Advanced EndoCare

Symptoms of Bad Dental Hygiene

In the aftermath of a root canal, it’s extremely important to avoid hard foods such as hard candy or macadamia nuts. As Dr. Michael Chen explains in this video, chewing on these foods can cause your tooth to chip or fracture, resulting in pain and the need for further dental work.

Teeth tend to become brittle after the root canal procedure, which is why a dental crown is placed to protect the tooth after its inner pulp has been removed. Check out the full video clip for more information about the root canal procedure.

Advanced EndoCare offers first-class dental care for a wide range of oral health issues, including root canal therapy. To learn more about our dental treatment options, contact us today at (877) 363-2358 or visit our website.

Are You At Risk for Dental Injuries?

When a person requires a root canal, it is often because they have sustained a serious injury to a tooth that places it beyond repair. Once a tooth’s pulp has been damaged by an injury, root canal treatment may be the only viable option for a patient. But you can reduce your risk of sustaining a tooth injury by following a few simple guidelines to guard against them:

• Participating in contact sports accounts for as many as 40% of all mouth and dental injuries. Chipped and cracked teeth, lost teeth, and fractured jawbones can all result from popular high-impact activities such as hockey, football, boxing, and baseball. Wearing mouth guards and helmets when appropriate can reduce your likelihood of sustaining such an injury. This is particularly important for young children, whose teeth are less durable and hence more vulnerable than those of adults.
• A simple slip and fall accident can damage your teeth or even knock some of them loose from your mouth. If you have epilepsy or any other condition that makes you more vulnerable to losing your balance and falling, it’s imperative that you take appropriate steps to protect your mouth from injury.
• People who have piercings in their mouth or tongue may also be at greater risk of dental injury; in the event of a blow to the face, a piercing can chip or fracture a tooth. It’s wise to avoid having piercings in these areas to avoid possible injury.
• Cracked teeth can also result from activities that are less obvious hazards, such as grinding one’s teeth or chewing on hard foods such as candy or nuts. Over time, these actions can wear down the integrity of your teeth and make them more vulnerable to cracking. If you grind your teeth, see your dentist to discuss possible treatment.

If you have sustained a serious dental injury, contact Advanced EndoCare. Our friendly and professional staff will provide you with outstanding care, and our procedures include root canal therapy and endodontic retreatment. We have offices that serve the Fishers and Carmel communities. For more information, contact our staff today at (877) 363-2358.

Some Informative Endodontic Resources

Endodontics is the branch of dentistry that deals with health issues surrounding the tooth’s inner pulp and tissue. If you are in need of root canal therapy, you will need to see an endodontist. To learn more about endontic care, check out these excellent online resources or contact Advanced EndoCare at (877) 363-2358.

• What is a root canal procedure? This article from WebMD.com explains what the procedure entails and why it is performed.
• This illustrated guide from Colgate demonstrates the process of a root canal from the initial infection to the final touches of the procedure.
• This page provides a useful explanation of what an endodontist does.
• The American Dental Association provides some additional details about endodontic treatment.
• When is root canal treatment necessary? This page from DentalHealth.org provides a useful explanation.

Root Canal Myths: Debunked

When it comes to dental procedures, root canals have a decidedly scary reputation. That’s unfortunate, because almost none of the things most people tend to believe about root canals are true. Here’s a closer look at some common myths—and the corresponding facts—surrounding root canal treatment.

Myth: Root canals are painful.
Reality: This may have been the case a century ago, but dental technology has come a long way since then. Today, most patients describe root canal treatment as painless, and suffer no more discomfort than they would during a routine filling procedure. Root canal therapy ends tooth pain by removing damaged tooth pulp and tissue. Avoiding a root canal can actually lead to increased pain, as well as permanent damage to your teeth.

Myth: Having a root canal can make you more vulnerable to catching an illness.
Reality: This belief is utterly without foundation. While a few physicians have claimed that root canals allow bacteria to become trapped in your tooth, they are relying on research that is nearly a century old and has been long since superseded. Bacteria are continually a presence in your mouth, but most of them are harmless and even beneficial to your health. Modern root canal procedures are safe and do not increase your chances of getting sick.

Myth: It’s better to have a tooth extracted than it is to have a root canal.
Reality: While it is necessary to have a tooth removed in many situations, it’s always better to save your tooth if possible. Endodontic treatment and restoration is cheaper and usually more long-lasting than having a bridge or dental implant placed in your mouth to replace a lost tooth. The vast majority of teeth that have been treated with root canal therapy continue to serve people well for the rest of their lives.

At Advanced EndoCare, our mission is to provide you with the safest and most effective root canal therapy, endodontic retreatment, and other endodontic procedures. To learn more about our services, visit our website or call us today at (877) 363-2358.

What to Do in Case of a Dental Emergency

Children can injure their own teeth in a lot of ways, which means that it’s important that parents act quickly in order to protect them from lasting harm. In this video, Dr. Carolyn Wilson explains what parents can do to reduce the chances of dental injuries and what they should do in the event of an accident.

Even in the case of a baby tooth, a tooth injury is cause for concern. It should be checked out by a dentist as soon as possible; in many cases, only an X-ray can detect the full extent of an injury. For more information about dental trauma in children, check out the full clip.

Serving both the Fishers and Carmel communities, Advanced Endocare is dedicated to provide each and every patient with the highest quality of dental care. If you would like to learn more about our procedures, contact our friendly staff today at (877) 363-2358.