What is an Endodontist?
Endodontists have two to three years of additional education on top of their four years of dental school. Their focus is the diagnosis of tooth pain and performing procedures that relate to the interior of your tooth. They also study diseases that affect the inner part of the tooth.
Why an Endodontist?
Your teeth consist of three layers:
- Enamel: The visible hard outer layer of your tooth.
- Dentin: The softer middle layer of your tooth requires the enamel for protection. When decay penetrates the enamel, it leads to cavities.
- Pulp: The soft interior of the tooth where the blood, sensitive nerves and tissue of the tooth lie. If cavities penetrate the pulp, or your tooth is severely damaged, it causes severe pain and can even lead to tooth loss.
Your dentist will refer you to an endodontist when you’ve suffered severe disease or damage to a tooth. Following diagnosis, your endodontist can perform the required treatment.
What Procedures Do Endodontists Perform?
Endodontists perform the special procedures required to save your teeth from deep decay, and traumatic dental injuries. This includes root canals but also involves surgeries or dental implants. They look for the best treatment to suit your needs. Your dentist sends you to an endodontist for special cases where they want to ensure the best possible outcomes. Endodontists have the proper equipment for diagnosis and to perform specialized treatment, working as a partner with your dentist to help improve your dental health.
A Little Rock root canal treatment is required when the soft inner layer of your tooth becomes infected. The procedure involves removing bacteria and decay from the tooth, removing the infected root, and filling the canal to prevent further infection and decay. If you are worried about root canal pain in Little Rock AR, once the inflamed or infected pulp is removed, the pain goes away, and your tooth is restored.
Why is Saving My Tooth Important?
Your natural tooth is always preferred over tooth loss or a tooth replacement for the following reasons:
- Proper chewing function
- Normal bite
- An attractive smile
- Avoids existing teeth from shifting or becoming loose due to shifting
- Maintains bone health through root stimulation
- Provides support to your other teeth
Your natural tooth also avoids costly procedures down the line such as dental implants, periodontal treatments, orthodontics to address shifting and jaw bone issues.
When is it Time to See an Endodontist?
Common reasons your dentist might send you to an endodontist include:
- Severe pain or sensitivity to hot and cold
- Pain
- Facial trauma
- Swelling around the teeth or gums
- Severe damage to your tooth or root
- Abscesses
- Need for a root canal
Your endodontist will help maintain your oral health and avoid tooth loss.
If you would like to become a new patient of our root canal expert in Little Rock, click here.
