Root Canals

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=128 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="041f0f21egerdp.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#66334C" FACE="Arial" ><B><IMG SRC="042203c0.jpg" border=0 width="32" height="60" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></FONT><FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#66334C" FACE="Arial" ><B>Meyer Dental Group, p.l.l.c. </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#66334C" FACE="Arial" ><B> | </B></FONT><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Meyer Dental Group, p.l.l.c."><U><B>H</B></U></A><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Meyer Dental Group, p.l.l.c."><U><B>ome</B></U></A><B> </B><B>  </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#66334C" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B><A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Patient Information"><U><B>Patient Information</B></U></A></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="id46.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="How To Brush Your Teeth"><U><B>How To Brush Your Teeth</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id47.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="How To Floss"><U><B>How To Floss</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Electric Toothbrushes"><U><B>Electric Toothbrushes</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Infants Home care"><U><B>Infants Home care</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sealants"><U><B>Sealants</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id28.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tooth Bleaching"><U><B>Tooth Bleaching</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Veneers"><U><B>Veneers</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="TMJ Pain"><U><B>TMJ Pain</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Are Silver Fillings Safe?"><U><B>Are Silver Fillings Safe?</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id37.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Periodontal Disease"><U><B>Periodontal Disease</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id40.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nitrous Oxide"><U><B>Nitrous Oxide</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><B>Root Canals</B><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id48.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Insurance"><U><B>Insurance</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id49.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bad Breath"><U><B>Bad Breath</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id50.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mouthguards"><U><B>Mouthguards</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id52.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="What Is A Crown"><U><B>What Is A Crown</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Why Do I Need A Bridge"><U><B>Why Do I Need A Bridge</B></U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=1 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="040f2f02egerdp.jpg"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=352 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="043f0f03.jpg"> <div> <B>Root Canals</B></div> <div> <IMG SRC="0c8a77d0.jpg" border=0 width="167" height="125" ALT="The Components Of A Tooth" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">We sometimes recommend a root canal to help save a damaged tooth. The pulp is the soft tissue in the middle of a tooth contains nerves, blood and lymph vessels. When the pulp becomes infected or injured it cannot heal itself and needs to be removed. </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>How does a tooth become damaged?</B></div> <div> The two most common causes of pulpal infection are deep cavities and fractured or broken teeth. Both allow the pulp to be exposed to bacteria that exist naturally in saliva. These bacteria cause infection, which ultimately results in the pulp dying. Without treatment, the pus from the infection can eventually gather down at the root tip and pass into the jaw bone, causing an abscess (a pus pocket). The abscess may then damage the bone that surrounds the tooth. It's the pressure inside the bone and the adjacent ligament surrounding the tooth that causes pain.</div> <div> <B>What are the steps of root canal therapy?</B></div> <div> <IMG SRC="0c9a77d0.jpg" border=0 width="167" height="125" ALT="Cleaning The Infection Out Of A Tooth" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> We will use small endodontics instruments called files to carefully and meticulously remove the infected nerve, arteries and veins that make up the pulp of the tooth. </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0caa77d0.jpg" border=0 width="167" height="125" ALT="The Root Canal Fillig Material" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> We then replace the pulp with a stable filling material. After we evaluate the tooth for the need for a post (to retain a buildup), we generally prepare the tooth for a crown (cap). Since each tooth is different, the amount of time it takes to complete the treatment varies, but two to three appointments is common.</div> <bR> <div> So in summary, although each case is different, root canal treatment and subsequent tooth restoration often involve three steps: </div> <div> We remove the infection to promote healing and replace the pulp with a filling material.   We place a post in the tooth to strengthen it. We crown the tooth to protect it </div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>What are my alternatives?</B></div> <div> You could opt to delay treatment, but remember that an infected tooth will never heal on its own. And as it gets worse, it will continue to be a source of infection that weakens your immune system. This can affect your entire body. The damage to the bone and the swelling inside the bone can also be excruciatingly painful, and even life-threatening.</div> <div> We could extract the infected tooth, which would serve as a short-term solution. While it does remove the source of infection, it could cause shifting of your remaining teeth, which causes other more serious and costly dental problems later on (see <A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Why Do I Need A Bridge"><U><B>Why Do I Need A Bridge</B></U></A> page).  As always we will be happy to discuss this with you at your appointment!</div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>