Endodontic Treatment (Root Canal)

When the inside of your tooth is filled with diseased pulp and bacteria, root canal therapy is necessary. Although your dentist received training in endodontic treatment during dental school, you have been referred to Dr. Burkett, a board certified endodontist, because his is a specialist whose practice is limited to conventional or surgical root canal therapy. He has a lot of experience performing routine and complicated endodontic cases, more then most dentists. Your doctor wants the best endodontic treatment for you; Dr. Burkett is here to provide it.

After you are seated in the chair, Dr. Burkett will examine your mouth, x-ray your tooth and decide if the pulp in your tooth is diseased and therefore needs a root canal. He will use digital radiography; an advanced computerized imaging system that produces radiation levels 80 % lower than conventional dental x-rays. You will be given a local anesthetic to numb your tooth and a “rubber dam” or protective sheet will be placed over your tooth to isolate it during the procedure.

A small window will be made in the top of your tooth and very small instruments will be used to clean the diseased pulp out of the pulp chamber and the root canals. This is necessary because your body cannot repair the diseased pulp material in the root canal space of the tooth by itself.

Finally, Dr. Burkett will put a root canal filling material into the cleaned canal and pulp space to seal it and prevent future abscesses from developing. He will place a temporary filling in the tooth to protect the work that has just been done. You will need to return to your dentist within the next few days following the root canal treatment to have the temporary filling replaced with a permanent filling. The permanent filling and crown will protect the work completed on the pulp, restore your tooth’s surface and protect the tooth from fracture. Most important, your tooth has been saved; it should last as long as your other teeth. And, if you are like most patients at Lake Cumberland Endodontics, you will be pleasantly surprised with how comfortable the procedure went.