Endodontics at Pure Gold Professionals in Dentistry
Serving Endodontic Patients in Redlands, CA
Endodontic treatment at Pure Gold Professionals in Dentistry relieves dental pain and saves your teeth. During root canal treatment, our dentist will carefully remove the pulp inside of a tooth, clean, disinfect, and shape the root canal, and then place a filling to seal the space. It’s a simple procedure that will relieve tooth pain caused by infection. Here at Pure Gold Professionals in Dentistry, we look forward to serving endodontic patients from Redlands, Yucaipa, and San Bernardino, CA, as well as the surrounding area.
When a Tooth Needs Saving
Ideally, we are able to keep our teeth healthy enough that root canal therapy is never necessary, but this isn’t always the case. Whether because we don’t brush and floss often enough or because of a genetic predisposition to cavities, sometimes tooth decay reaches the pulp in the core of the tooth, leading to inflammation and infection.
Symptoms of inflamed or diseased pulp can range from nothing at all to temperature sensitivity and even excruciating dental pain. Over time, inflamed dental pulp becomes infected and then dies, and the bacteria can spread into the gum tissue and the surrounding bone through the opening at the tip of the root, forming a painful and sometimes life-threatening abscess.
Signs a Tooth Needs Endodontic Treatment
Let’s look at a few of the signs that a tooth needs endodontic treatment.
The tooth becoming loose. If an adult tooth feels loose, that’s a symptom of infection. Acidic waste products from a dead tooth can soften the surrounding bone.
A chipped or cracked tooth. Damage to a tooth (whether it comes from an accident or happens while chewing) can introduce bacteria to the pulp chamber inside the tooth, inflaming and infecting it.
Sensitivity and tooth pain. The pulp dying inside a tooth can irritate the periodontal ligament around the root tip, which can cause sharp pain when touching the tooth or trying to chew with it.
Swollen gums. If the gums swell up around a painful tooth, that’s a good sign that it needs root canal treatment. It could mean an abscess. Dental abscesses may create bad breath and a foul taste.
Discoloration of the tooth. An infected tooth sometimes changes color — not just at the surface. It may take on a grayish-black appearance as the internal tissue breaks down.
The Basics of Root Canal Therapy
Root canal therapy gets rid of the infected and necrotic tissue without getting rid of the tooth itself. During the treatment, diseased pulp tissue and debris are carefully removed while the patient is under local or full anesthesia. The root canals are then mechanically reshaped and the remaining pulp spaces are disinfected. We do this through an opening at the top of the tooth that allows us to identify and treat the canals.
To prevent oral bacteria from contaminating the disinfected root canal spaces, we seal off the canals with gutta-percha, a rubber-like root canal filling material that is solid at body temperature but moldable when heated or compacted. These properties make gutta-percha ideal for forming custom seals in the root canals and preventing contamination.
Endodontic Treatments Offered at Pure Gold Professionals in Dentistry
At our Redlands practice, we offer the following endodontic treatments:
- Cracked Teeth
- Internal Bleaching
- Post & Core
- Root Canal Therapy
- Traumatic Injuries
- Vital Pulp Therapy / Pulpotomy
Nothing Beats Natural Teeth
False teeth might have come a long way over the years, but there is still no replacement as good as our own natural teeth, both at matching the rest of our smiles and doing the important work of chewing food and helping us speak clearly. A tooth that has had endodontic treatment can last a lifetime with proper care.
How Can Pure Gold Professionals in Dentistry Help?
If you are near Redlands, CA and would like a consultation to find out if endodontic treatment will help, please give us a call at (909) 793-8837 or send us a quick email. We love serving our community and would be honored to serve you. You can learn more about us on our business page, and make sure to get directions before you head our way.