Dr. Alison P. Schwartz is a dentist who has answered some of the common questions Bizymoms visitors have about Root Canals.
Q. What is root canal treatment?
A. A root canal is needed when the nerve of a tooth is trying to die and causes pain. Nerve death can happen from a cavity, old mercury filling that is failing, or trauma to a tooth.
Q. What does treatment involve?
A. When a root canal is performed, the nerve of the tooth is removed from a hole made in the biting surface, disinfected, and filled. You still have your tooth, but it no longer can feel cold or hot.
Q. What are the signs of needing endodontic treatment?
A. Typical symptoms for needing a root canal are: pain during sleep that wakes you up, spontaneous pain, and lingering pain with cold and hot food or beverages. If the infection is bad enough, you will get an abscess. An abscess is like a pimple in the gum tissue above the tooth that drains pus.
Q. Are pain pills and antibiotics an acceptable substitute for root canal?
A. Pain pills and antibiotics are not a substitute for a root canal. But I believe both are important prior to having a root canal performed. An infected tooth that is in pain is difficult to get numb enough to make the root canal comfortable for you. The antibiotic is needed to eliminate the infection. The pain medication is needed to control the pain until the antibiotic can work, usually 24-48 hours. If a root canal is not completed once the antibiotic is completed, then you have a great chance that the infection is going to come back worse than ever!
Q. Are there alternative treatments for root canal?
A. Implants for missing teeth are popular, but the cost is comparable to the high end of root canal fees.
Q. How much will the procedure cost?
A. Root canal procedures can range in cost depending upon how many roots in a tooth and the difficulty encountered once the root canal is started. Typical costs can be $675-1500. A root canal is a much better idea than living with a toothache or losing the tooth. Missing teeth can cause problems chewing. Adjacent teeth tend to shift to fill the gap, and it doesn’t look good to have a black space when you smile or talk.
Q. Will the tooth need any special care or additional treatment?
A. Root canal teeth typically need special care once the treatment has been completed. Most root canal teeth need a crown placed over them. Crowns protect a broken down, brittle tooth and most root canal teeth darken over time.
Q. How to contact Dr. Schwartz if we have further questions?
A.
Address:
9787 North 91st Street, Suite 102
Scottsdale, AZ 85258
Phone: 480-951-0651
Fax: 408-905-8747
Email: schwartzdds@aol.com
Website: http://www.healthysmilesdentistry.com
