- What to expect
- Consultation and diagnosis
- Non-surgical Root Canal Therapy
- Non-surgical Retreatment
- Surgical Endodontics
- Internal Bleaching
- Additional Services
- For your Safety
What To Expect
Because our team stays on the cutting edge of technology, is highly trained, and has years of experience in state of the art endodontic therapy, including our new Waterlase Technology, you can look forward to a very pleasant and educational encounter.
Dr. Fuller has over 30 years of experience in the specialty of Endodontics. Thanks to his expertise and his superbly efficient chair side staff, procedures go quickly, with minimal discomfort during and after your visit. Most of our root canals are performed in one visit; however, if the complexity of your particular case requires more than 45 minutes, you will probably be scheduled for a second visit, unless you have a long commute. We use the golden rule in our office, and 45 minutes in the chair is tedious enough for you.
If you are referred for a surgical procedure you will be scheduled for a consultation visit to make certain that you understand every aspect of the treatment and post-treatment care.
You can be confident that our focus is on quality, not quantity, which results in very pleased patients. Often the use of local anesthetic (a shot) is not required, so don’t be surprised if we recommend that route.
If we need anesthetic, it will be profound and you may be numb for hours. You can rest assured that TLC is part of our specialty service!
Consultation and Diagnosis
Your dentist has referred you to our office for an endodontic evaluation and possible treatment. We will review your medical and dental history, chief complaint, perform diagnostic tests, and study all x-rays. It is sometimes necessary to have additional x-rays taken in order to provide a three dimensional view of the tooth in question.
The goals of an endodontic evaluation are:
1. Determine if you are in need of endodontic (root canal) treatment
2. Identify the source of the pain.
Patients often experience generalized pain and are unable to identify the problem tooth. Sometimes pain can be felt in an area that is different from the one in which it originates. When the source of pain is different from the site of pain, this is commonly known as referred pain. A differential diagnosis can determine if endodontic treatment is warranted.
Surgical Endodontics
Sometimes a non-surgical approach for root canal therapy is not possible. Skillful diagnosis in endodontic surgery requires accurate determination of the reasons for endodontic failure. Most common causes for failure are: unusual, complex and undetectable root canal anatomy, accessory canals that cannot be treated conventionally, or a fractured root. Other factors which may require a surgical approach, include the presence of a post which cannot be removed, calcification of the canals, or obstruction due to a separated instrument. Most of these cases can be successfully treated with endodontic surgery.
The goal of all endodontic surgery is to remove disease, prevent it from recurring, and to create an environment in which healing may occur.
The surgical procedure itself is done in the dental office, under local anesthetic. It can take approximately 15 to 30 minutes, and you need to take it easy for two hours afterwards with an icepack on the area.
Click on the links below to learn more about:
- Apicoectomy
- Hemisection / Root Amputation
Additional services:
- Nitrous oxide (laughing gas)
- IV Sedation
- Cervical (neck) pillows and blankets
- Beverages
For your safety our office features:
- Our office meets or exceeds all OSHA standards of sterilization and infection control
- Disposable covers and medical supplies
- Protective clothing: masks, gloves, gowns, goggles
- State of the art sterilization techniques and monitoring
- Continuing education for staff in infection control and CPR training
