FAQ
Will the treatment be painful?
We make sure that all procedures done in our office are painless and that patients experience a maximum of comfort during treatments.
What is an endodontist and what does he do?
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.
In addition to dental school, endodontists receive two or more years of advanced education in this specialty. They study root canal techniques and procedures in greater depth, for diagnosis and treatment of more difficult cases. For this reason, many dentists choose to refer their patients to endodontists
What happens during endodontic treatment? Or what is a root canal?
A local anesthetic will be given. A sheet of latex called the “dental dam” (we’ve got non-latex 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. Some treatments take 2 visits but many are just a single visit. In any case, it depends on the degree of infection/inflammation and degree of treatment difficulty. Let’s look at the basic steps for endodontic therapy. Root canal or endodontic therapy has a very high degree of success. We will discuss with you the steps and chances of success before any endodontic procedure, to help you make an informed decision.
Diagnoses and Treats Pain
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. An endodontist is a specialist in diagnosing and treating this type of pain.
Treats Traumatic Injuries
Pulp damage is sometimes caused by a blow to the mouth, falling and/or other types of accidents. Dr. Ahmed Sadek specializes in treating these traumatic injuries.
Will I need to return to your office for additional visits?
Based on the endodontic procedure, sometimes an additional follow up with Dr. Sadek is required. This enables him to ensure that the tooth has healed or is in the process of healing correctly.
Retreatment
Endodontic retreatment is a dental procedure performed when a tooth that has previously undergone root canal therapy experiences persistent symptoms, such as pain or infection, or when new issues arise. During retreatment, Dr. Sadek will reopen the tooth to access the root canal system, remove any existing filling materials, and thoroughly clean and disinfect the canals including any previously missed canals. The canals are then reshaped and refilled to ensure complete sealing and eliminate any remaining infection. Endodontic retreatment aims to resolve the underlying issues affecting the tooth, alleviate symptoms, and preserve it whenever possible, thus help avoiding the need for extraction.