An endodontist is a dental specialist who focuses on the inside structures of teeth. Often, when decay has damaged teeth beyond the surface of the enamel, the sensitive interior of the tooth can become infected. This often leads to tooth pain, swelling, and discomfort. By choosing to see an endodontist when a tooth is compromised in this way, you can have a specialist target the root cause of the issue, cleanse your tooth, and relieve you of discomfort and often future tooth loss.
Symptoms of Tooth Infection
- Constant tooth pain
- Tooth sensitivity
- Bad breath or bad taste
- Swelling of the face or cheek
- Abscess forming around the tooth
- Root Canal This is a common treatment for tooth infection with the purpose being to save a tooth from requiring extraction. The process involves removing the infected tissue from inside the tooth and replacing it with a bio-compatible material to retain the tooth’s structure. After the interior of the tooth is cleansed and treated, the tooth is capped with a crown and able to function naturally again.
- Endodontic Re-treatment In rare instances, a root canal may not be successful and the tooth becomes infected again or causes discomfort to the patient. An endodontic re-treatment can be performed to cleanse the tooth again. The root canal process will happen all over again, and your doctors will be sure to eradicate all signs of infection before restoring the tooth for the second time.
- Apicoectomy This treatment is a form of endodontic surgery that removes the tip of a tooth root from within the jaw bone. A small incision is made in the gum tissue to access the bone and tooth root. When the root of a tooth becomes infected past saving, it may need to be removed via an apioectomy. The tip of the root will be sealed to preserve the structure, but the infection will be cleansed. This is typically the last chance to save a tooth from infection before extraction is necessary.
