Root Canal Therapy in Portland, OR
Root canal therapy is needed when the nerve of a tooth is affected by decay or infection. In order to save the tooth, the pulp (the living tissue inside the tooth), nerves, bacteria, and any decay are removed and the resulting space is filled with special, medicated, dental materials, which restore the tooth to its full function.
Having a root canal done on a tooth is the treatment of choice to save a tooth that otherwise would die and have to be removed. Many patients believe that removing a tooth that has problems is the solution, but what is not realized is that extracting (pulling) a tooth will ultimately be more costly and cause significant problems for adjacent teeth.
Root canal treatment is highly successful and usually lasts a lifetime, although on occasion, a tooth will have to be retreated due to new infections.
Signs And Symptoms For Possible Root Canal Therapy:
An abscess (or pimple) on the gums
Sensitivity to hot and cold
Severe toothache pain
Sometimes no symptoms are present
Swelling and/or tenderness
Reasons For Root Canal Therapy:
Decay has reached the tooth pulp (the living tissue inside the tooth)
Infection or abscess have developed inside the tooth or at the root tip
Injury or trauma to the tooth
Apicoectomy
The teeth are held firmly in place by strong roots that extend into the jawbone. Molars and premolars tend to have several roots, whereas the front incisors only have a single root. The end or tip of each root is termed the apex. The apex is where the nerves and blood vessels enter the tooth, and aids in the delivery of blood to the crown (the part of the tooth you can see in your mouth).
A root canal treatment refers to the cleaning of the canals and the removal of infected and inflamed tissue within the root. When the inflammation or infection persists after the root canal treatment, an apicoectomy may be required. An apicoectomy is essentially the removal of the apex (or root tip), followed by a filling procedure to seal the root from further infection. When left untreated, infected roots can damage other teeth, spread infection, and cause regression of the jawbone.
There are several reasons why an apicoectomy may be necessary:
Small Adjoining Root Branches – Roots are extremely complex and can contain many tiny branches. If these tiny branches cannot be cleaned and sealed when the root canal treatment is performed, inflammation can persist.
Blocked Root Canal – In some cases, the dentist is unable to effectively clean a root canal because it is blocked by a fractured file left behind from prior root canal treatment. Infection and debris can quickly affect adjacent teeth.
Narrow or Curved Root Canals – When the root canal is poorly shaped, the endodontic files cannot reach the root tip. Continuing infection or re-infection can then occur.
Testimonials
Crown and filling experience went better than I expected. It's normally a painful process for me. Staff is always friendly and easy to deal with. We appreciate that they offer us different options since we don't have dental insurance.
Ilus Ka
Everyone is so nice and friendly. If you’re looking for a new dentist and team, I highly recommend Bethany Dental. I’ve gone in a few times for anual cleanings and some cavity fillings and I’ve left satisfied every time.
Marlyne Rodriguez
The staff was very friendly. Dr. Austria was very friendly and asked me lots of questions and listened to me. He made my appointment easy and stress free. I would recommend going to this office for your dental care.
Marcia Reyes
I just spent a very relaxing (really!) 2.75 hours being prepped for a new crown and having 3 fillings put in. Honestly, except for a slight prick of the numbing needle, the whole procedure was painless. Dr.Austria and his staff were friendly, the atmosphere was calming, and I knew I was in good hands.
Caroline Arnold
They were super friendly and considerate to any pain I was having. The Dr. asked often if I was in any pain, and I didn't even feel the shot like I usually do at my other dentist. They do everything they can to make you comfortable. I definitely recommend going here.
Jordan Harris
I'm in the process of getting a post and crown. Right now I'm healing from my bone graft and every person at this practice continually goes out of their way to make sure I heal well and every thing goes as planned. There was a problem with my bone graft initially and Dr. Austria continues to spend extra time on my mouth to help me keep on healing, at no extra expense to me.
Heather Stevens
Dr. Austria is one of the kindest, most capable, and awesome dentists I’ve ever had. I have a moderate level of anxiety around any dental work that requires local anesthesia, and Dr. Austria did everything he could to put me at ease when I unexpectedly needed numbing. The dental assistants are awesome too, non-judgmental and sweet and supportive. I’m so glad we found Bethany Family Dental.
