An endodontist is a dentist with two extra years of specialized training focused on diagnosing and treating pulp issues. The term “pulp” refers to the blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissues housed inside a tooth’s pulp chamber.
Endodontists spend most of their time performing root canal therapy. Also called endodontic therapy, the procedure is used to save severely cracked, decayed, or damaged teeth. Damage to a tooth typically requires root canal treatment when it reaches the pulp chamber.
The pulp chamber is the innermost layer of the tooth, and it is protected by two layers: the dentin and enamel. Damage that only affects the enamel or dentin typically does not require the tooth to get a root canal.
Root canal treatment involves removing the soft tissues in a tooth. A tooth’s nerves and blood vessels are not essential once it has fully developed. A tooth can get all the nutrients that it needs from surrounding blood vessels. Removing the pulp protects the tooth against infection, and it stops any pain being caused by internal tissue damage. Common symptoms that indicate that a person needs root canal therapy include:
At times, a person might have interior tissue damage without any symptoms. In such cases, X-rays are used to examine the tooth’s internal structures.
Root canals have a bad reputation, but there is nothing to be worried about. Local anesthetics are typically used during the treatment, numbing the area being worked on. Most patients do not feel significant pain during the procedure, and the pain that brought them to the dentist is typically gone by the time that the anesthetic wears off. Here is what a root canal procedure looks like:
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A root canal enables you to avoid having to extract a tooth and replace it with an oral prosthetic. It can also treat terrible toothaches.
Are you noticing any of the symptoms discussed here? Give us a call or drop by our Fullerton clinic to set up an appointment with our endodontist.
Request an appointment or call Saman Malkami DMD at 714-459-8002 for an appointment in our Fullerton office.
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