Warren, Michigan Dentist Discusses Root Canal Therapy

Hi, I’m Doctor Gregory Apsey, here in Warren, Michigan. I would just like to speak with you about a topic that’s a little touchy with people, and that’s root canal therapy. It’s something that we offer here at the office. It’s one of those procedures that’s absolutely necessary. Most people don’t want to do it, because many people have heard from others, root canals are really, just so difficult to go through.  I feel that root canal treatment has gotten a lot better with modern advances in the technology that we use in the office. We are able to do root canal treatments much more rapidly, much more accurately, and with far fewer X-rays needed, and the procedure is much easier to take. The issues are root canals are needed when tooth decay goes too far into the structure of the tooth. If the tooth decay is into the nerve of the tooth, that the problem is that the nerve then becomes infected. Usually, the tooth becomes very painful. And the only way to deal with that is either to remove the tooth, or to remove the nerve. A root canal treatment is the removal of the nerve. Sometimes that nerve tissue is completely dead. Sometimes that nerve tissue is still alive. But it’s, it’s starting to cause a great deal of pain for the patient.

The way the procedure is done is initially the patient is, we numb the patient and make sure that they are fully numb before we start any procedure. I then go in and clean out all of the decay and go in and remove the nerve tissue. This procedure can be done in one appointment, but depending on the difficulty and the level of infection in the tooth, sometimes it’s required that we do the procedure in two visits. So basically what happens is that the entire root canal is cleaned out completely. And we use files, very fine metal files which go into the tooth. I just did 1 this morning. We used some hand files, and we also use rotary files which are attached to our drill. In between the files, we’ll be using a disinfectant in the, inside of the root canal. We use two different types of disinfectants. One of them is a common bleach, and it’s diluted somewhat. But that bleach is a very strong antibacterial, and the idea is that when the root canal is complete we wish there to be no bacteria left in the root canal system. And once the tooth is then sealed up, the bone at the end of the root can heal and the tooth can become healthy and comfortable again. There is often some discomfort after the procedure is done.

During the root canal, it’s just a matter of holding one’s mouth open until the procedure is complete. We have ways of helping you with that. We can give you something to bite on which helps just so you can rest your jaw while we’re working on you. But once the procedure is complete, the tooth is sealed up, then the tooth, if it’s a back tooth, the tooth is somewhat weak. So what we recommend at that point is placing a crown over the tooth to protect the structure and to prevent the tooth from fracturing when you’re chewing. What we want is for the tooth to be comfortable, for the tooth to be long lasting and we want to avoid the breakage of the tooth. So once the crown is complete the tooth is back to normal and chewing just fine. But as I was saying before there’s often a little bit of discomfort after the procedure. What we usually recommend is that you use an anti-inflammatory medication an hour before the root canal appointment starts and then thereafter, as needed. But usually there are a couple days of discomfort. The actual root canal procedure while you’re here is not uncomfortable because you’ll be numb, and generally the discomfort that people have is a lot less than what they had prior to coming into the office. So it’s faster. It’s better. It’s a way, better than ever before it’s a way to save a tooth when it’s in that bad condition, and its available here in my office. Thank you for listening.

Warren, Michigan Dentist Discusses Root Canal Therapy

If you have questions about root canals in Warren, Michigan, please call our office at (586) 573-7700.

Warren, Michigan Dentist Discusses Root Canal Therapy