What does an endodontist do?

What is an Endodontist?

Endodontists are specialists in saving teeth, committed to helping their patients maintain the health of their teeth for a lifetime. An endodontist is a dentist who has additional training and specializes in performing root canal treatment and diagnosing and treating tooth pain. Endodontists maintain teeth through endodontic procedures which involve the soft inner tissue of the teeth, called the pulp.

All dentists are trained in endodontic therapy, however, some teeth can be particularly difficult to diagnose and treat and are referred to endodontic specialists. Less than three percent of dentists are endodontists.

What does an Endodontist do?

If a patient has a tooth that is more difficult to treat because of its anatomy or location, a general dentist may not be up for the challenge and may refer root canal treatments and complex cases to an endodontist. These types of cases typically require an extensive amount of time or additional equipment to complete and it is more convenient and more comfortable for the patient to have a specialist complete the work.

Just like there are physicians who specialize in a particular medical field, endodontists are dentists that specialize in diagnosing tooth pain and performing root canal treatments and other procedures relating to the interior of the tooth. In many cases, a diseased tooth can be saved with endodontic treatment.

Along with performing root canal treatments, an endodontist is a specialist in diagnosing and treating oral pain. Toothaches or fractured teeth can often be difficult to pinpoint and are very painful. The pain of a damaged or diseased tooth often is felt in another tooth or in the head, neck, or ear because of the vast network of nerves in the mouth.

Endodontists also specialize in treating traumatic injuries sometimes caused by a blow to the mouth and are specially trained in procedures for replanting teeth that have been knocked out of their sockets. Apexification is a treatment that stimulates bone to be deposited at the end of the root which makes it possible to then save the tooth through a root canal procedure.

What is the workplace of an Endodontist like?

Endodontists typically work out of their own office, however, some general dentists bring an edodontist into their own private practice for their patients. The environment tends to be a typical clinical environment - clean and sterile and working with the same professionals every day. The variation will be in the patients and interaction with different people every day.