The endodontic services we offer include the following:

Consultation and Differential Diagnosis of Orofacial Pain
Your dentist has referred you to our office for an endodontic evaluation and possible treatment.

Non-surgical Root Canal Therapy
Root canal therapy involves the cleaning, shaping and filling of the canal space within the root of the tooth.

Non-surgical Root Canal Retreatment
Retreatment is necessary when the root canal becomes reinfected. The goal of retreatment is to perform the root canal treatment again in order to disinfect the canal spaces and create an environment which will promote healing.

Surgical Endodontics
When retreatment is not possible or is not successful, a surgical approach can be used.

Treatment of Traumatic Injuries to Teeth

Cracked Teeth

Internal Bleaching or Nonvital Bleaching
This procedure is used to lighten a darkly discolored tooth that has had a root canal.

Additional services:

• Oral Sedation
• "Starter package" of over the counter medication
• Wheelchair accessibility at Camp Hill Office
• Cervical (neck) pillows and blankets

For your safety our office features:

• Our office meets or exceeds all OSHA standards of sterilization and infection control
• CPR and AED training
• Disposable covers and medical supplies
• Protective clothing: masks, gloves, safety glasses
• State of the art sterilization techniques and monitoring
• Continuing education for staff in infection control and CPR training

Consultation and Differential Diagnosis of Orofacial Pain

Consultation

Your dentist has referred you to our office for an endodontic evaluation and possible treatment. We will review your medical and dental history, chief complaint, perform diagnostic tests, and study all x-rays. It is sometimes necessary to have additional x-rays taken in order to provide a three dimensional view of the tooth in question.

The goals of an endodontic evaluation are:

1. Identify the source of the pain.
2. Determine if you are in need of endodontic (root canal) treatment.

Differential Diagnosis of Orofacial Pain

Patients often experience generalized pain and are unable to identify the problem tooth. Sometimes pain can be felt in an area that is different from the one in which it originates. When the source of pain is different from the site of pain, this is commonly known as referred pain. We will use the consultation appointment to determine the source and needed resolution of your pain.

Endodontists are trained to differentiate between pain of endodontic origin (this is pain from the pulp of the tooth) and non-endodontic pain. Not all oral pain implies that root canal therapy is needed. Even though pain may mimic that of a "toothache", other possible causes of pain may be periodontal abscess, temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) disorder, cracked tooth syndrome, sinus infection, bruxism (grinding), atypical facial neuralgia, blocked salivary gland, cervical (neck) problems, etc.

In such cases, endodontic treatment is not necessary, since it will not resolve the problem. A referral to the proper dental or medical specialist will be made.

Non-surgical Root Canal Therapy

Root canal therapy involves the cleaning, shaping and filling of the canal space within the root of the tooth. Learn more.

Non-surgical Root Canal Retreatment

Retreatment is necessary when the root canal becomes reinfected. It is usually possible to perform the root canal treatment again and create an environment which will promote healing. Learn more.

Surgical Endodontics

Sometimes a non-surgical approach for root canal therapy is not possible. Skillful diagnosis in endodontic surgery requires accurate determination of the reasons for endodontic failure. Most common causes for failure are: unusual, complex and undetectable root canal anatomy, accessory canals that cannot be treated conventionally, or a fractured root. Other factors which may require a surgical approach, include the presence of a post which cannot be removed, calcification of the canals, or obstruction due to a separated instrument. Most of these cases can be successfully treated with endodontic surgery.

The goal of all endodontic surgery is to remove disease, prevent it from recurring, and to create an environment in which healing may occur.

The surgical procedure itself is done in the dental office, under local anesthetic. It takes approximately one to two hours, and most patients return to work after the procedure. The most common endodontic surgeries are:

Apicoectomy and retrofill

Incision and Drainage

Root amputation and Hemisection

Traumatic Injuries

Learn How to Save a Knocked-Out Tooth at the AAE web site.

Cracked Teeth

Learn more about cracked teeth at the AAE web site.

Internal Bleaching or Nonvital Bleaching

This procedure is used to lighten a darkly discolored tooth that has had a root canal. Learn more.