Who is an Endodontist?

An Endodontist is a dental specialist who has completed additional postgraduate training after dental school to prepare him or her in treating complicated endodontic cases. Dr. Nima Dejbod has limited his practice to root canal treatment and related procedures. By referring you to an endodontic specialist, your family dentist demonstrates a personal concern for the quality of your dental care.

What about infection control?

We are very proud of our sterilization and infection control. Every item used is completely disposed of or heat sterilized after each use. All surfaces of the dental treatment rooms are disinfected with chemicals that kill bacteria and viruses. We pride ourselves on maintaining the highest standards of office cleanliness and sterility.

What is endodontic treatment?

Root canal or endodontic treatment is performed when the soft inner tissue of the tooth (the pulp) has been damaged, usually through decay or physical trauma. Treatment consists of removing the pulp and then cleaning, sterilizing, filling, and sealing the root canals. The tooth remains alive, nourished by adjacent tissues of the gums and jaw. Over 90 percent of cases are successful, while a few may require additional treatment. After root canal treatment is completed, it is very important to return to your family dentist so that a permanent restoration can be placed. Usually, a crown is needed to protect the tooth from fracture.

Toothache is defined as pain coming from one tooth or multiple teeth and gums. Some toothaches can be just a mild twinge or severe such as constant and throbbing pain.

What causes a toothache?

Toothaches can be caused by cavities, cracks on the tooth, loose filling material on the tooth, and gum recession. Trauma from heavy biting, accidents, sports, etc., can also cause toothaches.

What are symptoms of a toothache?

When a toothache is mild, symptoms include a twinge sensation from cold, hot, or sweet. Severe toothaches lead to difficulties in biting, eating, or drinking cold or hot foods, lying down, flying on an airplane, or diving. One may also experience earaches or headaches.

How do you treat a toothache?

If the toothache is mild, you can try using desensitizing toothpaste such as Sensodyne and avoid cold, hot, or sweet foods. To relieve the pain, you can take 1 to 2 tablets of over-the-counter pain killers. Then visit the dentist for treatment. If the toothache is severe, swelling on the face or gum can occur as well as a fever. With these symptoms, see your dentist immediately. Root canal therapy or other therapy may be needed.

What is latex-free endodontics?

If you are allergic to latex, we have a latex-free treatment for root canal therapy. We have non-latex gloves and latex-free rubber dams. We use biocompatible root canal filling materials.

What are the alternatives to treatment?

Once the dental pulp is diseased, the only alternative to root canal treatment is extraction. After an extraction, replacing the tooth with a bridge, implant, or partial denture is generally more costly than the root canal treatment and the crown. More importantly, you lose your natural tooth.

Is root canal treatment painful?

Root canal treatment usually involves no more discomfort than a routine filling appointment. In fact, most endodontic treatment relieves pain. Most stories of painful root canals are holdovers from the days before modern techniques and effective anesthetics were available.

Can all teeth be treated?

Some teeth cannot be treated successfully. We will explain potential complications before treatment. A few cases will require additional treatment if the tissues do not heal normally after the root canal treatment has been completed.

Sedation Dentistry

It’s important to know that a visit to the dentist can be a positive experience, even when treatment is necessary. Millions of Americans, nearly 30% are afraid of the dentist. Dr. Nima and team are committed to making sure each and every patient has a comfortable and positive dental experience. To that end, we offer several safe, effective and convenient options and forms of sedation.

Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas)
Nitrous Oxide is a sweet-smelling, non-irritating, colorless gas which you can breathe. Nitrous Oxide has been the the primary means of sedation in dentistry for many years. Nitrous oxide is safe, the patient receives 10-70% nitrous oxide with no less than 30% oxygen. The patient is able to breathe on their own and remain in control of all bodily functions. The patient may experience mild amnesia and may fall asleep, not remembering all of what happened during their appointment. There are many advantages to using Nitrous Oxide:

The depth of sedation can be altered at any time to increase or decrease sedation.
There is no after effect such as a "hangover".
Inhalation sedation is safe with no side effects on your heart and lungs, etc.
Inhalation sedation is very effective in minimizing gagging.
It works rapidly as it reaches the brain within 20 seconds. In as little as 2-3 minutes its relaxation and pain killing properties develop.

You should not utilize Nitrous Oxide if you have been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Though there are no other major contraindications to using nitrous oxide, you may not want to use it if you have emphysema, exotic chest problems, M.S., a cold or other difficulties with breathing.

You may want to ask your dentist for a "5 minute trial" to see how you feel with this type of sedation method before proceeding.

Oral Sedation
Commonly referred to has the "happy pill"; oral sedation is where the patient is given a sedative-hypnotic drug just before their dental appointment. The most common drug is Triazolam (Halcion). It takes approximately 25–30 minutes for it to start to take affect and therefore you will be instructed to come to your appointment early. Halcion has a sedative effect that makes it a requirement for patients to have an escort to and from their dental appointment. Oral Sedation works well for patients that have a mild to moderate level of fear and anxiety and have had oral sedation dentistry in the past. One problem associated with oral sedation is that it can be a bit of a hit-and-miss affair. Basically, you don’t know how well the drug will be absorbed from the stomach. The inability to customize the amount of drug to give each patient "titrate" minimizes the advantages of oral sedation.

Intravenous Sedation (IV Sedation)
Our office offers our patients the option of Intravenous Sedation, also referred to as IV Sedation for their dental treatment. With IV Sedation, you would be "put under". A consultation is required first with us. We would go over concious sedation vs IV sedation. We would cover financials and coordinating an anesthesiologist to come to our office for your treatmnet (as there is usually a few week waiting period).

Services

Sedation Dentistry