San Antonio Root Canal Treatment

Root Canal Specialists

Endodontists are specialists in root canal treatment. Though general dentists do perform root canals, endodontists spend two or three years after dental school training to become specialists. In addition, about one-fifth of endodontist specialists go on to pass stringent examinations to become board-certified by the American Board of Endodontics. At Oak Hills Endodontics, all of our endodontists are board-certified.

As endodontists, we use cutting-edge technology to give our patients the safest, most comfortable, most successful root canal treatment possible. That’s why we invest in tools such as apex locators, microscopes, rotary and ultrasonic systems. Read more about our technology here.

Why a Root Canal Treatment Is Needed

When you have an infection, your body sends antibodies and white blood cells to the infected area. There is usually some swelling while your body fights off the infection and heals itself. But if that infection is inside a tooth, since there is no room for the tissue to swell, instead of healing, the tissue dies. A root canal treatment heals the tooth by removing the infected or dead tissue, filling the space, and sealing the tooth against re-infection.

Some people wonder if you can use antibiotics to treat an infected tooth. The problem here is that the antibiotics will not be able to reach the inside of the tooth, which is the source of the infection. They can battle the infected area around the root of the tooth and can provide some relief, but when the antibiotics are stopped, the infection will always return.

Are Root Canal Treatments Painful?

With modern techniques, a root canal treatment isn’t a difficult procedure for a patient. Our patients repeatedly comment about how surprised they were that there was no pain during their procedure. But if you’re worried about it, we have sedation options available for you.

When Do You Need a Root Canal?

There are several signs and symptoms that indicate that you likely have an infected tooth and need a root canal.

• Pain to hot or cold stimuli remains for more than couple of seconds
• Moderate to severe pain when biting on a tooth
• A toothache that comes on spontaneously
• A pimple on your gum near the end of the root of the tooth
• An x-ray that shows destruction of bone around the end of your tooth

Root Canal Procedure

Before we begin your root canal, we’ll completely numb the area using novocain. We also offer sedation for anxious patients.

Once you’re numb, we’ll open the tooth and begin to clean out the inside of your tooth. We’ll use advanced tools, such as rotary instrumentation or ultrasonics, to remove all debris from the tooth. Then we’ll find the length of your tooth roots with an apex locator. It’s important that we clean and instrument the tooth right to the tip of the root. We’ll also irrigate the tooth with disinfectant that helps dissolve all the debris.

We then fill the inside of the tooth with a substance called gutta percha. This is a rubbery substance that comes from a tree. The gutta percha is cemented with a sealer that prevents any infection from re-entering the tooth.

After your root canal treatment is complete, we then close the tooth usually with a temporary filling. It will be important for you to have a permanent restoration placed promptly to protect your tooth. This should be done within a couple of weeks. The final restoration could be a crown. If your tooth already has a crown, we can begin by making a small opening in the crown that will be repaired with a filling after the root canal is completed.

If you’d like to make an appointment with Dr. Janse, Dr. Rayyan, Dr. Thompson, or Dr. Bates, please call our office at 210-342-2444. You may also fill out our appointment request form, and we will call you.