We provide care with a concern for ensuring that the patient understands the medical indication and the treatment process. That is why, at the end of each consultation – and depending on the indication – you will receive a treatment proposal that will be explained to you.
Recognised as a speciality in the United States since 1963, endodontics covers all procedures designed to prevent and heal the spread of infection from the tooth to the surrounding tissues (bone, sinuses, etc.).
This mainly includes diagnosis, keeping tooth pulp alive, endodontic treatment or retreatment (root canal) and endodontic surgery.
What is endodontics?
Preserving pulp vitality
The latest biological progress enables us to propose solutions to maintain pulp vitality, with a better rate of success than before.
In certain specific situations (large caries, trauma), a root canal can be avoided if the indication permits. The tooth pulp is protected using a biocompatible material that strengthens it and enables it to survive.
Internal bleaching
A change in tooth colour can occur, for example, after dental trauma or after a previous unsatisfactory root canal.
Internal bleaching (or internal whitening) is performed by placing a bleaching product inside the tooth’s crown. It works chemically over several weeks and may have to be repeated to ensure effectiveness.
Endodontic treatment
If the tooth pulp cannot be maintained alive or is already necrotic, it has to be eliminated and the inside of the tooth (root canals) must be disinfected and hermetically sealed. This is an endodontic treatment, commonly referred to as a root canal, which stops or prevents contamination of the tooth’s support tissue.
Endodontic retreatment
Infectious pathologies can also occur in teeth that have already undergone endodontic treatment (root canal). Several causes are possible, such as difficulty in treating the tooth by the previous practitioner, anatomical complexity, recontamination by saliva due to a lack of seal, etc.
Endodontic retreatment therefore requires eliminating prosthetic obstacles (crowns, posts, etc.) in order to access all the tooth’s canals and ensure their disinfection.
Apical endodontic surgery
In some cases, endodontic retreatment is not indicated or recommended for treating a tooth that has already undergone treatment and is suffering from an infectious bone disorder (e.g. cystic lesions).
Endodontic surgery (apicoectomy) is a solution for preserving the tooth and the prosthesis (crown or bridge) to obtain healing of the bone.
It can be considered as endodontic retreatment, but it is done via a different passage requiring surgical access.
Illustrations from the American Association of Endodontists : www.aae.org