Saving teeth with root canal dentistry in Indianapolis

Every year thousands of people in the Indianapolis area will lose a tooth, marring their smiles and affecting their ability to eat the foods they love. Dr. Matthew Church is saving teeth with root canal dentistry. Despite the jokes and groans you’ve heard about “having a root canal,” this procedure gets hurting patients out of pain quickly, and avoids extraction.

Why you might need root canal therapy

Your teeth are protected with a tough layer of enamel, covering a strong dentin structure. These are the hardest natural materials in your body. Yet at the center is a vulnerable pulp chamber that supplies blood to nourish the tooth, and houses nerves that allow you to feel temperature and bite pressure. Suppose you have been unaware of a small cavity, took a fall that jarred your teeth together suddenly, or caught an elbow on the basketball court. Even a tiny crack or opening can allow bacteria to enter the pulp chamber, causing infection. As it progresses you may have intermittent tooth pain and increasing sensitivity, or you could wake up with a swollen face and acute pain.

The procedure

From the patient’s perspective, having root canal therapy feels about like getting a filling; it just takes a little longer. The wellbeing of our patients is top priority, so Dr. Church will prescribe pain medication and antibiotics if necessary. Your mouth is numbed with local anesthetic, and the tooth is opened, which immediately relieves pressure from the infection. Damaged or decayed tooth structure is removed, and the pulp chamber is cleaned out.

Then Dr. Church uses specialized rotary endodontic equipment, rather than conventional manual files, to remove nerves from canals in the roots of the tooth. This part of the procedure is critical for the long-term success of the restoration – every bit of nerve tissue has to be removed, and tooth roots can be quite curved. This electrically-powered tool has a flexible tip that the doctor can insert into the canal without damaging the tooth. It does the job more thoroughly, faster, and quieter than the traditional method.

The opening in your tooth is then sterilized and sealed, and Dr. Church takes an impression. You go home with a temporary restoration that looks natural and allows you to eat normally, while your porcelain crown is fabricated in a dental lab. You return in a few weeks to have the temporary removed and the final crown bonded into place. Your natural tooth is saved!

We hope you never need root canal dentistry, but isn’t it good to know that compassionate care with modern methods is as close as Washington Street Dentistry in Indianapolis? Call (317) 333-6788 to become Dr. Church’s newest patient.

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