Root Canal Awareness Week 2015: Saving Your Natural Teeth

Did you know this week is Root Canal Awareness Week?

In its ninth year, Root Canal Awareness Week is a nationwide effort to encourage patients who need a root canal to see an endodontist to save their natural teeth.  Root canal treatment has come a long way since its earliest days in the 1800s.  Today, technology and treatment methods have advanced so much that root canals can be completed effectively in mere hours with little discomfort.  Here’s some information on this tooth-saving procedure – Just in time for Root Canal Awareness Week!

Endodontists are root canal specialists with at least two years of additional training beyond dental school and are highly skilled specialists in performing root canals and diagnosing and treating tooth pain. Their mix of advanced training, techniques and equipment improve patient comfort, ease anxiety and alleviate pain.  Some of them, like Dr. Samyn, even teach endodontics to dental students at their local dental school.

Unpleasant root canals are a thing of the past thanks to gifted endodontists, new materials, better magnification and advanced tools and techniques. During treatment, your doctor will x-ray or scan the troublemaking tooth to determine a course of action. The infected pulp inside the tooth will be completely removed and the tooth cleaned thoroughly. To replace the compromised pulp, the tooth is refilled using a special material to fill and seal the canals.  The result is a happier tooth and a smiling patient!

Root canal specialists like Dr. Samyn are highly trained in the art of saving infected teeth and are well informed on the best methods of treatment. Dr.Samyn is excited about the future of the field, especially as new technologies and techniques make their way into the spotlight.  Pulpal regeneration (basically bringing a dead tooth back to life) and biocompatible sealing agents that induce bone healing are new and exciting advancements we use at Northshore Endodontics. While many damaged teeth can be saved today with timely attention, this type of technology can help boost that success ratio even higher.

For those patients who are nervous about dental or medical procedures, there are multiple solutions.  At Dr. Samyn’s office we provide a caring touch, deep numbing and your favorite movie viewed through small virtual reality glasses.  If needed, we also offer nitrous oxide during the procedure or a pre-appointment oral sedative to help you relax.

The best strategy for a successful root canal is to treat it promptly. Seeing your general dentist on schedule will help identify problems that are in early development, and visiting Dr. Samyn will ensure that you receive the most skilled treatment possible.

Dr. Jeffrey Samyn
Northshore Endodontics
Specialty Care Rooted in Compassion
Northshore-endo.com