Endodontics In Cleveland, TN

Endodontics is better known as a root canal. There are other procedures involved, but a root canal is the most common procedure. Imagine what a mechanical pencil looks like. Take off the eraser and dump the lead out into your hand. That lead represents the nerve and the blood supply of the tooth. The space it came out of is the canal. The plastic of the pencil is the root. We don't mess with the outside of the plastic, just as we don't mess with the bone, which is what that mechanical pencil is sitting in.

Back to the canal, which is the hole that the lead came out of—that's where the bacteria hide. We go in, clean the bacteria out, and sterilize that canal. Then we seal it up with a rubbery material called gutta-percha. This material goes from the writing tip all the way up the pencil to the very top. Once we have sterilized it, we put the eraser back on, which is like placing a crown on the tooth. Generally speaking, anytime a tooth has had a root canal, we recommend placing a crown on it. However, this is a case-by-case basis, and certain circumstances might not necessarily require a crown after a root canal.

While general dentists can perform root canals, if they are more complex, we prefer the endodontist to handle it because they have specialized equipment and instruments in their office. For example, if a tooth has many canals that are really small, very curved, or if there is a concern of a fracture or calcification (where the canal is closed up), these are cases that a general dentist might not complete. It would be best for an endodontist to complete the procedure to save your tooth and continue its use.

After high school, we all go through undergraduate studies, most of us with degrees in something like science, and then we enter dental school. Dental school is four years long, and once we graduate, we earn a DDS or DMD degree, which qualifies us to practice dentistry.

If you have a particular interest in an area of dentistry, you can specialize. You've heard of oral surgeons or orthodontists who do braces. An endodontist is a specialist in root canals. While they perform other procedures, a root canal is the most common one that patients recognize.

Endodontists perform root canals on any teeth we want to keep and perform a procedure called an apicoectomy. If the tip of the tooth isn't good for whatever reason, and we can't address it through a root canal, we can remove the tip of that root and seal up the rest of the tooth so you can keep it.

Another procedure is called a hemiectomy, where we remove one of the roots of a tooth that has more than one root. This procedure is less common now that implants have become more prevalent and successful. However, if an implant isn't a good idea for a patient, removing one of the roots may be a viable alternative.

No. While they can physically pull a tooth because they were taught this in dental school, their specialty does not involve extracting teeth. If they determine that a tooth is non-restorable, they'll refer you back to the general dentist or an oral surgeon for extraction. Afterward, the dentist can plan what to do to replace the tooth.

There are a few ways. We take all the provided information and determine the best course of action for a particular tooth. One factor is your symptoms: when does your tooth hurt, how long does it hurt, and the extent of the discomfort or pain. We also take X-rays to see what the tooth looks like on the X-ray—checking for fractures, decay, or infection in the bone (a "pus pocket").

We also conduct tests in your mouth while you're in the office. If a tooth is sore to the touch or percussion (lightly tapping on the tooth), it could indicate an issue. If the tooth is cold-sensitive, that tells us something about the tooth, and we can reproduce the cold in the office to determine which tooth is affected.

Yes, as long as your insurance hasn't been used for another procedure. Generally, insurance will help cover root canals. We pride ourselves on looking up patient information ahead of time, so we know what your insurance will and won't cover, advising you accordingly. Sometimes, patients may have a waiting period on their insurance if they haven't had it long enough, or there may be a weird disclaimer regarding root canals. We do the legwork ahead of time to provide the best advice possible, letting you know what your insurance will likely cover to help pay for the root canal.

I hope I've been able to answer some of your questions about endodontics. If you have more questions or are ready to take action, please give us a call at (423) 558-2654. We're here to help.