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Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) offers accurate and high quality 3-D representations of dental and facial structures. This enables our endodontists to more precisely diagnose an underlying problem, detect unforeseen defects, and minimize the need for exploratory procedures. CBCT facilitates more effective care and more consistent successful outcomes.
Clinical applications of CBCT technology in endodontics include the following:
Occasionally, dental defects or pathology that deem a tooth non-restorable will be revealed on a CBCT scan. If this happens, the endodontist will advise you that the tooth cannot be saved.
One of the most significant advances in modern dentistry has been the development of laser technology. For endodontists, laser-assisted root canal procedures offer enhanced precision, efficiency, and shorter recovery times while reducing the risk of infection.
Dental lasers utilize focused beams of light to penetrate and modify hard and soft tissues in your mouth with the ultimate precision. As used in endodontics, lasers vaporize the inflamed and diseased dental pulp, disinfect the root canals, and help prevent reinfection. This innovative technology ensures a more targeted treatment and minimizes discomfort to patients.
Laser-assisted endodontics offers multiple benefits:
Among its many applications, laser endodontics can be used to perform non-surgical root canal treatment, endodontic retreatment, and apicoectomies.
This treatment involves using a laser to remove damaged or infected pulp tissue from within the tooth. As the laser effectively eliminates the bacteria, unhealthy tissue gets vaporized while healthy tooth structure remains intact. Since the entire process is more precise, laser-assisted root canal treatment reduces the likelihood of complications.
When a previous root canal treatment has failed, laser endodontics offers a precise way to remove the filling material and retreat the canals to eliminate any hidden bacteria before placing a new biocompatible filling material.
Laser endodontics offers a more precise and less invasive way to perform this procedure. An apicoectomy is a surgical procedure designed to save a natural tooth in cases of reinfection or when other approaches to care have not eliminated the infection. During this procedure, a small portion of the tooth root gets removed, and the remaining portion gets sealed to prevent reinfection.
Digital radiography utilizes computer technology and digital sensors for the acquisition, viewing, storage, and sharing of radiographic images. It offers several advantages over the older traditional film based methods of taking x-rays. The most significant of theses advantages is that digital radiography reduces a patient’s exposure to radiation. Other benefits are that images can be viewed instantly after being taken, can be seen simultaneously as needed by multiple practitioners, and can be easily shared with other offices. Digital x-rays are also safer for the environment as they do not require any chemicals or paper to develop.
An electronic pad, known as a sensor is used instead of film to acquire a digital image. After the image is taken, it goes directly into the patient’s file on the computer. Once it is stored on the computer, it can be easily viewed on a screen, shared, or printed out.
At our office, our team of endodontists and staff are trained and experienced in all aspects of microscopic and microsurgical endodontics. Working with surgical operating microscopes enables our endodontists to perform procedures with the ultimate precision, efficiency, and confidence. Whether the treatment is performed by means of a non-surgical procedure or as a surgical endodontic one, the microscope provides superior illumination and magnification that allows maximum visualization of the root of the tooth. Any defects that can impact the treatment and prognosis of the tooth such as cracks, root fractures, calcified canals, as well as canals with challenging anatomy, will be visualized with this optical system. Additionally, because our microscopic and microsurgical endodontic procedures involve the use of smaller instruments there is less tissue trauma from treatment, resulting in shorter recovery time and better healing.
Sedation dentistry offers patients who are having anxiety anticipating an endodontic procedure the opportunity to have a stress free and more comfortable experience. Utilizing safe and controlled sedation techniques prior to the endodontic procedure, a patient is eased into a state of complete relaxation. This eliminates any discomfort, pain, and preoperative anxiety that may be associated with a particular dental visit. With some sedation dentistry methods patients may feel more at ease post-operatively as they have no memory or little recollection of the actual moment-to-moment endodontic procedure.
We are committed to creating a comfortable and caring environment for our patients. While we always use a local anesthetic to thoroughly numb the treatment area, so that you will not feel any discomfort, some patients may feel they need an additional option to reduce their anxiety and have a more relaxed experience.
For these patients we offer three options:
