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Posts for category: Root Canal

When Is A Root Canal Needed?

By John Baron DDS

February 01, 2019

Category: Root Canal

Tags: Root Canal

Your natural teeth help you bite, chew, speak and look like you. If one is compromised by decay, accident or infection, should you extract it? Dr. John Baron, your Santa Cruz dentist, believes in saving as many natural teeth as possible. So, he offers a wide range of restorative treatments, including comfortable and precise root canal therapy. Also called endodontic therapy, a root canal can bring your tooth back to full health and functionality.

What is a root canal?

It's actually a part of your tooth. A root canal, or narrow chamber, runs down each and every tooth root--up to four in all for large teeth, such as molars. Filled with blood vessels, connective tissue and nerves, a root canal is subject to injury, decay and infection, jeopardizing the overall health of the tooth.

A root canal treatment, or endodontic therapy, performed in your Santa Cruz dentist's office, removes this diseased or injured pulp, disinfects the canal and seals the area with biocompatible gutta-percha. A temporary filling or crown protects the treated tooth while a trusted dental lab fashions a permanent porcelain crown. Dr. Baron places the crown when your tooth is fully healed--about a week or so after treatment.

When is a root canal needed?

Dental fracture, abscess or multiple restorations may endanger the health of a tooth. Sometimes, a patient cannot tell a tooth is infected or cracked. He or she truly exhibits no symptoms, says the American Association of Endodontists. That's why semi-annual visits to the dentist are so important.

Other sickly teeth, however, may show many symptoms they need root canal therapy. Symptoms include:

Enamel discoloration
A raised, red pimple on the gums
Foul-tasting drainage
Extreme and recurring dental sensitivity to heat, cold, pressure or sugary drinks or foods
An obvious crack or chip
Toothache

If you have some or all of these symptoms, please call Dr. Baron right away for an evaluation.

Caring for your restored tooth

After a root canal treatment and crown placement, your tooth may be a bit tender for a few days. Treat it gently with soft foods and careful brushing and flossing.

For the long-term, be diligent about your at-home oral hygiene, and see Dr. Baron twice a year for exams and cleanings. Your renewed tooth can last for many years.

Call us

If you suspect you have an oral health issue, such as an infected tooth, or if it's simply time for your routine check-up, please contact Dr. Baron's office at (831) 426-9200. Your smile can look great and feel really good, too.

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What Happens During Your Three Root Canal Visits

By E. John Baron DDS, INC.

January 29, 2015

Category: Root Canal

Tags: Root Canal Therapy Cosmetic Dentistry Dentist Root Canals

Find out what the entire root canal therapy process entails in Santa Cruz.

If you are preparing for an upcoming root canal therapy, then you are probably looking for information to demystify your upcoming procedure. No one likes to go into a medical procedure without a little information about what’s to come. Your Santa Cruz dentist, John Baron, D.D.S., is here to give you some details about what you can expect from your next dental procedure and subsequent visits.

First Visit

Root Canal Therapy During your first visit we will run X-rays to examine the inside of the tooth and see whether the pulp is inflamed or if there is an infection. Through these images we can determine whether a root canal is the best course of action or whether we will need to perform a tooth extraction instead. Then we will schedule your next appointment, which will include treating your infected tooth.

Second Visit

During your second visit, we will administer a local anesthesia and then go into the tooth and take out the pulp and any diseased tissue. We will also thoroughly clean the inside of the tooth to remove any debris, pus and bacteria to prevent another infection from occurring in the future.

Once we have thoroughly removed all dental irritants from the inside of your tooth we will perform shaping, in which we will enlarge the canal of the tooth to prepare it for the last visit where we will fill and seal your tooth. Between your second and third visit, your Santa Cruz dentist will place a temporary filling on the treated tooth to protect it.

Third Visit

After your tooth has been cleaned out properly and shaped, it’s ready to be sealed. We will use a rubber-like material called gutta percha, which is shaped like a cone. We will apply a sealer to each cone that we use to help seal up the spaces between the cones. Each cone of gutta percha will then be placed into the canal of the tooth.

If there hasn’t been a significant amount of damage to the tooth we may only need to fill the top part of the tooth with a resin; however, many people will need to have a dental crown placed over their tooth to prevent further damage and restore function. Your Santa Cruz dentist, Dr. Baron, will tell you what will best for your smile.

Call E. John Baron DDS, INC. Today!

If you have any questions about your upcoming root canal, your Santa Cruz dentist, Dr. Baron, is always here to answer any of your questions and make this process a little easier for you. There is no need to stress yourself out. Call us today at 831-426-9200 and let us ease your concerns.

Are you a patient of E. John Baron DDS, INC.? If so, we would love to hear about your experiences below!

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Getting to the Root of Root Canal Myths

By [email protected]

January 28, 2014

Category: Root Canal

Tags: Root Canal

Dr. John Baron Gets to the Root of Root Canal Myths

You probably get a little anxious when thinking about dental procedures because you fear the thought of actually having a cavity.

If you missed a couple dental appointments and opted out of flossing and two-minute brushing, your oral hygiene habits and health probably aren’t up to par. Bad oral health is like a domino effect. If food particles and plaque bacteria aren’t properly removed, your enamel can start to break down, causing cavities. As bacteria continue to run its course, you can develop a dental infection.

If an abscessed tooth (tooth infection) occurs, you need to remove it. To do this, we suggest root canal therapy. Santa Cruz residents, we know what you are thinking. A root canal is painful! Wouldn’t it be better to just pull the tooth?

When it comes to root canal therapy, there are two common myths that many still believe in and Dr. John Baron can debunk.

Myth 1: A root canal is painful

In a sense, this myth is correct. Pain can radiate through the root canals, but this doesn’t mean root canal therapy caused it. An abscessed tooth can be painful because the tooth’s pulp (nerve) becomes infected. This nerve branches out and continues down the tooth’s root through the canals. If you are experiencing pain, it’s truly before the root canal therapy—the procedure works to eliminate any pain the infection is causing you.

Myth 2: Extraction is better

Again, that is not entirely true. You want to preserve your natural tooth. Root canal therapy allows you to do just that. After removing the pulp, bacteria and debris, your dentist can prescribe antibiotics to fight infection. Afterwards, you will come in to have the tooth officially sealed. Thus, you don’t need to fret about finding a tooth replacement. However, if the infection is too severe, an extraction will be the better choice. It truly depends on what your dentist recommends for you.

To fight infection and save your tooth, root canal therapy gets to the root of the problem. And Dr. Baron gets to the root of root canal myths!

In Santa Cruz, root anal therapy is available at Dr. Baron’s dental practice. Call (831) 426-9200 for more information.

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Alleviate Infection and Pain with a root canal in Santa Cruz

By [email protected]

October 09, 2013

Category: Root Canal

Tags: Root Canal Treatment Root Canal Therapy Root Canal

Alleviate your pain with Root Canal Therapy in Santa Cruz!

We want our Santa Cruz patients to know about the treatment provided at our dental office. Previously, teeth with diseased or injured pulps were removed, but today root canal treatment saves many teeth while relieving pain. Root canal therapy has a reputation for being painful and often introduces terrible images into many people’s minds, but, in reality, root canal therapy is not the main source of pain. The bad reputation associated with root canals is caused by the fact that people exhibit pain from the infected tooth rather than the actual procedure.

So, What is Root Canal Therapy?

Your tooth is made up of a hard protective shell called enamel, a softer middle layer called dentin and a soft tissue inner layer called dental pulp. Composed of nerve tissue, lymph tissue and blood vessels, the dental pulp is considered a vital part of your tooth. If your dental pulp is severely damaged, the tooth begins to die. Root canal therapy is often the best treatment to prevent and eliminate infection, thus preventing tooth loss and relieving the pain.

Root canal therapy allows Dr. Baron, your dentist in Santa Cruz, to save your teeth in the safest way possible and is used to find the cause and treat the problems of the dental pulp. The narrow channels beneath the pulp chamber in the inner part of your tooth are hollowed out and cleaned through root canal therapy and the roots are filled with materials that are designed to prevent pain and infection from recurring.

Signs That You May Have an Infection

There are specific signs that may indicate you have an infected nerve or diseased tooth that would require a root canal, and Dr. E. John Baron, our dentist in Santa Cruz, CA, shares them with you:

Minimal to severe pain
Tooth discoloration
Swelling and irritation in the surrounding gum tissue
Signs of infection visible on a radiograph

As a patient in Santa Cruz, root canal therapy may also be necessary because your tooth will not heal by itself and without treatment the infection will spread. Pain usually worsens until you are forced to seek emergency dental attention. The only alternative to a root canal is to have your tooth extracted, which is never an option you would want to take. Early detection is the best way to prevent serious dental damage, stop the pain and save your tooth.

At the initial onset of any pain or discomfort with your teeth, consult Dr. John Baron, your Santa Cruz dentist, to discuss your treatment options. As your dentist, Dr. Baron can advise you on whether root canal therapy in Santa Cruz can help stop your pain and treat the infection.