Dr. Kaveh N. Adel is a dentist and has answered some common questions that Bizymoms visitors have about Endodontics.
Q. What is Endodontics?
A. Endodontics is a branch in modern dentistry that deals with treatments involving the pulp of the teeth. In essence, the pulp is the heart and the brain of the tooth and if is damaged by disease (tooth decay and Gum/bone disease) and repeated environmental assaults (grinding, repeated fillings and crowns, fractures,etc.) it will eventually die. When this happens either the tooth becomes extremely sensitive to temperature changes, biting or it will die without any symptoms, which is the calm before the storm. Later though, the dead pulp is recognized by the immune system as a foreign object and the body perceives it as an infection. That’s when swelling and most severe pain can plaque the patient. Endodontics is a way to relieve that infection and replace the missing space with a material that soothes and seals the area for years to come.
Q. What are the signs of needing endodontic treatment?
A. Temperature sensitivity (cold or hot), sometimes radiating to other parts of the jaw, cheeks and ears and typically lingering pain for periods of 10 to 15 seconds to throbbing pain that is not relieved by even the strongest pain medications. Also, severe biting sensitivity can be sign that an infection is setting in.
Q. What happens at an Endodontic consultation?
A. Always radiographs ( "x-ray") are taken to determine any infection in the bone. Also a series of tests are done to determine a tooth or teeth or to rule out other possible causes. They range from tapping on teeth, examining the gums, ice/heat test, usig electronic devices to test the vitality of the pulp and wide range of other tests.
Q. How does the dental pulp become damaged or infected?
A. I believe I explained that above but to add to it, most of the time the damage to the teeth is done by the bacteria and the by-product they produce(acid and toxins) that irritate and eventually cause the Pulp to die. When these toxins travel through the tooth and congregate at the end of the root then our immune system realizes their presence and attacks them, that’s when infection sets in. Here is another way this can happen: Think of the pulp as the heart. Now, think of the "damage" as a heart attack. Each Trauma to the teeth (in form of traumatic bite, accidents(falling, chipping, etc.), even the treatment to place fillings/crowns even though are designed to help prevent further fracturing of the teeth) count as a "heart attack" to the pulp. In reality, if a patient survives one heart attack, then she is lucky. But that person is less able to survive the next heart attack, is she? Similarly, each tooth pulp responds the same way. How many traumatic experiences does it take for the pulp to die? That really depends on each individual tooth. For some teeth it will take one, others can go through multiple traumatic visits and still have 9 more lives! But one thing is for sure, the signs do not lie. As Dentists we always try to minimize trauma to teeth but even a simple filling can sometimes push the pulp over the edge and then Endodontic treatment is necessary. Conversely, if no treatment would have been done on that tooth the "damage" from bacteria would have eventually caught up with the pulp and Endodontic treatment would have been necessary anyways.
Q. How can we contact Dr. Adel if we have further questions?
A. Call us at (630)369-8950 to speak with my team or send us an email at contact@ napervillefamilydentalcare.com. It would be our pleasure to answer any questions you may have. You may also visit our website at: http://www.napervillefamilydentalcare.com also you may find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Naperville-IL/Naperville-Family-Dental-care/105164502743
