Endodontists are dentists who specialize in maintaining teeth through endodontic therapy procedures, involving the soft inner tissue of the teeth, called the pulp.  The word "endodontic" comes from "endo" meaning inside and "odont" meaning tooth.  Like many medical terms, it's Greek.  All dentists are trained in diagnosis and endodontic therapy, however, some teeth can be especially difficult to diagnose and treat. That’s why you may have been referred to Dr. Wiseman, an endodontic specialist for her knowledge and expertise.

In addition to four years of dental school, Dr. Wiseman received two more years of advanced education at the University of Washington. Here she studied root canal techniques and procedures in greater depth, for diagnosis and treatment of more difficult cases.  Dr. Wiseman has performed thousands of endodontic procedures, gaining valuable experience in diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.

A local anesthetic will be given.  A sheet of latex called the "rubber dam" (we've got nonlatex ones too) will be placed around the tooth to isolate it, hence keeping it clean and dry during treatment.  The treatment consists of three or four basic steps, but the number of visits will depend on your particular case. The Gentlewave^TM System is a newly developed system for endodontic cleaning and disinfection. This breakthrough technology utilizes broad-spectrum acoustic energy to remove all pulp tissue, debris, decay and bacteria from the entire root canal system. Many times, root canal treatment can take 1-2 visits depending on the complexity of the case.

In any case, it depends on the degree of infection/inflammation and degree of treatment difficulty.  To me, it's more important to do it the very best we can then to meet a specific time criteria.  

There are, of course, no guarantees.  Root canal or endodontic therapy has a very high degree of success, up to 90%. We will discuss with you the chances of success before any endodontic procedure to help you make an informed decision.  If a root canal or endodontic therapy is unsuccessful or fails you still have options.

Oral pain such as toothaches or cracked / fractured teeth can often be difficult to pinpoint.  Because of the vast network of nerves in the mouth, the pain of a damaged or diseased tooth often is felt in another tooth and/or in the head, neck, or ear. As an endodontist, Dr. Wiseman is a specialist in diagnosing and treating this type of pain.  Prior to every treatment, Dr. Wiseman performs a comprehensive examination to ensure that root canal treatment is your best option.

WE TREAT TRAUMATIC INJURIES

Pulp damage is sometimes caused by a blow to the mouth, and the endodontist specializes in treating these traumatic injuries. For example, a blow to a child's permanent tooth that is not fully developed can cause the root to stop growing. A procedure called apexification stimulates bone to be deposited at the end of the root which makes it possible to then save the tooth through a root canal procedure. An endodontist is specially trained in procedures for replanting teeth that have been knocked out of their sockets.

Occasionally a tooth that has undergone endodontic, treatment fails to heal or pain continues despite therapy. Although rare, sometimes a tooth initially responds to root canal therapy but becomes painful or diseased months or years later. When either of these situations occur, the tooth often can be maintained with a second endodontic treatment. Dr. Wiseman performs a comprehensive examination to ensure that root canal retreatment is your best option.

Why would I need Endodontic Surgery? Generally, a root canal is all that is needed to save teeth with injured pulp from extraction. Occasionally, this non-surgical procedure will not be sufficient to heal the tooth and your endodontist will recommend surgery. Endodontic surgery can be used to locate fractures or hidden canals that do not appear on x-rays but still manifest pain in the tooth. Damaged root surfaces or the surrounding bone may also be treated with this procedure. The most common surgery used to save damaged teeth is an apicoectomy or root-end resection.

What is an Apicoectomy? An incision is made in the gum tissue to expose the bone and surrounding inflamed tissue. The damaged tissue is removed along with the end of the root tip. A root-end filling is placed to prevent reinfection of the root and the gum is sutured. The bone naturally heals around the root over a period of months restoring full function.

Following the procedure, there may be some discomfort or slight swelling while the incision heals. This is normal for any surgical procedure. To alleviate any discomfort, an appropriate pain medication will be recommended. If you have pain that does not respond to medication, please call our office.

Concerned about the safety of root canal treatment? Watch this informative video to learn how endodontists perform millions of root canal treatments every year, safely, effectively and comfortably. 

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