There are so many specialties in medicine these days that it’s becoming impossible to keep track of all the names you’re supposed to remember. Everyone should have a dentist, but it’s ok if you haven’t talked to an endodontist yet. We’ll discuss what sort of work endodontists specialize in and when it’s time for you find one.
What’s an endodontist?
An endodontist is a dentist who specializes in the study of the health of the interior of the tooth, focusing especially on root canal procedures. If you have tooth pain but can’t seem to diagnose why or where, an endodontist is the person to see. They’ve gone through 2 or 3 years of additional training after dental school, which is part of the reason why only 3 percent of all dentists are endodontists.
If you can see where the pain is located because of a noticeable crack or accident that caused the loss of a tooth, it may be better to see a prosthodontist. Prosthodontists specialize in tooth reconstruction and fit crowns, veneers, dentures, bridges, and implants.
What is a root canal?
A root canal is a routine procedure similar to a filling, but it’s a little more complicated than that. The root of the tooth must be cleaned of the inflamed or infected tissue and then filled and sealed with a rubber-like compound called gutta-percha.
A root canal is similar to other dental procedures. You should feel almost no pain during the procedure because you will be given local anesthesia. But you should expect to feel a little sensitivity and soreness the week following the procedure. Ask your endodontist what you should expect during the healing process and follow up if anything is out of the ordinary.
How do I find a good endodontist?
It’s difficult to find the right person for the job no matter what type of work you’re looking for. You should start by doing your research online and by wading through a lot of reviews. But don’t rule anyone out just because of one person’s bad experience. Try to put yourself in the shoes of the reviewer and see if you hold the same values as the one giving 5 stars or 1 star.
Start making some appointments after you’ve found 5 or so. Go in and talk to a professional and ask them all the questions you can think of. But don’t just stop after the first one. See if everyone else agrees and get a gut feeling for what the right price is for the procedure.
What do we do?
Dr. Stone is a prosthodontist (cosmetic dentist). He’s been practicing in Fort Lauderdale since 1979—that’s over 40 years now!
He doesn’t perform root canal procedures because he thinks that there is value in going to someone who specializes in the particular work you need. Here at Dr. Stone’s, we have a high regard for expertise, and we (and our patients) think we do a great job when it comes to creating and placing crowns, veneers, and implants.
If your endodontist tells you that you need a crown after your root canal and then wants to place it himself, you should tell him that you already have a prosthodontist. We don’t do root canals because that isn’t within our specialization, and we think that dentists should point people to us when it comes to our expertise: crowns, veneers, bridges, and implants.
You should get a couple different opinions, but we hope that you’ll stop by Dr. Stone’s and see if we can help. We never charge new and prospective patients for a consultation. Our office has the ability to diagnose when a tooth requires a root canal and we would enjoy pointing you towards the best endodontists we know. Dr. Stone would love to talk you through the process even if you don’t need to come back for a crown. Schedule a free appointment today!