North Bethesda Endodontic Services

In dentistry, the term "root canal" is probably the one that people fear the most, and this fear is typically derived from tales that are decades old. This is what it truly is: Your tooth's pulp has become inflamed or infected. In order to treat it, the pulp must be removed, the canals must be cleaned and disinfected, and the area must be sealed to prevent bacteria from returning.

Retreatment applies this same principle a second time. If a previous seal fails or a canal was missed, advanced imaging technology allows us to pinpoint the issue and correct it.

Being told you need surgery on a tooth that has already been treated can be frustrating. An apicoectomy is actually much less invasive than it sounds.

Sometimes what is left of an infection sits at the very tip of the root, in a spot the canal cannot reach from the inside. This procedure removes that tip along with the infected tissue around it, then seals the end of the root. It is done under the microscope through a small opening in the gum, and it is often the step that lets a tooth stay when the alternative was taking it out.

Tooth pain has a way of taking over everything else, and waiting it out rarely helps. Pain that wakes you up, swelling, a tooth that hurts to bite on, a tooth knocked loose or knocked out: these are the calls we make room for. We will find out what is going on and do what we can to get you comfortable that day.

Cracked teeth are one of the harder diagnoses in dentistry. Some cracks never show on a standard X-ray, and the tooth can feel completely normal except when you bite a certain way or in the moment you release the bite.

This is where our 3D scan and microscope make a difference. Once we know how deep the crack is and in what direction it's going, we can tell you if the tooth is treatable and if it's likely to hold after treatment.

If you are considering a root canal or tooth extraction, feel free to contact our office to schedule a second opinion consultation.

Wanting a second opinion is a reasonable response to being told something permanent about your own mouth. A second opinion here means fresh imaging, testing, and a simple explanation of what we can see. Sometimes it confirms exactly what you were already told. Sometimes it doesn't. Either way, you leave with answers.

A knocked-out tooth is frightening. It's also one of the few dental situations where time truly matters. The sooner the tooth is stabilized, the fewer complications there tend to be later.

Immediate care can include replanting the tooth, repositioning it, and splinting it. A 3D scan and pulp testing show how far the injury actually reaches, which is rarely obvious from the outside.

Depending on the injury, treatment follows different paths: root canal therapy, regenerative procedures, vital pulp therapy, or monitoring that runs over several months.