Most root canal procedures--also called endodontic therapy--is highly successful. It spares failing teeth from extraction, allowing patients to keep their natural smiles indefinitely. At DC Endodontics in Washington, DC, Drs. Delany, Moiseiwitsch and Latifi perform root canals and more advanced dental, or endodontic, surgeries. Learn what these precise procedures involve.
What is a root canal?
It's a pulp-filled chamber interior to each tooth root. Due to decay, fracture or injury, the root and pulp may become inflamed and infected. If so, your endodontist will remove the soft tissue, disinfect and seal the canals and crown the tooth. This restorative procedure is called root canal therapy.
By large, root canal treatments work. Dear Doctor reports that most of these procedures succeed, and the teeth remain functional for years. However, on occasion, root canal therapy is not workable, or a procedure actually fails, and the life and usefulness of the treated tooth is jeopardized.
Other procedures
In Washington, DC, your root canal specialist performs state of the art endodontic surgeries, typically as follow-ups to traditional root canal procedures. They use advanced digital imaging, microscopes and ultrasonic tools to operate on failing teeth.
Why would a tooth require dental surgery at DC Endodontics in Washington, DC? Sometimes, a more conservative root canal procedure did not remove all the inflamed pulp, or extra canals, cracks and calcifications which were hidden from view or developed later.
As such, your endodontist uses advanced surgical techniques to restore the compromised tooth. These surgeries are done in-office with the benefit of a local anesthetic to numb the tooth. Treatment plans are fully customized to suit a patient's long-term needs.
These are some common endodontic surgeries:
- Apicoectomy This in-office treatment also is called root-end resection. By accessing tooth roots via the buccal, or cheek-side, of the gums, apicoectomy removes the tip of an infected root. It seals the root with gutta-percha, a biocompatible putty, and a filling. Over ensuing weeks, the bone and gum tissue regrows to support the operated root tip.
- Intentional replantation This surgery extracts a sick tooth by extracting it, performing root canal therapy on it, and returning it to the empty socket. Circumstances such as difficult access to affected roots indicate the need for this highly successful endodontic treatment.
- Root end amputation removes a root that is diseased due to decay, fracture or infection. However, the rest of the tooth, including its roots, is basically healthy and can function well without the problem root.
What does your tooth need?
It needs a new lease on life, and your friends at DC Endodontics likely can provide just that. For a consultation with Dr. Delany, Dr. Latifi or Dr. Moiseiwitsch, phone our Washington, DC, office about our innovative dental surgeries: (202) 364-0234.