When you have an infection in the interior of your tooth, or your smile suffers a traumatic injury or the loss of a tooth, you need dental care. More accurately, you may need endodontic treatment, such as root canal therapy. In today’s blog, your Londonderry, NH, dentist looks at our endodontic treatment options and how we use these to stop discomfort and keep your smile whole.
When to Schedule a Visit
When should you contact our team for treatment? Since we specialize in addressing infected teeth, we often have patients referred to our office by other general dentists. But you could see us when your tooth begins to hurt. Persistent pain and sensitivity in a tooth, or pain in the face or jaw, could mean severe decay or an infection, and treatment is crucial for avoiding worsening pain or the loss of a tooth. The tooth could even require extraction to prevent the spread of infection to other parts of the smile! Our team will examine your smile with digital technology, so we can pinpoint the exact position of the infection and assess the severity, planning treatment with precision. We know the idea of a root canal or possibly surgery could be anxiety inducing, but we take time to administer anesthesia and sedation to ensure our patients feel relaxed and comfortable throughout the process!
Root Canal Therapy
A root canal is a common way to treat most infected teeth. For example, our team will open the tooth so we can access and remove the infected tissues from within. Once we do, we will clean the interior of the tooth and add a special restorative filling. The last step is to cap the tooth with a dental crown, which protects the remaining structure and prevents the risk of reinfection or discomfort. This will be shaded to blend with your smile and offer a balanced bite too!
Retreatment
Sometimes, we see people who had a root canal done months or years before at another practice, but have since developed discomfort in the tooth. This could happen when a root canal is done incorrectly or the interior of the tooth is contaminated, which allows an infection to occur again. With retreatment, we will essentially remove the crown and redo the process, before we again cap the tooth with a crown. This can stop discomfort and help safeguard the stability of your smile, offering relief once again.
Root Canal Surgery
When the infection occurs at the tip of the root, a traditional root canal treatment may not be the best option. Instead, we could use a root-end resection, also known as apicoectomy, to open the gums at the site of the root canal tip. We then open the tip of the root to remove the infected tissues. We clean the interior and cap the tooth. Finally, we suture the area closed. We will remove sutures at a future visit. The surgery can take on more complicated cases of infection, so you can enjoy relief from discomfort and avoid the risk of losing a tooth.
Traumatic Dental Injuries
When you sustain a serious fracture to your tooth, or major breakage, this could expose the sensitive interior of the tooth to harmful bacteria. Placing a crown simply isn’t enough to safeguard your smile. Instead, we need to treat the interior of the tooth and prepare it for a crown. Our team can take on complicated and traumatic dental injuries, so we can return your smile to optimal health, function, and beauty once again.
Dental Implants
What if a tooth is so damaged it must be extracted? If you lose a tooth to severe infection or injury, we can discuss replacement with dental implants. These are inserted into the jawbone and act as new roots, stimulating jawbone growth and allowing your new tooth to stay in place for decades to come. We again cap the implant with a crown to ensure your new tooth looks and acts like a natural one. We can address a single lost tooth or use multiple posts to support a prosthetic, such as bridge or denture.
If you have any questions about root canal therapy, then contact our team today to learn more. We want to help you maintain a whole, healthy, and beautiful smile, so give us a call soon!
Schedule An Appointment and Keep Your Smile Whole!
We would like to help protect your smile from tooth loss due to an untreated infection. You can schedule an appointment with the team at My Dentist in Londonderry, NH, today by calling 603-965-3407.
