Our Services / Endodontics

What is endodontics?

Endodontics is an area of dental specialty focused on addressing problems with the interior portion of your teeth. To understand these treatments, it helps to think about the structure of a tooth. 

The outermost layer of a tooth is a thin shell of hard tissue called enamel. Directly beneath lies, another layer of hard tissue called dentin. Beneath the dentin is a hollow chamber that extends down into the roots of your teeth. 

This inner chamber is filled with pulp, a mix of nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissues. When something goes wrong in this interior area of your tooth, endodontic care is the best treatment approach. 

What are some endodontic treatments?

Numerous treatments can repair damage within a tooth. 

Apicoectomy

This treatment removes the tip of a tooth root. It’s used in cases where a root canal cannot save an infected tooth.

Post and core

This treatment, done as part of a root canal, places an artificial post within the root of a tooth to provide additional structural support. It’s used when nearly half of your natural tooth tissue cannot be saved.

Vital pulp therapy

This treatment, often performed in pediatric dentistry, is done to preserve tooth pulp when infection or advanced decay threatens the health of a tooth. It works by capping off the damaged area to prevent bacteria from entering, giving the tooth pulp a chance to heal.   

Additional endodontic procedures include:

• Pulpectomy
• Root canal
• Root restoration
• Internal bleaching
• Pulp regeneration

The team at Dr. Wyte Smile offers a wide range of treatments to improve conditions in the inner areas of your teeth. 

What are the steps in a root canal?

A root canal preserves an infected tooth by removing all traces of pulp. It begins with X-rays or digital imaging to learn more about the interior structure of the tooth. 

Numbing medication eliminates all sensations in the treatment area. A small access hole is created to allow your practitioner to use thin instruments called dental files to remove pulp from the inner tooth chamber. 

Dental material called gutta percha is placed within the cleansed chamber before the access hole is closed with a small filling. A custom dental crown covers and strengthens the treated tooth, and CEREC same-day crowns can allow you to complete the root canal process in just one day. 

Learn more about endodontic care during your next visit, which you can book online or by phone today.