Root Canal Treatment FAQs in Orange County, Anaheim, Laguna Woods & Mission Viejo

Endodontics is the dental specialty that deals with dental pulp. Just below the dentin, the pulp contains blood vessels and connective tissues. It is the most important part of your tooth.

Endodontists perform root canal and pulp therapy. Root canal therapy is a common procedure where infected pulp is removed to save the remaining teeth from infection.

Vital pulp therapy is required when your dental pulp is exposed during cavity preparation. An endodontist will try to reverse inflammation in the pulp using a special substance. This substance forms a protective layer between dentin and the pulp.

In some cases, your dentist may suggest to remove the coronal pulp exposed during the cavity preparation procedure.

Non-vital therapy involves more than one step. Your dentist will often perform a pulpectomy followed by a root canal procedure. This therapy is often recommended when caries or trauma has irreversibly infected the pulp tissue.

During this procedure, your dentist will use a disinfectant around your root canal to remove any infections. The area is then filled with a special material and sealed for final tooth restoration.

Non-vital pulp therapy is often a procedure of choice when it comes to preserving primary teeth.

Although tooth extraction is an alternative to root canal therapy, it is often the last resort. It can change the balance in your mouth, allowing other teeth to shift their place. This can be a big problem especially in children who still have new teeth to grow.

Apart from aesthetics, tooth extraction can also make your child’s life difficult as he/she would have serious problem eating food. If more than one tooth is removed, your child may become very frustrated and lose interesting in eating solid foods that need chewing.

The root canal is located within the tooth root. It contains pulp.

Sometimes, people use this term for ‘root canal therapy’. However, it’s important to maintain distinction between the therapy and the root canal region when discussing dental procedures with your doctor.

You might need a root canal therapy when you notice swelling in gums with increased tooth sensitivity. If you notice tooth discoloration or broken teeth, root canal therapy could be necessary to stop further bone loss and tooth decay.

Root canal procedure would be extremely painful without the help of modern technology. The good news is that your dentist will use the latest techniques in dentistry to make the procedure comfortable for you. Most patients don’t feel any discomfort during this procedure.

Some patients might feel little pain or discomfort after the procedure due to inflammation in the affected area. It will usually last for a few days and go away as the root recovers to full function.

In case the pain and inflammation lasts for more than a week after the procedure, be sure to contact your doctor immediately for detailed checkup.

An abscess is an oral infection that can make life extremely uncomfortable. Its target is usually the gum or the root of a tooth.

When this infection is left untreated, it causes severe toothache and may make chewing impossible. Some people also suffer from tooth sensitivity along with tooth ache.

Root canal therapy is often the procedure of choice to treat an abscess.

Apicoectomy is an endodontic surgery that allows your dentist to remove the apex (tip of a tooth). Your endodontist will seal the tip after removing the apex to avoid bacteria and food particles from entering the cavity.

This procedure saves the tooth from extraction and fights infections surrounding the apex. Apicoectomy is often used when a root canal therapy has failed to fix the problem.