Endodontics & Root Canal Treatment
Dr. Kristoff received excellent training in Endodontics (Root Canal Therapy) during his AEGD residency. Have a sharp pain when you chew? Sometimes the pulp inside your tooth becomes infected. This can be caused by deep decay, deep cracks in the tooth, leaky old filling, traumatic injury, tooth grinding, and periodontal disease. Our in-house Low Emission 3D Imaging can focus on the questionable tooth with the highest resolution currently available. This allows Dr. Kristoff to see the complex anatomy of your ailing tooth, and accurately diagnose and treat an infected pulp.
How Does Dr. Kristoff Know If I Need A Root Canal?
Only through careful diagnosis can we determine if the pulp is infected. Often, we find a less severe condition that just needs minor treatment. However, if you have pain in a tooth…don’t delay seeing us. The first sign of pain is a signal that something is wrong. Waiting only allows small problems to progress and cause permanent injury to the pulp.
Signs to look for include:
- Pain that is spontaneous.
- Prolonged sensitivity to heat or cold.
- Discoloration of the tooth.
- Swelling or tenderness in the nearby gums or face.
- Draining “bump” somewhere in the mouth giving a foul taste or odor.
Sometimes, there are no symptoms at all and we only discover the problem by taking routine X-rays.
What Can I Expect If I Know I Need A Root Canal?
Sit back and relax. Enjoy in-room movies & music, or just take a nap. We’ll do the rest. First, Dr. Kristoff will exercise great care in making your tooth comfortable. We always emphasize techniques that make the visit as pleasant and pain free as possible. If you desire sedation we will be happy to put you at ease. We then very carefully remove the source of infection and/or inflammation, by gently cleaning and shaping the inside of the tooth.
After “sterilizing” the inside of the tooth, we then fill/seal the inside space with a very modern and high quality material. Only the latest techniques backed by sound scientific study are used to give you the best possible outcome.
Afterwards, a crown or other restoration is placed on the tooth to prevent fracture, restore full function, and create a final saliva resistant seal. Most patients report that having a root canal treatment today is as easy as having a cavity filled.
Can I Put Off Doing The Crown Until Next Year?
At Cool Creek Family Dental, we NEVER pressure our patients. We are obligated to give you the best advice and guide you to the wisest decisions. We always recommend having the crown or other final restoration placed after the root canal therapy is finished. The problems that lead to infected pulps also drastically weaken the tooth.
The final restoration is the only thing that protects you from losing the tooth or getting re-contamination with bacteria after having the root canal finished. Investment in endodontics and root canal therapy is best protected by the final restoration. As always, financing is available to help fit your treatment into your budget.
