In addition to dental school, endodontists receive two or more years of advanced education in this kind of treatment. They study root canal techniques and procedures in greater depth, for diagnosis and treatment of more difficult cases. For this reason, many dentists choose to refer their patients to endodontists.

A local anesthetic will be given. To isolate a tooth, a sheet of latex called the "rubber dam" (nonlatex also available) will be placed around the tooth keeping it clean and dry during treatment.  The treatment consists of 3 basic steps. 

1. The endodontist removes the inflamed or infected pulp. 
2. Next, he will carefully shape and disinfect the canal system.
3. Lastly, he seals the prepared spaces with biocompatible materials. 

Treatment may require more than one visit.  Once treatment is completed, you will  return to your general dentist for permanent restoration.The number of visits will depend on your particular case. Many endodontic treatments can be completed in a single visit. However, some procedures may require 2-3 office visits.

Root canal treatment or endodontic therapy has a very high degree of success, up to 95%.  However, the amount of remaining sound tooth structure and the quality of the permanent restoration also play important roles in determining the long-term succes rate.  We will discuss with you the chances of success before any endodontic procedure to help you make an informed decision.  If a root canal or endodontic therapy is unsuccessful or fails, you may still have options such as retreatment and/or apico surgery before condemning the tooth to extraction. 

Oral pain such as toothaches or cracked / fractured teeth can often be difficult to pinpoint.  Because of the vast network of nerves in the mouth, the pain of a damaged or diseased tooth often is felt in another tooth and/or in the head, neck, or ear.  TMJ pain, muscle pain of the head and neck, as well as sinusitis can also have similar clinical presentations as toothaches.  An endodontist is a specialist in diagnosing and treating this type of pain.

Pulp damage is sometimes caused by a blow to the mouth, and the endodontist specializes in treating these traumatic injuries. For example, a blow to a child's permanent tooth that is not fully developed can cause the root to stop growing. A procedure called apexification stimulates bone to be deposited at the end of the root which makes it possible to then save the tooth through a root canal procedure. An endodontist is specially trained in procedures for replanting teeth that have been knocked out of their sockets.

Once endodontic therapy is completed, your tooth should be examined periodically. We recommend every 6 - 12 months.  This allows us to make sure the tooth is healing properly.  You will be sent a notice in the mail when we feel it is appropriate to reevaluate the area.  Since an abscess may take 2 years to heal, our office will reevaluate the tooth for at least 2 years.

Occasionally a tooth that has undergone endodontic treatment fails to heal or pain continues despite therapy.  Although rare, sometimes a tooth initially responds to root canal therapy but becomes painful or diseased months or years later. When either of these situations occur, the tooth often can be maintained with a second-round of endodontic treatment.