all things endodontic

more than you wanted to know about root canal treatment
  • Home
  • Dentists’ Resources
  • Patients’ Resources

Categories

  • About root canals
  • Dentists
  • Miscellaneous
  • Patients
  • Resources
  • Uncategorized
  • Videos

Tags

antibiotic anxiety anxiolytic concerns disinfectants gum disease infection irrigants primary teeth research retreatment root canal procedure rubber dam standards tooth decay tooth pain trauma

Endodontics Standard of Care

Posted by Tricia 
· July 7, 2015 

Our practice’s standard of care: We care for our patients in every sense of the word and want our root canal treatments to succeed. Period.

Endodontic standard of careResponsive scheduling – we keep two emergency appointments every day. We’re going to take care of you. If you’re hurting, we’ll see you that day or the next.

Considerate financing – we work with all insurance carriers, we’re in-network with Ameritas and BCBS, we accept Care Credit, and do all we can to help you afford the treatment you need to save your natural tooth.

Therapeutic focus – we go to all lengths to create a positive patient experience. We alleviate anxiety (through anxiolytics, on-site massage therapist, their choice of music, warm blanket, and more), achieve profound anesthesia, and control infection (whether that takes 1, 2 or even 3 visits). Since root canal treatment is about controlling infection, our treatment protocol is guided by the best research available. That means if there is active infection, success goes from 75% if treated in one visit to 96% if treated in two (or three) visits. Therefore, many of our treatments are multiple visits. This is always the case with retreatments.

Categories : Patients
Tags : anxiety, concerns, infection, standards

Smile Power Day

Posted by Tricia 
· June 15, 2015 

Smile Power Day

Categories : Miscellaneous

Tooth decay infographic

Posted by Tricia 
· April 15, 2015 

tooth decay infograpicThere’s an infographic for everything! This tooth decay infographic has information on how different foods impact tooth decay. There are bad guys and good guys listed so you know what foods will cause tooth decay and what foods don’t. And, don’t forget to drink water after eating (and drinking) just about anything. We keep a bowl of chocolate at our checkout desk. We figure you’ve earned it after a root canal treatment. It’s also an educational opportunity. It’s not necessarily the sugar you eat that’s the problem, it’s the sugar sitting on your teeth that cause decay. So, just rinse your mouth with water after eating and wash those sugar bugs away!

Categories : Patients
Tags : tooth decay

Gum disease and fertility

Posted by Tricia 
· April 30, 2012 

Speaking of gum disease…there’s a study that shows women with gum disease averaged 2 months longer to conceive than women with good oral health. It is also linked to an increase in the risk of miscarriage and premature birth. So, if you are planning to get pregnant, go to your dentist and make sure you take care of any oral health issues. And, floss!

Pregnant womanAnd, speaking of getting pregnant…even if you don’t have gum disease, go to your dentist and make sure you don’t need any treatment. It’s not uncommon for our office to have a patient who is pregnant and needing a root canal treatment. Unfortunately, during much of the pregnancy, we cannot give the really good anesthesia that numbs the nerve so we can’t do the root canal. Better to get everything checked and fixed before you get pregnant.

Categories : Patients
Tags : gum disease

Gum disease and heart disease

Posted by Tricia 
· April 16, 2012 

While there are  studies that link gum disease with heart disease, they’re not really clear on the relationship. One may cause the other. One may be a symptom of the other. But, the link is clear so if you have gum disease get it treated. If you have bleeding or sore gums, get ye to your dentist! Better yet, get regular checkups so your dentist can examine your gums for any signs of trouble while small (before it develops into a big problem that will cost a lot more to treat). If you have gum disease, it’s probably a good idea to go to your medical doctor and have them check for heart disease.

cup of green tea

There are plenty of resources for dietary guidelines for heart disease, but gum disease isn’t addressed so much. An Eating Well website article looks at the benefits of green tea for both heart disease and for gum disease.

Categories : Patients
Tags : gum disease

Post space and root canals

Posted by Tricia 
· December 12, 2011 

If you need a crown and there’s not enough tooth structure above the gum line, your dentist can use a post to hold the crown in place. If you need that, you’ll also need a root canal because the post will have to go into the canal. Usually, if you need a post, you would need a root canal anyway because the pulp was probably exposed by decay.

Here’s an article on wikipedia that explains about posts.

Categories : About root canals
Tags : root canal procedure

Do I really need a root canal treatment?

Posted by Tricia 
· October 21, 2011 

While there are other posts that get into the causes and reasons for needing a root canal treatment, here I want to address a common misperception. When someone is in excruciating pain, they understand the need for a root canal treatment. But, if they have just a little discomfort or no pain at all, they think they can put it off. Not true!

infectionWhatever the cause, you need a root canal because there’s an infection in your tooth. Infections are bad. You may not even notice it, but your body does. It’s expending energy trying to deal with that infection.

Eventually, one of two things will happen (or both). One, it will stay in your tooth and cause excruciating pain. The bacteria just keep multiplying but there’s no where to go. The pressure just keeps building until you get it treated.

Second, it goes outside the tooth. Initially, it will erode the bone. That’s typically what your dentist sees that prompts them to evaluate the need for a root canal treatment. You may also have pain and swelling in the gums. It could also get into your bloodstream and become a much more serious issue than a painful tooth.

Either way, you want to take care of that infection. And, since your nerve and blood vessels are either dead or dying, they can’t deliver an oral antibiotic inside the tooth. That leaves root canal treatment as your best way to get rid of the infection (the alternative is extracting the tooth).

But, you say, I took an antibiotic and I feel better. That’s because it took care of the infection outside your tooth. The cause of the infection remains which means it will be back.

Categories : Patients
Tags : infection, tooth pain

What to expect with a root canal treatment

Posted by Tricia 
· October 18, 2011 

A root canal is the most feared dental procedure and the butt of many a joke. But, the reality is, it should just be a long, boring filling. Endodontists have great numbing stuff to make sure you don’t feel anything and they can prescribe anxiolytics so you won’t care.

The worst pain is what people are feeling that drives them to an endodontist in the first place. The good news is, once that nerve is gone the pain goes away, too. The bad news is, if it took a while to get that painful, it might take a few days for everything to calm down. Other than that, you might be a little sore just because someone was working in your mouth. Some ibuprofen or Tylenol should take care of any discomfort from the procedure.

Categories : Patients
Tags : anxiety, concerns, root canal procedure, tooth pain

Root canal video

Posted by Tricia 
· October 11, 2011 

I finally got our first video done! It’s an overview of what to expect when you have a root canal procedure from Dr. Deb Conner, an endodontist in Durham, NC.

Categories : Videos
Tags : root canal procedure, rubber dam

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Posted by Tricia 
· October 3, 2011 

Breast Cancer Awareness ribbonAs someone who is recovering from treatment for breast cancer, I want to say thank you for all the support.

Categories : Patients
Next Page →

Thought to chew on…

"There are two things in life that a sage must preserve at every sacrifice, the coats of his stomach and the enamel of his teeth. Some evils admit of consolations, but there are no comforters for dyspepsia and the toothache." ~Henry Lytton Bulwer~

Blogroll

  • Academy of General Dentistry – dentists
  • Academy of General Dentistry – patients
  • ADA flyer on root canals
  • American Assoc. of Endodontists – main
  • American Assoc. of Endodontists – patients
  • American Association of Dental Boards
  • American Dental Asscociation
  • Dear Doctor
  • Deb Conner DDS MS
  • FAIR Health
  • Journal of Endodontics
  • Journal of Endodontics Research
  • Journal of the American Dental Association
  • Sharecare – Dental/Oral Health
  • Wikipedia – Endodontic Therapy

Site sponsor

Tricia Santos, the practice manager for Deb Conner DDS MS, maintains this site.

all things endodontic
Copyright © 2019 All Rights Reserved
iThemes Builder by iThemes
Powered by WordPress