Advanced Endodontic Treatment

We get to the root of the problem.

Endodontics

Endodontics refers to the treatment of the root canal of a tooth. The root canal is the central portion of the root of a tooth, where the nerves and blood vessels are present. The soft tissue in the middle of the tooth is called the pulp. There can be many reasons why a dog or cat would need a root canal. The most common reason is when a tooth breaks and exposes the pulp. Cavities are very rare in cats and dogs and so are unlikely to be the culprits causing the need for root canal therapy.

Evaluation Consultation

If your pet has been diagnosed as needing root canal therapy, we will schedule an initial evaluation consultation and talk with you about the pros and cons of the different treatment options that may be available. Root canal treatment is a non-invasive procedure that allows dogs and cats to continue using the problem tooth with minimal chance of future pain and infection. We will walk you through the specific recommendations for your pet after we have done an evaluation and reviewed previous records.

If we mutually agree that root canal therapy is a good choice, we will schedule your pet’s procedure. At that procedure appointment, we will determine the specific protocol for your pet’s anesthesia. Then while your pet is under anesthesia, we will perform a thorough oral evaluation, cleaning*, and imaging. As long as there are no red flags, we will complete the planned root canal therapy during that visit.

A root canal treatment has 4 steps:
  • Access
  • Cleaning
  • Filling
  • Restoring
 Root Canal Therapy

Root Canal Rechecks Access: A very small hole is drilled in the tooth for us to be able to introduce the instruments needed to successfully perform the root canal.

Cleaning: Root canal therapy involves fully removing any of the pulp (the vital tissues) from inside the pulp chamber. Files are introduced into the canal and used to remove the pulp and other debris until the entire chamber is clean. The canal is flushed throughout the cleaning process with disinfectant solutions and sterile water.

Filling: To prevent future infection, the pulp chamber is filled with an inert material that acts like a plug to keep the inside of the tooth separated from the bone around the tooth root. This material appears white on x-rays.

Restoring: The cherry on top! In dogs and cats, the tooth is restored to its normal surface (minus any of the crown that has broken off) by using composite materials that harden so it can withstand chewing and biting. This material, similar to what is used for filling cavities in humans, protects the work that was done on the pulp chamber. For most dogs and cats, standard root canal therapy is successful without the need for additional work. There is, however, a small risk of the root canal failing. Because of this, and because most of our pets do not indicate they are experiencing dental pain, we recommend recheck imaging of the tooth 6 months after treatment, and then on an annual basis after that. The initial recheck appointment is often very brief and may require only sedation. The annual appointment is an excellent opportunity to perform a thorough cleaning and oral examination. Root Canal Steps

If we find that the root canal treatment has failed, or in rare cases, the tooth that needs root canal therapy has significant root damage, surgical root canal therapy may be indicated. Surgical root canal therapy involves making a small incision over the root of the tooth through the soft tissues overlying it. This may be on the bottom of the chin for a lower canine tooth or inside the cheek/lip for other teeth. We then remove a small amount of the root to clean out all the infected bone around the tooth root before closing the incision with dissolvable stitches. While surgical root canal treatments are more invasive, the good news is they also have an excellent success rate (nearly 100%). As with standard root canals, we advise a recheck visit at 6 months to ensure that the surgery site is healing properly. Surgical Root Canal Therapy