Endodontic Treatment at H.H. Hancock III Root Canal Endodontist
What Is Endodontic Treatment?
The endodontist uses root canal therapy (also called endodontic therapy or root canal treatment) to remove the infected pulp from a tooth to prevent further tooth decay. It often means the difference between a patient being able to keep their tooth and needing to have it extracted.
Protecting Your Overall Health
Endodontic treatment focuses on saving your teeth. Dr. Hancock always recommends that, if possible, we save a patient’s tooth rather than extracting it and replacing it with an implant. Not only are root canals less costly than implants, but root canals do not have the risk of bone loss that can occur with a dental implant.
Your Raleigh Endodontist Can Save Your Tooth
The popular idea of root canal treatment is that it is horribly painful, but modern root canal therapy doesn’t cause pain, it eliminates it! Beyond that, it saves the affected tooth from dangerous infection so that it doesn’t have to be extracted.
Everyone’s goal when it comes to dental care is to always be able to keep their teeth healthy enough that they never need root canal therapy, but infection and cavities happen to the best of us. Whether through a genetic vulnerability to tooth decay, an injury, or insufficient brushing and flossing, sometimes a cavity penetrates through the enamel and dentin into the pulp chamber, where bacteria infects and inflames the pulp.
An infected tooth may present no symptoms at all or may lead to temperature sensitivity or even terrible dental pain. In time, however, pain may vanish as the infection kills the tooth. The bacteria can spread down into the gum tissue and jaw bone through the opening at the root tip. This leads to terribly painful dental abscesses that can even be life-threatening if the bacteria reach the bloodstream.
The Root Canal Treatment Process
What root canal therapy does is get rid of the infected and necrotic pulp tissue while preserving the structure of the tooth, all while the patient is under anesthesia. The endodontist first makes an opening at the top of the tooth to access the root canals. The next step is to carefully remove the diseased pulp and debris, then reshape the root canals and disinfect the pulp spaces.
In order to keep any bacteria from contaminating the root canals, the endodontist seals them off with a rubber-like filling material that is moldable when heated or compacted but solidifies at body temperature. This material is excellent for making custom seals so the root canals don’t become contaminated.
The Post-Root Canal Therapy Tooth
After the procedure, the oral tissues around the tooth can start to heal. We place a temporary restoration for the healing period, but eventually, that will be replaced with the permanent filling or crown. At that point, you’ll be able to keep using the tooth! It’s a much better option than false teeth or implants. There are no artificial substitutes that do a better job than our natural teeth.
Dr. Hancock Has The Experience To Save Your Tooth
Dr. Hancock specializes in root canals and all other root canal-related therapies. This allows him to perfect the techniques used in saving your teeth and increases the success rate of such treatments. For more information on endodontic treatment, please see root canal therapy.
If you have questions about root canal therapy please give us a call at +1(919)781-9905 or send us an email. We look forward to seeing you at our practice. If you want to learn more about our practice, check out our business page, and make sure to get directions before you head our way!