When you have a severe infection, one that cannot be addressed with a traditional root canal alone, then you need treatment to avoid the loss of your tooth or the spread of infection. To save your tooth, we could offer an apicoectomy. At our endodontic office in Baton Rouge, LA, we can save your smile with endodontic surgery!
The Risks of Infected Teeth
A dental infection could occur due to a serious jury to the tooth or an advanced cavity, both of which could allow the nerve center of your tooth to become exposed to bacteria. This nerve center, known as the pulp, helps your tooth function, overseeing the flow of blood and nutrients to and from the tooth. When the infection forms, this could reach and destroy the pulp, which means your tooth dies and needs restoration, and that infection reaches other parts of your smile. For most cases of infected teeth, we could offer a traditional root canal to remove the tissues and save the tooth. But if the infection is severe, then you may need endodontic surgery.
When to See Our Team
You should always contact our team when you notice prolonged discomfort that doesn’t subside after a day or two. For example, toothaches or sensitivity when you eat or drink. Pain when you bite down, swelling near a tooth, or even a discharge from it, could all be cause for concern. As could pain in your jaw too. Our team will carefully examine your smile with digital x-rays and intraoral camera images, which enables us to pinpoint the position of the infection so we can treat it quickly and comfortably. Our team can also see if you need a root canal, or if you actually benefit from an apicoectomy.
Endodontic Surgery
Also known as a root-end resection, an apicoectomy is a common form of endodontic surgery that can handle extreme cases and save your tooth in the process. This is especially helpful if the infected tissues include the tip of your tooth. Once we examine your smile and plan the treatment in detail, we will numb your smile and also administer sedation to keep you calm and comfortable as we treat the tooth. Our team will open the gums to access the tooth root. Once we can reach the bones and infected interior tissues, we will remove the end of the tooth and the pulp. We add a filling and seal the area. The gums are then sutured closed.
Ask Your Endodontist In Baton Rouge, LA About Preventing Tooth Loss
We’re ready to offer care to address concerns forming in the interior of your tooth. For more information on endodontic surgery, give us a call at Root Canal Specialists of Baton Rouge at (225)766-3061, with locations in both Baton Rouge and Denham Springs, LA!