Red Bank Endodontics
What Is Endodontic Treatment?
The term “endodontic” comes from the Greek word “endo” meaning “within,” and “odont” meaning “tooth.” That means that endodontic treatment is concerned with treating health issues affecting the interior of your tooth, such as infected teeth.
Endodontic treatment is absolutely essential for your oral health if you have an infected tooth. Proper intervention from a Red Bank dentist like Dr. Michael Santo, Dr. Miles Santo, or Dr. Katelyn Domingues is the only way to save the tooth, in most cases. Learn more about endodontic treatment below, or contact us now to schedule an appointment and get the help you need in Red Bank, NJ.
Root Canals
Root canals are performed to treat infected or inflamed nerves within a tooth. Many times treatment can be completed in one visit, with molars usually requiring two visits. Root canal therapy, often called a “root canal” for short, is used to treat infected teeth. A root canal is necessary when a large cavity or trauma to the tooth exposes the delicate pulp inside the tooth.
This pulp is full of blood vessels and nerves. It’s what keeps the tooth alive. As the infection spreads, the tooth will slowly die. This causes a lot of pain and discomfort. Eventually, the tooth will die completely and it may fall out of your mouth, or require extraction.
To save the tooth, a root canal is used. In this process, your Red Bank dentist at Santo Dental Group will clean and numb the tooth, then open it up and use special dental tools to remove all of the infected material from the tooth’s interior.
Once the tooth has been cleaned, it will be flushed with a sanitizer, and filled up with an inert substance to replace the extracted pulp. Then, it will be covered with a filling or a crown, completing the procedure. Suspect you may need a root canal? Call our office at (732) 530-1003 to get started!
Pulpotomies
A pulpotomy is similar to a root canal, but can be used when the tooth has a smaller infection that only affects the upper part of the pulp. The tooth is opened up similarly to a root canal, and then the upper part of the pulp is removed. Unlike root canal therapy, the pulp in the root canals is left in place.
However, the rest of the tooth’s interior will be checked to ensure that all of the infected material has been eliminated. Then, a special healing dressing is applied to the remaining pulp to keep it healthy and intact.
After this, the tooth is usually treated with a filling or a crown to cover it up and protect it from further damage. You may need to come back to Santo Dental Group in Red Bank, NJ for a few follow up appointments so that we can check on your recovery, and ensure your tooth is healing properly.
Pulp Capping
Pulp capping is a procedure where medication is placed on top of the nerve in order to prevent the need for a root canal. Pulp capping can be done when the outer layers of the tooth have been compromised, but the pulp inside your tooth has not yet become infected. The process of pulp capping is similar to getting a filling. Your dentist will clean and numb your mouth, then drill away any damaged or decayed tooth material.
Then, a special material is placed onto the pulp to allow it to heal and repair itself, and a filling is placed to cover up the cavity and restore your tooth.