Endodontists are dentists who specialize in maintaining teeth through endodontic therapy -- procedures, involving the soft inner tissue of the teeth, called the pulp.  The word "endodontic" comes from "endo" meaning inside and "odont" meaning tooth.  Like many medical terms, it's Greek.  All dentists are trained in diagnosis and endodontic therapy, however, some teeth can be especially difficult to diagnose and treat.  That’s why you may have been referred to an endodontic specialist.

In addition to dental school, endodontists receive two or more years of advanced education in this kind of treatment. They study root canal techniques and procedures in greater depth, for diagnosis and treatment of more difficult cases. For this reason, many dentists choose to refer their patients to endodontists.

To begin, a local anesthetic will be given.  We will then place a rubber dam or "barrier" around the tooth to isolate it.  This step is crucial as it aids in keeping your tooth clean and dry during treatment.  The treatment consists of three or four basic steps, however the number of visits will depend on your particular case.  In some instances medicament may be placed in the canals of your tooth to aid in making sure all bacteria is removed in areas that our files are not able to reach.

It is more important to treat you in the very best way that we can to ensure a higher success rate than to meet a specific time criteria.  Let's look at the basic steps for nonsurgical endodontic therapy.

There are, of course, no guarantees of treatment being fully successful.  However, root canal therapy has a very high degree of success, up to 90%!  We will discuss with you the prognosis of your individual case to help you make an informed decision.  If a root canal or endodontic therapy is unsuccessful or fails you still have options.

Oral pain such as toothaches or cracked / fractured teeth can often be difficult to pinpoint.  Because of the vast network of nerves in the mouth, the pain of a damaged or diseased tooth often is felt in another tooth and/or in the head, neck, or ear. An endodontist is a specialist in diagnosing and treating this type of pain.

Pulp damage is sometimes caused by a blow to the mouth, and the endodontist specializes in treating these traumatic injuries. For example, a blow to a child's permanent tooth that is not fully developed can cause the root to stop growing. A procedure called apexification stimulates bone to be deposited at the end of the root which makes it possible to then save the tooth through a root canal procedure. An endodontist is specially trained in procedures for replanting teeth that have been knocked out of their sockets.

Once endodontic therapy is completed your tooth should be examined periodically, usually every 6 - 12 months.  This allows us to make sure the tooth has healed or is healing properly.  Our office will call you when we feel it is appropriate to re-evaluate the area.  Since an abscess may take 2 years to heal, our office may call you to schedule a "recall" to continue to monitor the tooth for at least 2 years.

Occasionally, a tooth that has undergone endodontic treatment fails to heal, or pain continues, despite therapy. Although rare, sometimes a tooth initially responds to root canal therapy but becomes painful or diseased months or years later. When either of these situations occur, the tooth often can be maintained with a second endodontic treatment.