Endodontic treatment enables us to address issues with the interior of your tooth, such as infection, or to repair damaged teeth that a simple crown cannot address. From root canal therapy to retreatment and even surgery, we can take on serious cases of infection to prevent tooth loss. In today’s blog, your Londonderry, NH, dentist talks about our treatments for infected or injured teeth!
Dental Infection
A dental infection occurs in the inside of the tooth, and means that the inner pulp has encountered harmful bacteria. This could be due to an untreated cavity or a serious injury to the tooth, or if you had a restorative treatment down at a different practice and the root canal has subsequently failed. The pulp controls the flow of blood and nutrients to and from your tooth, and helps keep it healthy and functional. Which means infection not only causes discomfort, but could lead to the loss of your tooth! When you begin to experience toothaches or sensitivity that doesn’t pass after a day or two, or pain when you eat, swelling, or a discharge from the tooth, let us know. Don’t ignore facial or jaw pain either. The sooner the infection is treated, the sooner you enjoy relief from discomfort.
Damaged Teeth
When a tooth is severely damaged or has a fracture that moves beneath the gum line, then you need care beyond the placement of a simple crown. With endodontic treatment, we can repair the tooth structure beneath the gum line and also remove the infected tissues within the tooth. We then cap the tooth with a restoration to keep your smile whole and healthy.
Planning Your Treatment
When you see us for treatment, we will start by taking detailed digital images of your teeth, including digital x-rays and CT scanning technology, so we can view the interior with detail and assess the presence and severity of the infection. From there, we can plan treatment to help stop the infection and protect the tooth. Every smile is unique, and we always take a personalized approach to endodontics, so you can receive treatment that restores your smile and stops discomfort, while also improving your bite balance and smile stability.
Root Canal Treatment
In many cases, we will treat the infected tooth with a root canal procedure. Essentially, we will numb the tooth and if you have anxiety, we can discuss sedation options. We will open the tooth and remove all the tissues from within. Our team then cleans the interior of the tooth and the root canals thoroughly. A special restorative filling is added to the inside of the tooth and we will cap it with a custom-made crown. The crown is designed to not only look natural, but provide durable repair that can handle daily bite forces and pressures with ease. The procedure takes one visit, and often people find the process similar to receiving a dental filling. A safe, gentle, and effective way to repair a tooth and preserve your smile.
Retreatment
As we touched on above, sometimes a tooth becomes infected and is treated with a root canal, but the treatment fails. This can enable further decay or infection to arise, which causes discomfort and again, the risk of losing the tooth. But our team offers retreatment, in which we can redo the previous treatment and prevent the loss of your tooth or the need for extraction, you can keep your smile whole and avoid the onset of serious discomfort. When a tooth hurts and days pass without relief, this means you need immediate attention and endodontic care could be necessary to stop the pain and prevent tooth loss.
Surgery
Sometimes, the infection occurs at the tip of one of the tooth roots. When this occurs, we may need to offer more than a traditional root canal procedure to help. With endodontic surgery, known as an apicectomy, our team can open the gums near the tip of the root and then treat the area directly, adding a special filling to cap the tip and stop inflammation and infection. This helps treat the area with precision, and we plan the procedure with advanced imaging technology.
If you have any questions about our approach to endodontic treatment, or if you think your aching tooth needs a root canal or retreatment, then contact our team today to learn more.
Schedule A Visit With Dr. Karimipour to Address Your Infected Tooth
We have treatments to help you avoid tooth loss and major discomfort. Talk to our team about treating serious discomfort in your tooth by calling My Dentist in Londonderry, NH at (603)965-3407!
