(NAPSA)—Painful root canal treatment is a thing of the past, thanks to the expertise of today’s endodontists—andto the technologies they use. Endodontists are dentists who specialize in performing root canal treatments, saving natural teeth, and relieving oral and facial pain. Using the latest dental technologies, endodontists have transformed procedures that once were completed with the naked eye and standard dental instruments into modern microsurgery. Endodontists’ expertise in performing root canals, their advanced training in administering anesthesia and their use of technologies not generally utilized by general dentists result in amore positive patient experience and makeroot canal treatment more effective and predictable. Duringroot canal treatment, an endodontist removes the inflamed or infected pulp inside the tooth, carefully cleans and shapes the inside of the canal (a channelinside the root), and fills and seals the space. After the procedure, the patient returnsto his or her general dentist for crown placement or other restorative work. Technological advances have increased the precision andeffectivenessof every step ofthe root canal procedure, enabling endodontists to save teeth that once would have been pulled—all while makingroot canals virtually painless. “The technology endodontists have at their disposal has dramatically improvedthe practice of performing root canals—for both endodontists and patients,” says Marc Balson, D.D.S., a practicing endodontist and president of the American Association of Endodontists (AAE). Balson notes that many endodontists use digital imaging instead of traditional X-rays. Digital imaging exposes patients to only a fraction of the radiation they typically get with X-rays. Both patients and endodontists can see the results immediately, without waiting for Xrays to be produced. In addition, digital images can be up to 30 times the size of traditional X-rays, so patients can moreclearly understand and follow information about their procedure. Endodontists also have led the wayin the use of advanced technologies to enhancevisibility during surgery. For many years, they’ve used surgical binoculars, which magnify the tooth two timesto three and a half times, as well as operating headlamps and fiber-optic illumination to increase surgical precision. The latest advance, the application of the operating microscope, allows endodontists to magnify the surgical area up to 32 times. Just as important, the improvedlighting and optics provided by operating microscopes makeit easier for endodontists to distinguish between diseased tissue and healthy teeth. With an operating microscope, structures barely detectable to the naked eye becomevisible, facilitating the identification and treatmentof tiny canal openingsandfracturelines. These magnification technologies, in turn, haveled to the miniaturization of endodontic surgical instruments. Today’s ultrasonic handheld instruments are one-quarter the size of traditional dental equipment, enabling smaller, better-contoured incisions and quicker, more aesthetic healing after root canal treatment. Tiny surgical mirrors allow endodontists to see each root channel with moreclarity. And microsurgicalirrigators provide precise directional control of air and water, allowing teeth to be completely rinsed, dried and inspected beforefilling materialis placed in the tooth. The techniques endodontists use today not only makeroot canal treatmentless painful, they also result in teeth that can last a lifetime. If you need root canal treatment, ask your dentist for a referral to an endodontist or visit the AAE Web site at www.root canalspecialists.org to locate an endodontist in your area.
