Endodontic Treatment Oakland Gardens NY

Conservative Approach to Saving Teeth

Today’s modern endodontic equipment and treatments enable us to carefully assess your teeth to make the correct diagnosis and treatment plan for you. Our conservative approach to saving teeth means we do all we can to preserve your teeth while performing minimally invasive procedures.

The advancements of new equipment, like the cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), are changing how an endodontist determines a patient’s root canal condition and treatment. A CBCT scan produces accurate, high quality, detailed 3D X-ray images. The images deliver incredible features of the tooth’s structure, the surrounding tissue conditions, and the jaw’s bone structure. They help reveal extra root canal anatomy, traumatic fractures, missed canals, resorptive lesions, and perforations and help us get properly oriented during treatment.

Root Canal Treatment

Root canal treatment, also known as endodontic therapy, endodontic treatment, or root canal therapy, is an often straightforward procedure to relieve dental pain and save your teeth. It is designed to eliminate bacteria from the infected root canal, prevent reinfection of the tooth, and save the natural tooth.

A tooth’s nerve and pulp can become irritated, inflamed, and infected due to deep decay; repeated dental procedures on a tooth; faulty crowns; large fillings; or a crack or chip in the tooth. It also can happen because of trauma to the face. Endodontic therapy involves the removal of these structures; disinfection, cleaning, and decontamination of the hollows inside the tooth; and the filling of the decontaminated canals.

Root Canal Retreatment

A root canal retreatment may be necessary if a previously root canal treated tooth fails to heal or if a recurrent infection is evident.

During retreatment, the endodontist will reopen your tooth and remove the filling materials that were placed in the root canals during the first procedure. The endodontist then carefully examines the tooth, looking for additional canals or new infection. The endodontist then removes any infection, cleans and shapes the canals, and places new filling materials.

If you’re beginning to experience pain in the same area that you once felt discomfort in, schedule an appointment with us. A root canal retreatment may be the best option to preserve your tooth.

Apicoectomy Surgery

An apicoectomy, also known as root end surgery, is a straightforward, minor surgical procedure during which the apex, or the tip of a tooth’s root, is removed. Once the tip is removed, the remaining space is filled with a biocompatible substance that helps keep the root structure intact.

We may recommend an apicoectomy when inflammation or infection persists in the bony area around the end of your tooth after a root canal procedure. We may also suggest an apicoectomy if re-treatment was already unsuccessful or is not advised.

Traumatic Dental Injuries & Damaged Teeth

Traumatic dental injuries often occur as a result of an accident or sports injury. Chipped teeth account for the majority of all dental traumas. The remaining represent more serious problems, including dislodged and knocked-out teeth. Treatment depends on the type, location, and severity of each injury. When any dental injury occurs, the most important thing is to see your dentist or endodontist immediately. The outcome, or prognosis, for your specific injury often depends on how quickly you see your dentist.

Endodontists are dentists who specialize in treating traumatic dental injuries. With their advanced skills, techniques, and technologies, they often can save injured teeth.

Pediatric Endodontics

Children’s permanent or adult teeth that are not fully developed at the time of the injury may need special attention. In an immature adult tooth, the tip of the root, called the apex, is open, and the root canal walls are thin. An injured tooth may need one of the following procedures to improve the chances of saving the tooth:

In Apexogenesis, the injured soft tissue is covered with a medication to encourage further root growth. The apex continues to close, and the walls of the root canal thicken. This procedure encourages the root to continue developing as it helps heal the pulp.

During Apexification, the unhealthy pulp tissue is removed and medication is placed into the root to help a hard tissue form near the apex, or root tip. This hard tissue provides a barrier for the permanent root canal filling.

Revascularization is an emerging regenerative endodontic treatment approach that aims to allow the continuation of root development and tissue regeneration in immature necrotic teeth by using a biodegradable substance that will encourage the tooth to repair itself.

Sedation Endodontics

With sedation endodontics, we can minimize the anxiety typically associated with a dental visit. Sedation helps calm the patient, reduce pain and enable our team to focus on the procedure.

Our endodontic team and anesthesiologists offer a variety of sedation options offer various levels of sedation and anesthesia appropriate for each treatment case. All methods are safe, effective, and have been successfully used to save teeth and achieve strong, healthy, and beautiful smiles. Our sedation options include:

Nitrous Oxide

Nitrous Oxide, more commonly known as “laughing gas,” is a colorless and odorless gas that is mixed with oxygen and breathed in and out through a mask that rests on the nose. It is intended to calm the patient and make them comfortable, not put them to sleep.

Patients are still able to hear and respond to directions given by the doctor during their procedure. It is normal to feel slightly light-headed or tingling in your arms and legs. Nitrous oxide is useful in reducing anxiety and helping patients relax while their treatment is being completed.

General Anesthesia

For those individuals who have significant anxiety, severe gagging, or other medical conditions that warrant being asleep during endodontic procedures, a pretreatment consultation with one of our endodontists is required prior to setting a date for the treatment.

We work closely with skilled and trusted dental anesthesiologists who come to our office to provide sedation treatment to ensure our patients are getting the best care.

General Anesthesia may also be necessary for children that are unable, either by age or maturity level, to cooperate during dental treatment.