completely unconscious – is rarely used for root canals and requires special training to safely administer.

Dr. Susan L. Wood, of the Phoenix Endodontic Group, encourages patients to discuss questions related to wakefulness and anxiety with their endodontist during the planning stages of their root canal. “In our practice, we make sure all our patients are fully informed and arrive ready for their root canal,” she says. “We can discuss your individual needs prior to beginning the procedure and offer solutions that will help you feel comfortable, safe, and pain-free.”

December 21, 2020 By Dr. Susan Wood Leave a Comment

5 Top Root Canal Questions – Answered

It’s crucial to have accurate information when considering a root canal. A qualified general dentist or endodontist can offer up-to-date knowledge about how root canals work and why you might need one.

Here are five common root canal questions received at the Phoenix Endodontic Group.

5 Top Root Canal Questions – Answered.

What symptoms indicate a root canal may be needed? Natural teeth that are candidates for root canals have typically been damaged by decay or infection, or suffered structural damage to the tooth. Symptoms that may call for a root canal include: a severe toothache when you chew or apply pressure to the affected tooth; prolonged sensitivity to hot or cold; a recurring pimple on the gums near the tooth; discoloration of the tooth; swelling or tenderness in adjacent gum tissue.
Will a root canal hurt? Today’s root canal procedures typically relieve pain created by infection or damage to the nerves inside the tooth pulp, rather than causing pain. Additionally, endodontists receive special training in pain management, so even post-operative discomfort is typically minimal.
Is a root canal a better option than having my tooth pulled? The answer to this question depends on the overall health of your tooth, the gums surrounding it, and whether other natural teeth are suffering advanced decay or infection. One noteworthy advantage to retaining your natural teeth is a reduced chance of bone loss in your jaw. Such loss can lead to a host of negative consequences.
What happens during a root canal? Here is a brief overview of how a root canal is performed: First, your endodontist will take X-rays. Then, they will numb the area with a local anesthetic and place a dental dam over the tooth to protect it from bacteria. Next, the practitioner will drill an access hole in the crown of the tooth. The pulp chamber and roots of the tooth will be thoroughly cleaned, shaped with special tools, then filled with a biocompatible material. Once complete, the endodontist covers the opening with a temporary filling. Weeks later, the final step in the procedure takes place: placing a crown, permanently sealing the access hole.
Does it take a long time to recover after a root canal? Most patients experience some mild tenderness in the area of the root canal for a few days. This is usually managed with over-the-counter or prescription pain relievers. This discomfort should disappear within a week. If you experience severe pain, significant swelling, or if your temporary filling falls out, contact your endodontist as soon as possible so they can examine the tooth.

“It’s normal to be apprehensive if you have never had a root canal before,” says Dr. Susan L. Wood, who practices with the Phoenix Endodontic Group. “Our office is always happy to answer your questions about root canals and provide you with a more comprehensive view of the procedure.”

October 12, 2020 By Dr. Susan Wood Leave a Comment

Does A Root Canal Kill The Tooth?

Many dental patients know that root canals can save natural teeth but may wonder what actually happens inside the tooth with the procedure. Of course, there are many benefits to retaining your natural teeth whenever possible. The root canal treatment procedure replaces the living nerve pulp of your tooth with an inert biocompatible material, usually gutta-percha. Here’s a quick look at how root canals impact your natural tooth and allow them to remain a part of your smile.

How A Root Canal Affects Your Tooth

The root or nerve pulp. This is the part of a tooth’s anatomy most impacted by a root canal. Typically, a root canal is called for if the tooth nerve has died or if the pulp is badly infected. During a root canal, the nerve pulp is removed with special tools and the canals themselves are flushed with material to treat the infection, so it does not return.
The dentin. This layer of calcified tissue supports the top layer of enamel in a natural tooth. Dentin is produced by nerve pulp, so once the pulp is replaced with gutta-percha, dentin will no longer be produced in that tooth, which may make your teeth more brittle.
The enamel. This hard outer layer of your natural tooth protects the internal parts of your tooth. It can be compromised by tooth decay or dental injuries (cracked or broken teeth), allowing bacteria to invade your nerve pulp chamber. A root canal stops this process, because not only does it remove the infected nerve pulp, the finishing restoration – a crown – fits like a “cap” over the tooth enamel, protecting it from additional damage or bacterial intrusion.
The periodontal ligament. Sometimes a tooth is damaged because it is pushed out of position, threatening the periodontal ligament, which attaches our natural tooth to the jaw. In this case, a root canal can prevent further damage to the tooth, allowing it to be splinted in place to encourage the periodontal ligament to reattach and preventing infection issues inside the tooth.

While root canals do not “kill” natural teeth, removing and replacing the nerve pulp makes the tooth more brittle. Your endodontist will determine if you need additional restorations beyond a crown to ensure your tooth has sufficient support to function normally.

“Root canals do change how your natural teeth function, but they allow the other structures that are part of your teeth and gums to return to health, supporting your overall oral wellbeing,” says Dr. Susan L. Wood, who practices with the Phoenix Endodontic Group. “Our practice is always happy to explain precisely how endodontic treatment can help preserve your natural teeth.”

August 23, 2020 By Dr. Susan Wood Leave a Comment

Questions to Ask Your Endodontist Before Root Canal Treatment

Root canal treatments are highly effective in saving injured or infected natural teeth. They are typically not lengthy procedures, but most laypeople are not clear on what’s involved in a root canal or what to look for when selecting a practitioner. If your regular dentist has recommended an endodontist perform your root canal, you will want to be fully informed and feel confident about your treatment. Here are some questions to help you prepare.

What To Ask Your Endodontist Before A Root Canal Treatment

What kind of equipment is used for root canals? Endodontists typically perform the procedure far more frequently than a general dentist, so they also have specialized equipment that make the process easier and faster. This equipment can also help better resolve unexpected challenges that may present themselves during the treatment.
Do I need to take antibiotics before my root canal treatment? If you have certain types of systemic health issues, including a past history of infective endocarditis, your endodontist may prescribe antibiotic prophylaxis to ensure that you are protected should any oral bacteria enter the bloodstream. If you have an abscess, antibiotics may also be called for. Discuss your entire health history with your endodontist when your root canal is in the planning stages.
How many visits will my root canal take? Most root canal treatments are done in a single session, but occasionally you will need to return for a second appointment to finish the procedure. If that’s the case, your endodontist will place a temporary filling to protect your tooth until the treatment is finished.
How soon should I make my root canal appointment? Your regular dentist may have already communicated some of your symptoms to the endodontist, and this may give them a rough idea of how soon you need to be treated. However, some symptoms of a serious tooth injury are only apparent after a thorough clinical examination by a specialist; even if you think your symptoms aren’t bothersome, you should make an endodontic appointment as soon as one is available.
What should I do if I experience pain after my root canal? Your endodontist should provide you with a pain management plan for the first few days after your treatment, when some discomfort is normal. This may include information on using cold packs or pain-reducing medication. If you experience moderate or severe pain after the third day following your procedure, call your endodontist to see if they would like you to come back in for a recheck.

“Endodontists welcome questions from patients before, during, and after a root canal treatment,” says Dr. Susan L. Wood, who practices with the Phoenix Endodontic Group. “We want you to understand your case fully, and we will provide you all the information you need to be comfortable and confident about your procedure.”

June 24, 2020 By Dr. Susan Wood Leave a Comment

Can Every Tooth Be Saved With Root Canal Therapy?

Root canals are often the treatment of choice when you develop a serious infection involving your natural tooth’s pulp, or if your tooth has been chipped, cracked, or otherwise damaged. However, while root canals have a high success rate and a high patient satisfaction rate, not every root canal ends up being a permanent solution.

The factors that initially bring a patient to the endodontist influence whether their tooth can be saved by a root canal. Here is a short list of conditions that can make saving a tooth with a root canal treatment more challenging.

Factors That Can Interfere With Saving Natural Teeth With Root Canals

Teeth with long or unusually curved roots. Endodontists use special tools and seal the roots. If a patient’s canals are hard to clean, it may be less likely that the treatment will be permanently successful.
A crack in the tooth root. Even though teeth treated with a root canal are protected above the gum line with a restoration such as a crown, if the root itself develops a crack, infection can re-enter the tooth.
Advanced periodontal disease. Your gums play an integral role in your oral health and if you have severe or recurrent gum disease, saving your natural tooth through a root canal is far less likely to be successful.
Previous root canal treatment of the tooth. There are ways to treat a tooth if the original root canal fails, such as a retreatment or an apicoectomy. However, the success rates for additional procedures are not as high as for a first-time root canal treatment.

“Although root canal treatment often provides a lifelong solution for a damaged or infected natural tooth, it isn’t the best choice for every patient,” says Dr. Susan L. Wood, an endodontist who practices with the Phoenix Endodontic Group. “Our staff can perform a thorough examination and advise you on your best treatment options.”

March 31, 2020 By Dr. Susan Wood Leave a Comment

Which is Better – Root Canal or Extraction?

A damaged or infected tooth needs to be assessed by a dental professional as soon as possible. Endodontists are dental professionals who specialize in saving natural teeth through root canal treatments and other procedures. However, even with today’s technology, the most skilled of endodontists cannot save every tooth. There are times when the best course of action is simply to have a failing tooth removed.

Situations In Which A Root Canal Is Better

The symptoms of a damaged tooth are recognized early. If you notice severe pain while chewing, a pimple on your gum, tender gums, lasting sensitivity to hot or cold foods, or certain other symptoms that indicate your tooth’s pulp is infected, schedule an appointment with your dentist or endodontist immediately. The sooner your tooth can be examined, the more likely it is your natural tooth can be saved.
Your tooth’s structure is still strong. Root canals remove the nerve pulp inside your tooth’s roots and replace them with a biocompatible material. A crown is placed over the treated tooth to provide it with additional support. This treatment can be effective long-term 95 percent of the time, but if your tooth’s structure has been eroded by decay or injury, it is much less likely to be successful.
Your tooth roots are relatively easy to clean. The success of a root canal hinges largely on how well your endodontist can remove infection from your tooth roots before sealing the canals. If you have long or unusually shaped root canals, this may be difficult.

When Extraction Is Better

Your dental professional may recommend a tooth extraction if any of the following are true:

The tooth is badly decayed
The tooth has suffered a severe fracture
The tooth isn’t supported well by the surrounding gum tissue due to periodontal disease
The tooth has received a root canal treatment or retreatment and is still failing

“Your endodontist can determine whether an extraction and tooth replacement or a root canal is the better option for your natural tooth,” says Dr. Susan L. Wood, who practices with the Phoenix Endodontic Group. “Both treatments are effective in restoring your mouth’s function and appearance.”

February 10, 2020 By Dr. Jacqueline S. Allen Leave a Comment

Dr. Jacqueline Allen Now Offers Minimally Invasive Laser Dental Endodontic Treatment

Dr. Jacqueline Allen is qualified to utilize the minimally invasive Waterlase™ to treat dental conditions with less discomfort to the patient and in some cases use less to no anesthetic. Dr. Allen completed the advanced endodontics continuing education with Dr. William Chen, at the Chen Laser Institute. The course provided in depth training for laser-assisted endodontics to help meet many of the toughest clinical challenges and techniques on single and multiple root canal therapy using the laser, among other advanced endodontic techniques.

Waterlase Dentistry uses laser energy and a gentle spray of water to perform a wide range of dental procedures — without the heat, vibration, and pressure associated with the dental drill, and in many cases without the blood of a traditional scalpel. Dr. Jacqueline Allen offers Waterlase™ treatments to patients who would prefer to receive the latest laser treatment as an alternative to more traditional oral surgery methods.

Those who suffer from anxiety due to past dental experiences or fear of needles are more likely to feel calm and relaxed when receiving treatment with the gentle Waterlase™ system, with many patients reporting no or less pain, and many cases of fewer shots. Laser-based dental care has also been shown to cause less swelling and bleeding at the treatment site. Patients have been shown to recover more quickly, with faster healing, with the use of Waterlase, making dental care a much more convenient and pleasant experience.

Patients who are interested in making an appointment with an endodontist in Phoenix, AZ., who utilizes laser technology to treat oral problems are invited to schedule an appointment with Dr. Allen’s office at their convenience. To learn more about this cutting-edge dentistry technology visit biolase.com.

January 22, 2020 By Dr. Susan Wood Leave a Comment

Why Do Root Canals Take 2 Visits?

Root canal treatments can make it possible to save natural teeth in which the nerves and blood vessels comprising the dental pulp have been damaged by injury or infection. While more and more Americans are seeing root canals as the treatment of choice for saving teeth, many potential root canal patients still have questions about the procedure and how it actually works.

Most root canals will require at least two visits. The exact number of visits to complete the procedure and ensure its success depends on your situation and its complications. Here’s a brief overview of what may happen during each step of the process.

Why Root Canals Require Multiple Visits

First Visit: Your endodontist will take X-rays to examine the state of the tooth. They will numb the area around the tooth with a local anesthetic. A dental dam will be placed to keep the tooth dry and free of salvia. Next, they will drill an access hole in the biting surface of the tooth to access the pulp. The remainder of the first visit typically focuses on cleaning the canals with special tools. These tools scrape pulp and infected materials away from the canal walls. Periodically during the procedure, the endodontist will flush the canals with a cleansing solution to remove debris.

Many endodontists wait up to a week to finish the root canal. If your tooth was infected, they may treat you with medication. Before you leave, they will place a temporary filling to keep out contaminants. Their office will also confirm your next appointment.

Second Visit: During the second visit, the endodontist fills the canals being treated with a biocompatible material, usually gutta-percha. The access hole that was created is covered with a permanent filling.

Later Visits: Sometimes, you will need to schedule additional appointments if the tooth requiring treatment has an active infection at the time of your first visit, or if you have a condition such as temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder. Also, if your tooth sustained structural damage from the infection, decay, or injury that led to the need for a root canal, your endodontist may recommend scheduling a separate appointment with your regular dentist to place a crown on the tooth for additional protection.

“Root canals can take two or more steps to complete, but following through on all the steps increases the chances that your root canal will preserve your natural tooth for a lifetime,” says Dr. Susan L. Wood, who practices with the Phoenix Endodontic Group. “If you have an injured tooth, call us today to see if a root canal can help.”

November 20, 2019 By Dr. Susan Wood Leave a Comment

What Happens If You Don’t Get a Root Canal?

Although fewer Americans fear root canals than in previous generations, anxiety about the procedure can still be significant enough for many with an infected or damaged tooth to put off visiting an endodontist to be evaluated. They may hope that their symptoms go away on their own, or that home remedies will help them avoid a root canal.

Unfortunately, if your tooth’s pulp has been compromised, it is unlikely putting off a root canal will improve the situation. In fact, the reverse is actually true: the sooner you visit your endodontist, the more quickly your symptoms and the risk to your oral health will subside.

The Bad News: What Happens If You Don’t Get A Root Canal

The following are potential outcomes if you ignore symptoms that indicate a root canal is needed, which can include a pimple on your gumline, a discolored tooth, pain when chewing with the affected tooth, and prolonged sensitivity to hot and cold foods.

Your tooth pain will continue and probably get worse. If infection has reached your tooth’s pulp, which contains nerve fibers, that awful ache will not disappear on its own.
The infection in your tooth could spread and cause a health emergency. Untreated dental infections in the roots of your teeth can cause abscesses and also spread throughout the body, including into the brain in rare cases.
The nerves in your tooth could die, making it harder to know what’s happening inside your tooth. Yes, the pain might go away if you put off treatment long enough, but what has likely happened is that the nerves inside the impacted tooth are dead, while the infection is still there, even if you cannot feel it.
You could reach a point where extracting the tooth is your only option. Endodontists can frequently save natural teeth with a root canal, even ones with extensive damage or infection, but some teeth become too structurally fragile to save. Extraction will remove the immediate source of your problem, but it creates new problems. Other teeth can shift to fill the space in your mouth, and chewing and speaking can become more difficult without restorations such as bridges, dentures or implants.

“The good news for patients with symptoms indicating they may need a root canal is that the procedure is safer, easier and more effective than ever,” says Dr. Susan L. Wood, who practices with the Phoenix Endodontic Group. “Don’t hesitate to call our office for a consultation so we can treat your tooth as soon as possible.”

September 20, 2019 By Dr. Susan Wood Leave a Comment

Do Root Canals Cause Health Problems?

Millions of root canals are performed successfully each year. However, concern persists in some circles that instead of relieving a health problem – an infected or injured tooth – root canals cause illness. While there is no evidence to support this idea, rumors of the “dangers of root canal therapy” continue.

The American Association of Endodontists and other dental professionals are frequently asked by patients about the safety of root canals. Practitioners are happy to explain the root canal process and why root canals are the treatment of choice for preserving your natural teeth.

Root Canals And Health Problems: The Facts

The primary research cited linking root canals to health problems is nearly a century old. Weston Price hypothesized in the early 1900s that bacteria trapped in a tooth treated by root canal caused diseases ranging from arthritis to heart disease. Needless to say, research methods and theories of disease causation were less advanced then; even studies conducted as early as the 1930s and 1940s indicated that there was no relationship between having a root canal and contracting a disease.
Current research findings reinforce that root canals neither cause nor are correlated with other health challenges. In fact, a 2013 study in a publication by the American Medical Association noted that not only did root canals not cause cancer of any type, patients who had undergone multiple endodontic treatments had a 45 percent reduction in their cancer risk.
Modern root canal treatment is safe and effective. With success rates of more than 90 percent, root canals have become reliable procedures for saving natural teeth. Digital imaging tools, advances in canal cleaning instruments, and the emergence of powerful disinfectants have all contributed to the ability of endodontists to save even seriously compromised natural teeth.

“There is a huge body of evidence demonstrating root canals are not associated with other health problems,” says Dr. Susan L. Wood, who practices with the Phoenix Endodontic Group. “Your peace of mind is a top concern to us, of course, and we are happy to discuss why root canals are the best option for most people to save their natural teeth.”