Endodontics is a branch of dentistry that focuses on procedures such as root canals and dental surgery. The word endo is Greek for "inside,” and odons is Greek for "tooth.” The endodontics specialty focuses on the inner tissue of teeth, and practitioners are known as endodontists.

Don't worry, your endodonist has undergone plenty of training to perform root canals. After graduating from four-year dentistry school, endodontists go on to advanced training. The American Dental Association recognizes nine dental specialties, including endodontics.

Advances in Endodontics in Salt Lake City

In the U.S., dentists must complete two at least two years additional training to be certified as endodontists by the American Board of Endodontology. While some general dentists also perform root canals, more than half of general dentists refer their root canal cases to a specialist.

If you're not sure whether or not you need to visit an endodontist, here is a common list of procedures endodondists perform:

• Root Canal Therapy
• Oral Surgery
• Repairing Cracked Teeth
• Treating Dental Trauma

While most people do not look forward to root canals, the endodontic therapy is the best method to treat patients with dental pulp issues. The soft tissue in a tooth is referred to as a root canal, and provides space for dental pulp. Endodontists clean out the pulp to fill it with another substance such as dental cement when performing endodontic therapy.

Endodontic therapy can cure the persistent pain and discomfort when the dental pulp is infected. The pulp consists of blood vessels and nerve tissue, and is susceptible to microbial infections. Once a tooth becomes infected, a root canal may be the only solution besides extraction to eliminate pain.

According to the American Association of Endodontists, 89% of patients who received a root canal treatment would return to the same specialist. The organization also estimates that more than 15 million root canals are performed each year in the U.S., which breaks down to more than 41,000 root canals each day. One advantage of root canal treatment is that patients most likely will never have to return for treatment on the same tooth due to technical advancements.

"Continued technical advancement is essential to helping us create a better experience for our patients," said Dr. Shepard S. Goldstein, former president of the American Association of Endodontists, in a statement. "Now we can eliminate almost all pain from a compromised tooth through root canal treatment and save many natural teeth that would have been lost to extraction just a few years ago."

In a recent survey by the American Association of Endodontists, 76% of patients said they would prefer root canal therapy over losing a tooth.

General dentists in Salt Lake City also perform root canals, but there are several reasons why patients may want to consider going to a specialist for treatment. Just as patients seeing their primary care physician will most likely opt for a specialist for surgery, dentistry patients can also appreciate the value of specialist care for oral surgery.

Advantages of going to an Endodontist:

• More training: Endodontists must undergo at least two years of additional training after dentistry school to be certified as a specialist.
• More experience: Endodontists perform 25 root canals each week on average, compared to fewer than two root canals each week for general dentists. Insurance coverage: Depending on your insurance carrier, endodontics treatments may be covered by insurance. Check with your employer or insurance carrier.

If you are considering endodontics therapy, do not delay. Relieving the pain and discomfort of an infected tooth can be performed through root canal therapy. The therapy is usually administered with local anesthetic in an outpatient procedure, and patients can return to their normal activities with a minimum of recovery time.