Root Canals fact or fiction

Today I wanted to briefly touch on root canals. To many people root canals are a dreaded experience. They do not have to be. The most likely reason for this is that the patient needing the root canal waited so long to have the dental work done the tooth became infected. Once the tooth reaches the infected point, doing a root canal can be painful because now it is hard to get the patient numb. When giving a anesthetic injection of a basic solution that will now mix with an acidic environment causing, so to speak, neutralization of the anesthetic. Another words if you need to have a root canal done get it done before you acquire an infection.
Root canals or Endodontics is usually needed when a tooth has a cavity that reaches the nerve. There are other reasons like trauma that will also necessitate the need, but most often it is a cavity that reaches the nerve that is the culprit. A root canal is when the doctor makes a small hole in the top of the tooth and basically cleans and sterilizes the inside of the tooth. After he sterilizes the inside he then places a filling in the tooth to seal the tooth. After the root canal is done you need to have a crown placed to protect the tooth. After root canals teeth become more brittle due to loss of blood supply and thus the need for coverage with a crown.
Root canals are a good way to save your teeth and keep your mouth stable. With this treatment you are keeping yourself from getting teeth extracted and more crowns. This treatment allows you not to have spaces which are not esthetically pleasing ,but also allows your other teeth not to move or shift. Root canals have a good success rate. If the tooth can be restored selecting root canal over extraction is the best way to go.

Are all Crowns the same?

As a Orlando Dentist I receive many calls each week about crowns and the price of crowns. First, the reason you need a crown is usually due to a cavity you had when your dentist placed a filling in your tooth years ago. As a young adult, the filling material starts to wear out; you then need another filling or if the size of the area that requires a filling is to big you then need a crown. Crowns are needed when the loss of tooth structure is large that the tooth can not support a filling any longer. There is to much unsupported area that you need a crown to protect your tooth when you are chewing, to prevent the tooth from breaking. You also need a crown if you ever have had a root canal or endodontics on the tooth. Root canals take the nerve and blood supply out of the inside of the tooth and now you have to have a crown the tooth, to protect the tooth from fracturing.

Now that you know a little about why we need a crown, we have to mention the different types of crowns. Perspective patients will call my office price shopping but unaware that not all crowns are the same or of the same quality. So when you get a price on the phone you need to know what you are getting. For example in my office I offer the best quality. I do not give my patients a choice of the cheaper ones. They will not last and there really is not much difference in price for the quality you are getting. The important factor is how much gold is in the crown. The higher the quality of gold the longer the crown will last you. The higher gold content the closer the gold is fired when making it, which means to you longer lasting. So remember you want a crown that is High Nobel metal. High Nobel metal means more gold. If you are getting semi precious or non precious this means no gold or half gold and your missing out on quality and last.

Another type of crown is the all porcelain crown. These crowns are for the more aesthetic areas. They have no metal in them because you do not want the metal showing. These are good for the front areas of your mouth. I do not recommend these for the posterior areas do to my experience they break and fracture. I can place a nice white crown in the posterior area but will always have high Nobel gold underneath where you can not see, giving the patient more strength. In the anterior area I do use the all porcelain restorations and these are getting stronger. Don't let anyone fool you, what you give up in strength you gain in aesthetics and vice verse. So you do have choices. Many people are hearing about the one day crown.

They are called Cerec and in my opinion I do not do them. I have replaced many of these from other dentists that have failed. I only have the best laboratories make my crowns. It might take a week to get the crown, but your having a technician make your crown that has been doing crowns for 30 years is much superior. Do you really want a machine you program the characteristics of how the crown should look. This excellence is based on the doctors assistant dictating how it should look. They have minimal training not a ceramist who has been stacking Porcelain for 30 years. I use these cerec crowns as temporaries and then have the real one made by my laboratory. Sales associates are always trying to give me these Cerec crowns and I do not want them. The technology is improving but it is not there yet. Some doctors, to tell you the truth, do like this because they do not have to pay a lab bill and they cut chair time down to only one visit. I believe in quality and this is not my cup of tea.

Thanks Again,
Dr. Aschacher