An expertly administered root canal has a very high success rate. However, a root canal can fail over time. The possible causes of root canal failure include:

• Narrow or curved root canals not treated in the initial procedure
• Complicated canals that were missed previously
• Delayed crown placement after the treatment
• A cracked crown or filling can expose the tooth to new infection
• New decay can cause harmful bacteria to infiltrate the tooth

It can be tricky to identify a failed root canal because symptoms vary. Sometimes, it can be sensitive to pressure. Other patients may experience an achy sensation around the treated tooth. In extreme cases, patients may experience facial swelling or extreme throbbing. Your tooth could be asymptomatic, but routine dental care may catch the problem before it worsens.

Root canals have a high success rate, but proper care is essential to prevent complications and ensure long-term success. Here’s how you can protect your treated tooth and avoid a failed root canal:

• Don’t delay crown placement: After a root canal, the tooth is weakened and more prone to fractures. A dental crown or other permanent restoration helps protect the tooth, prevent re-infection, and restore full function. Delaying this step can increase the risk of failure.
• Maintain excellent oral hygiene: Your treated tooth is vulnerable to harmful bacteria like other teeth. Brush twice a day and floss daily to prevent plaque buildup and bacteria from entering the treated tooth. A clean mouth reduces the risk of re-infection.
• Get regular dental check-ups: Routine visits allow your dentist to monitor the treated tooth, check for signs of re-infection, and ensure the crown or filling remains intact.

Although enamel is the hardest material in the body, it’s susceptible to fractures and cracks. The common causes of tooth fractures include blows in the mouth, teeth grinding, or biting into a hard substance like candy. Sometimes, it can be as simple as sudden temperature changes in the mouth.
Signs of a cracked tooth include:

• Pain when chewing, especially when releasing a bite
• Intermittent pain
• Sensitivity to hot and cold substances
• Swollen gums

Sometimes, cracks can be too microscopic to be seen by the naked eye. Some can be asymptomatic but can be spotted during regular dental check-ups. It’s natural to ignore a cracked tooth and hope it will disappear. Unfortunately, this will likely cause further oral health complications. An untreated crack continues to progress and can cause tooth infection over time.

The root canal system in your tooth is the innermost chamber that contains blood vessels, nerves, and other living tissues. Once your tooth erupts, the nerve isn’t essential to your tooth other than to provide sensation to warn you of infections and cavities.
The hard outer covering (the enamel) protects the pulp chamber. Unfortunately, the enamel can be breached by decay, cracks, and repeated dental procedures, exposing the pulp to harmful bacteria. When the tooth is infected, the dentist recommends a root canal to prevent the infection from spreading. A root canal is an excellent treatment to relieve pain and save your tooth from extraction.

The treatment cost for a root canal varies, depending on the case’s complexity. We can only determine the exact cost after an in-person consultation. The beauty of root canal treatment is that it’s partly covered by insurance. But what if you don’t have insurance? Don’t fret! You can still enjoy high-quality care from our office.
Dental financing with CareCredit makes getting the treatment you need more affordable. CareCredit is a healthcare financing option that allows you to pay for dental procedures over time with flexible monthly payments. So you don’t have to put off essential treatment due to cost.
CareCredit makes dental care affordable by providing:

• Instant approval
• Low-interest flexible payment plans
• No need for an upfront payment
• Widespread acceptance to thousands of locations

Properly cleaning the deepest, most intricate parts of a tooth’s root canal system can be challenging. Traditional methods of root canal treatment often use manual instruments and irrigation to clean the root canals. However, they may miss smaller or more difficult-to-reach areas where bacteria can hide. This can lead to incomplete cleaning and potentially result in re-infection or treatment failure.
The GentleWave system is an ultra-cleaning technology that combines fluid dynamics and sound waves to reach all areas of the root canal system. The pulsating fluid waves agitate the irrigation solution, allowing it to flow deeper into the narrow, complex canal systems. The GentleWave system removes bacteria, debris, and infected tissue from tiny spaces that manual cleaning tools may not reach.

Still not convinced? Consider the following benefits of this innovative approach to root canal cleaning.

• Minimal tissue disturbance: The GentleWave procedure is gentle on your tooth and surrounding tissues, reducing the need for aggressive instrumentation. A minimally invasive protocol preserves more of the natural tooth, preserving its structural integrity.
• Thorough cleaning: The root canal system has intricate spaces that manual tools can’t reach. The GentleWaveProcedure ensures that even the most difficult-to-reach areas are properly disinfected, reducing the risk of re-treatments.
• Saves time: Doctors can complete root canals faster because of GentleWave’s automated, advanced nature.
• Minimal discomfort: GentleWave uses less invasive cleaning techniques, so patients generally experience less pain and discomfort during and after the procedure.

Many patients report a trouble-free experience similar to getting a toothfilling. Instead of causing pain, the procedure removes the infection to eliminate the source of your toothache. 

When root canals are necessary, they aren’t something to make you run for the hills. Today’s root canals are performed with advanced techniques to ensure they’re painless. You’ll feel no pain even as the dentist creates an access hole in your tooth. 

Here’s why your root canal treatment is painless:

• Local anesthetics: Before your treatment, the dentist will numb your mouth with highly effective anesthetics to ensure you don’t feel pain during treatment.
• Supportive environment: Our office is designed to provide a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere—no intimidating sights and smells. You’ll be relaxed even before you hop into the dental chair. 
• Top-of-the-line technology: We have invested in modern technology to ensure your endodontic treatments are painless and seamless. Dental microscopes enhance visualization, allowing the dentist to see even the intricate root canals during treatment. The GentleWave Procedure used to clean and disinfect your teeth infuses technology into your treatment, enhancing precision, speed, efficiency, and comfort. 

Post-treatment instructions after a root canal include:

• Take your medications as prescribed if indicated
• Rest after treatment to allow your body to heal
• Avoid chewing on the side of the treated tooth
• Observe optimal oral hygiene to avoid reinfection

Several endodontic procedures exist, but root canals are the most common. Root canal treatment (RCT) treats afflicted teeth by removing the damaged/infected pulp chamber. Then, the dentist fills the tooth with gutta-percha to prevent future bacterial infiltrations. A tooth can function without a pulp chamber because its primary structure, the enamel and dentin, remains intact. While the pulp chamber supplies blood and nutrients during tooth development, mature teeth can survive with just the support of the surrounding periodontal bone and ligaments. A root canal-treated tooth last many years with proper care. Many even last a lifetime!

Although root canals have a high success rate, failure can happen because of inadequate hygiene, missed root canals, inadequate sealing, and delayed crown or filling placement. Signs of a failed root canal include pain, sensitivity, swelling, and infection in dental X-rays.

Failure can happen after days, weeks, or even months. Whatever the case, the doctor can save your treated tooth with endodontic retreatment. It involves reopening the tooth, removing the filling material, and thoroughly cleaning it before sealing it. 

We provide root canal services to save natural teeth. Despite advanced dental restorations, there’s nothing like your natural tooth. We do everything possible to save your tooth with root canal services. But when is one needed?

Your tooth is more than the white outer covering (enamel). At the centermost part of your tooth, there’s the pulp chamber, which houses nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissues. The enamel protects these delicate structures. However, deep cracks, faulty dental work, and pronounced cavities sometimes breach the hard, protective covering, exposing the tooth to harmful bacteria.

Once the pulp chamber is infected, antibiotics can do little to reverse the infection. In such cases, you need root canal treatment (RCT) to remove the deep infection by flushing out the infected tissues. Don’t worry! Your tooth will still function normally without the pulp chamber. 

Not all dentists are created equal. Dr. Sadek excels in managing even the most complex endodontic cases, which is why we frequently receive referrals from nearby and distant dental offices.

Besides standard root canals, we offer:

• Root canal retreatments for failed root canals
• Emergency root canals
• Endodontic surgery (root-end resection or apicoectomy)
• Endodontic resorption services

Our core services are essential for addressing infections, decay, or trauma affecting the tooth’s inner structures. Our endodontic procedures save damaged or infected teeth, alleviate pain, and restore function. 

Our comprehensive endodontic services include:

• Root canal treatment: A root canal is necessary if the inside of your tooth (pulp chamber) is irreparably damaged or infected. The pulp chamber houses nerves and blood vessels and is protected by the enamel. However, it can be excruciating when harmful bacteria infiltrate the pulp. Root canals remove the deep infection and restore your tooth to its prime state.
• Endodontic retreatments: A root canal-treated tooth can last many years with proper care. Unfortunately, root canals can fail. Good news! Whether your root canal fails after weeks, months, or years, we offer root canal retreatments to give your tooth a second chance.
• Endodontic surgery: Most infected/damaged teeth need non-surgical root canals to resolve the infection. However, sometimes, you may need endodontic surgery like apicoectomy to remove the damaged root tip and the surrounding tissues. Endodontic surgery resolves failed root canals to preserve your tooth.
• Endodontic resorption: Sometimes, your tooth can resorb when it loses the hard tissues beneath the enamel (the dentin and cementum). Causes may include trauma, infection, or inflammation, and if left untreated, it can lead to the weakening or loss of the tooth. Endodontic treatment, such as root canal therapy, is often required to stop the resorption and preserve the tooth.
• Cracked tooth treatment: Cracks in teeth can be challenging to detect, as they may not be visible on X-rays or noticeable during a routine exam. We diagnose and treat several types of cracked teeth—split, hairline, and vertical fractures— to restore your tooth’s health and longevity.

We understand that nobody comes to our office for a joy-filled root canal. We combine cutting-edge technology with years of experience and gentle techniques to make the procedure as smooth sailing as possible. Our root canals are quick and painless and nothing to worry about.

Even before you sit in the dental chair, you’ll be blown by our office’s modern, clean, and professional appearance. We are meticulous about keeping the office spotless so that you can relax and feel at home. 

A root-end resection or apicoectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the tip of a tooth’s end. The dentist administers this procedure to treat persistent infections after a standard root canal. Conventional root canals are limited to the interior of your tooth. However, an apicoectomy involves accessing the jawbone surgically to address the root tip. 

Has your doctor recommended an apicoectomy? Here are the benefits you can expect.

• Tooth preservation: Our office does everything possible to save your natural tooth. When standard root canals fail, an apicoectomy saves your tooth that might otherwise require extraction. 
• Effective treatment: An apicoectomy removes persistent infections that don’t respond to standard root canals. The procedure eradicates the source of the infection, restoring your healthy tooth. 
• Pain relief: An infected tooth can be extremely painful, affecting everyday activities like eating, sleeping, and concentrating. Many patients experience almost immediate pain relief after root-end resection. 
• Improved overall health: The procedure resolves tooth infections, protecting the nearby structures and overall body from widespread infections. 

Cracked teeth present unique challenges in dental care. Common causes include repeated dental work, dental trauma, and biting on hard substances. Sometimes, the causes are subtle. Uneven chewing pressure or temperature changes can cause cracked teeth. 

When you have a cracked tooth, you may experience sudden, sharp pain when you bite or chew. This pain may disappear quickly but tends to recur when chewing resumes, a sign your tooth is caving in under pressure. Also, a cracked tooth exposes the inner structures so that you may experience increased sensitivity to hot or cold beverages and foods.

Sometimes, you might see a visible crack on the tooth’s surface. However, many cracks are not easily visible, especially if they are small or hidden below the gum line. When you suspect a cracked tooth, schedule an appointment with an endodontist for a proper diagnosis and treatment.

Beyond pain, a cracked tooth can cause infection, putting your tooth at risk of extraction. When the damage is deep enough and extends into the pulp, we recommend a root canal to prevent further damage. During a root canal, the doctor removes the infected/damaged tissues and restores your tooth with a filling.