Your dentist in Silver Lake transforms painful, abscessed or otherwise damaged teeth into healthy lasting smiles with modern endodontic therapy. Otherwise known as a “root canal,” endodontics in Silver Lake remove infected tooth pulp and preserve healthy tooth structure above and below the gumline. It’s an effective alternative to tooth extraction, leaving tooth, gums and jaw bone intact and painful symptoms relieved.
At Michel Dental, your comfort, oral health and overall well-being are of utmost importance to Dr. Michael E. Michel and his team. If you exhibit signs of a severely damaged, decayed or infected tooth, please call the office right away for advice and a same-day appointment if needed. Dr. Michel has performed scores of root canal procedures and can fully evaluate your tooth to determine the correct course of action.
What is Root Canal Therapy?
Root canal therapy–also called endodontics–removes the soft pulp from the one or more inner chambers of an infected tooth. Instead of extracting a tooth that is throbbing, surrounded by red swollen gums and/or causing intensely bad breath and drainage, Dr. Michel restores the tooth to full health and function with a straightforward, in-office procedure.
The Procedure
Typically, root canal treatment takes two dental visits of about one hour each. Contrary to its undeserved reputation, root canal therapy is very comfortable and usually requires only local anesthesia (pain shot) to numb the area.
After confirming the diagnosis with visual examination and with digital X-rays, the dentist drills a small pilot hole into the root canal of the infected tooth. He uses a series of very small files to extract the diseased connective tissue, blood supply and nerves. He also smooths the canal walls.
Then, Dr. Michel instills the chamber with an antibiotic to heal the infection. He fills and seals the tooth with a rubbery substance called gutta-percha. Dr. Michel repeats this process if needed on other infected root canals. He finished by placing a temporary filling or crown over the tooth to protect it as it heals.
After root canal therapy, the tooth heals over the next week to ten days. Over the counter ibuprofen or acetaminophen alleviates any minor discomfort, and patients eat soft diets for a few days.
At the next appointment, Dr. Michel places a custom-fabricated ceramic crown over the restored tooth. He checks it for proper fit and bite, and the restoration is complete. The patient has a natural-looking, functioning and healthy tooth that should serve him or her for years.
A tooth restored with endodontics functions well without its inner pulp. This soft tissue plays an important role in tooth development in childhood and adolescence, but in adulthood, the pulp is unnecessary.
Do You Have a Painful Tooth?
Please don’t wait, and please don’t be afraid. Dr. Michel and his team are known for their kind and gentle patient care. A root canal procedure can be pain-free. Contact Michael Dental right away if the need arises, and please schedule your routine check-up and cleaning, too.