An endodontist is a dentist that specializes in root canal therapy. Additional years of education are required after graduating from dental school in order for a dentist to claim the title of endodontist. Although a regular dentist may perform endodontic therapy, an endodontist does not perform daily dental functions such as cleaning teeth, repairing dental decay, or treating gum disease.
Dental Specialists
If you’re seeing a specialist, you are going for a specific reason. After all, you wouldn’t see a foot doctor for an earache … the same applies for dental care. Every specialist focuses on their particular field of expertise.
In the case of the endodontist, their goal is to help the patient save their tooth. When a tooth sustains trauma that impacts the nerve or pulp of the tooth, there are generally two options … a root canal or extraction. Saving a tooth is most always considered a better option; once a tooth has been extracted, follow up treatment can be costly and time consuming.
In many cases, your own dentist will refer you to a specialist rather than perform this procedure, but for a simple root canal, this may not be the case. Why is seeing an endodontist a better option than having your family dentist perform your root canal?
Specialist Advantages
Since root canal therapy is the endodontist’s specialty, advantages over a general dentist include:
Facility – this may allow for a much more streamlined procedure since all dental tools and the appropriate staff are in place for your safety and comfort.
Advanced training – An additional two to three years of training in their chosen field of dentistry means access to specialized techniques your general dentist may not possess.
Technology – When you’re seeing a specialist in any field, additional training in the form of continuing education is mandated. This means your endodontist has been exposed to the latest technological advances in root canal therapy.
Treatment
In addition to root canals, your endodontist is skilled in the placement of dental implants. In the event, your tooth could not be saved, a dental implant is the next best thing to having a biological tooth in place.
Your specialist is able to diagnose and treat your tooth using a variety of methods depending on your dental condition. If available, seeing our team for treatment is advantageous for saving your tooth. Call us today!
