Tag Archives: root canal

How to treat a Tooth with an Infected Old Crown

© Santa Fe Dental Associates

More people are keeping are keeping their teeth longer and are expecting faulty teeth to be repaired rather than pulled out. Dental crowning is one of the various ways you can restore your tooth appearance and it can last for many years to come. However there can be times whereby the old crown can get infected and create problems in the mouth.

What is a dental crown?

A dental crown is made from an artificial material to cover a broken or decayed tooth. Crowning or “capping” is a dental procedure which involves reducing the surface of the tooth and replacing the surface with a crown. Continue reading

Differences between Dentists and Endodontist

Root Canal Treatment from tdo4endo.com

Teeth have 3 layers namely enamel, dentine and pulp. A dentist deals with almost all kinds of dental diseases. When dentists could not handle certain difficult tooth situation, they usually refer you to certain specialist. Specialist who deals with diseases of dental pulp and nerve is an endodontist (root canal specialist). Continue reading

How to Decide Between a Dental Bridge and a Post

There are a lot of ways to achieve perfect smile

Dentistry is a very subjective area where a wide range of treatment such as dental bridge or a post is readily available to suit your needs. This can present challenges for both the dental practitioner and the patient in deciding which treatment option suits the patient best, taking into account the advantages, disadvantages, time and cost required to achieve desired results. As the dental practitioner may have very different opinion as to what is ideal, you being the patient need to clearly express your needs to the dentist and have a good discussion to avoid any misunderstandings and setting down reasonable and realistic expectations.

Why does a tooth needs a dental bridge or a post?

Often when a tooth is very broken down, there are several options to manage such tooth. Not pursuing with treatment is always an option, though always not recommended especially when associated with large areas of dental decay and the potential of infection.  Another option is to place pins or post into the tooth. The former consist of small screws that are manually drilled onto the tooth while the later is an alloy post that is cemented into the root canal, hence the tooth will need to have been nerve or root canal treated prior to post insertion. Placement of pins or post will provide more retention and anchorage for the dental restoration. The last option is to extract the tooth. After extraction, a gap will be present and this can be replaced if desired. There are several options to replace a missing tooth, such as bridge, dentures or dental implants. Continue reading

Dental Infection Caused by Root Canal

Structures of the tooth

Dental infections commonly arise from a tooth problem but can also be related to the surrounding periodontium which are supporting structures of the teeth. Keeping the periodontal structures aside, there are many reasons as to how a tooth can cause dental infections. Dental infections should not be underestimated as it can affect the rest of the head and also the neck region, leading to complications, which if left untreated, is potentially life threatening. There has been many cases demonstrated worldwide where dental infections that were not managed properly has lead to death, hence they should be taken seriously. Dental infections are very easily manageable when they are well localised and it is only until when they are allowed to spread through to other structures that a serious problem can arise. It is of utmost importance at any sign or symptom of dental infection, it is checked out by a competent dentist. And in the case of root canal related dental infections, the offending tooth is identified. Continue reading

The Dangers of Root Canal Treatment

Perforation of root canal leading to resorption of root © PennWell Corporation

Endodontic treatment, which is often referred to as root canal treatment (RCT), root canal procedure or root canal therapy, involves pulp and root canal removal as well as cleaning and filling of the resultant space, in order to prevent microorganisms from multiplying within the root canal system and spreading to the gum tissues. Like any dental procedure, there can be hits and misses with root canal treatment. There is no guarantee that every root canal treatment case would have 100% success for there may be certain factors beyond the dentist’s control or it might be just plain human error. Continue reading

Dental Assistant Guide to Root Canal Treatment

© Dental Health Magazine

The teeth and their supporting tissues are susceptible to infections by microorganisms found inside our mouths. These microbes have their effects around or within teeth. Endodontics, which literally means “within the teeth”, is a dental specialty involved with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of endodontic diseases. Endodontic treatment, which is often referred to as root canal treatment, root canal procedure or root canal therapy, provides an effective means of saving a tooth that might otherwise require extraction. Continue reading