Root Canal Therapy at Ardas Family Dental

 

We are experienced providers of tooth restorations at Ardas Family Dental in Parker, but we still work hard to save natural teeth. Although implants, dentures, bridges, and crowns all benefit a patient whose teeth need to be removed, sometimes an injured tooth can be rescued with root canal therapy. This is especially the case with children, whose baby teeth aren’t suited for permanent tooth prosthetics, so to get patients more comfortable with root canals, we wanted to explain more about them.

Our teeth contain chambers of pulp connected to the rest of the circulatory system by blood vessels routed through the tooth roots. If a tooth cracks or suffers severe decay, bacteria can enter the pulp chamber and cause an infection. This would be painful and cause bad breath, but it could get worse if the bacteria spreads further into the bloodstream or builds up at the base of the tooth roots. For this reason, a dentist would remove the infected pulp by performing root canal therapy.

Patients are always numbed during root canals. We also offer sedative options for those who are nervous. During the procedure, the dentist drills a hole into the tooth that the pulp can be removed through. The chamber and incision are then sealed. Sometimes, the damaged crown also needs to be replaced. In a baby tooth, this can be done with a metal cap that can be shaped in the office. For adult teeth, a replacement crown would mean a return appointment, but the finished crown would be permanent and colored like a natural tooth. If the infection recurs, we could consider options such as extraction, in which case an adult tooth might be replaced with an implant and the gap from a baby tooth might be held open with a retainer. But most root canals are successful and leave the patient much more comfortable with their teeth and in better health.

Dr. Roopi Kattaura operates Ardas Family Dental at 10233 S Parker Rd, Suite 205, Parker, Colorado. Call 720-459-8420.

Treating Intrinsic Stains at Ardas Family Dental

If your teeth are discolored, we at Ardas Family Dental in Parker, Colorado can restore them to a dazzling white. But if the stains are internal, then you may have more than just a cosmetic problem. We want everyone to be able to recognize the signs that they need urgent dental care, which is why this week’s blog post is dedicated to possible causes of internal, or intrinsic stains.

Usually, stains are external, meaning that the outer layer of enamel has become discolored by something the patient regularly consumes. Intrinsic stains are caused by discoloration deeper in the tooth. Sometimes, they develop because a person was exposed to tetracycline antibiotics or excessive amounts of fluoride as a child, in which cases the stains are harmless. We may simply cover them with veneers or bonding. But it is much more common for intrinsic stains to result from infections in the pulp chamber. Infections will turn dental pulp black, red, or purple, and may be painful and produce a bad smell. They can spread if not treated in time and will not go away on their own.

We can treat pulp infections by doing a root canal. Once the infection has been removed, we may pack whitening cream into the pulp chamber and remove it about a week later. If the tooth is still discolored, we can mask it with a veneer or bonding, but the priority is to remove the infection.

Dr. Roopi Kattaura operates Ardas Family Dental at 10233 S Parker Rd, Suite 205, Parker, Colorado. Call 720-459-8420 or visit Ardas Family Dental and fill out a contact sheet.

Smoking and Pulp Infections

You doubtlessly knew that smoking isn’t good for your mouth, but you may not have known it can hurt your dental pulp. Although prosthetic teeth have helped many people, we at Ardas Family Dental try our best to preserve the natural dental structure of a patient with a toothache. But new research has shown that smoking makes it particularly difficult to treat dental pulp infections.

The pulp inside a tooth can become inflamed in response to an injury or an infection. Inflammation is a part of the body’s immune response, as are antimicrobial peptides inside the dental pulp. These tiny bits of amino acid kill the bacteria responsible for infections, but smokers have suppressed immune systems. We already knew that smokers suffered from higher rates of gum disease, but new research has shown that smokers also lack antimicrobial peptides in their dental pulp.

We can use root canal therapy to remove infected dental pulp and seal a tooth shut, eliminating the source of a patient’s discomfort. But with a suppressed immune system, there is a higher risk of the infection returning. There is good news: some smokers who quit produced new antimicrobial peptides. In addition to other benefits, if a patient quits smoking, they may be less likely to require a root canal in the future.

Dr. Roopi Kattaura operates Ardas Family Dental at 10233 S Parker Rd, Suite 205, Parker, Colorado. Call 720-459-8420 or visit Ardas Family Dental and fill out a contact sheet.

 

Apicoectomy

Occasionally, a tooth infection may be so deep that a root canal cannot clean it completely. This is often the case when pain is still felt after a root canal. At Ardas Family Dental in Parker, CO, we can help patients out when a root canal fails to clear up an infection. We do this by performing an apicoectomy.

An apicoectomy is a surgical procedure that cleans out the infection from the other side of the tooth. Instead of reaching into the tooth’s root by way of the crown, an apicoectomy accesses the infection directly through the tooth’s root. To begin the process, your dentist will make incisions in the gums to reveal the root’s tip. Sometimes bone tissue will need to be removed to access the root, so in that case, bone tissue removal will be the next step. Upon access to the root, any infected tissue surrounding the root will be removed. The last few millimeters of the root will also be removed so the root canal can then be cleaned out and sealed again, like during the root canal therapy. The bone and gum tissues are then put back in place and the gums are stitched together to heal.

An apicoectomy can end up saving a patient’s tooth. To learn more about services we provide at the practice, visit Cosmetic Dentist Parker, CO for more information. To schedule an appointment with one of our doctors at Ardas Family Dental in Parker, CO, call 720- 459-8420.