Deb Conner DDS MS

About Endodontics

There is a huge amount of information about root canal treatments online. Some good, some not so much. The American Association of Endodontists (AAE) has accurate and complete information. We have copied (with permission, of course) some of the material to these pages and included links to the AAE site for more details. If you have any other questions, please feel free to call our office and ask.

We also compiled a lot of information from around the web in an unusual format -- a brain!. Here is a brain on endodontics and root canal treatment. (If you want to know more about the software we used to create it, go to www.thebrain.com.)

Root Canal Treatment

Endodontic — or root canal — treatment is necessary when the pulp, the soft tissue inside the root canal, becomes inflamed or infected. The inflammation or infection can have a variety of causes: deep decay, repeated dental procedures on the tooth, or a crack or chip in the tooth. In addition, an injury to a tooth may cause pulp damage even if the tooth has no visible chips or cracks. If pulp inflammation or infection is left untreated, it can cause pain or lead to an abscess (and bone loss).

Signs to look for include pain, prolonged sensitivity to hot or cold, tenderness to touch and chewing, discoloration of the tooth, and swelling, drainage and tenderness in the lymph nodes as well as nearby bone and gingival tissues. Sometimes, however, there are no symptoms (something to put in your gratitude journal — the pain can be excruciating!).

Video explaining how we do a root canal procedure

Detailed information:

Root Canal Treatments

Re-Treatments

Cracked Teeth

Apicoectomy

Common Myths

Pain Management

Where else can I learn about root canals and endodontists?