CBCT
At Harpeth Endodontics we use Cone Beam Tomography Imaging (CBCT) to capture a more in depth 3-Dimmensional view of your tooth or teeth in question. This technology is invaluable in the treatment planning and diagnostic process and helps us determine the best treatment needed to address your specific needs and individual tooth anatomy. We have the most up to date machine in our office offering the lowest radiation exposure of any other CBCT on the market!
Anesthesia Options
This section is intended to help you make decisions about the anesthesia options for your treatment. During your consultation, Dr. Blaseio will be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding anesthesia and can provide additional information if needed as it specifically relates to your overall health.
Standard Protocol: Local Anesthesia
An injection that numbs a small and specific area of the mouth. Numbness usually lasts 3-4 hours. This is the same technique used for routine dental fillings and crowns. There are no extra charges associated with this type of anesthesia.
Additional Anesthesia Options:
Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas):
A gas administered through the nose to help control anxiety and aid in pain control during treatment. The effects of the gas only last the duration of treatment. You may feel drowsy and fall asleep during treatment, but you are able to respond rationally to questions and directions. You may drive after your appointment. Nitrous oxide is administered in combination with local anesthesia and there is a small extra charge associated with it.
Oral Conscious Sedation:
A technique in which the use of prescribed medications aid in anxiety control before, during and after treatment. These medications will make you feel drowsy but you will still be awake. You will need a driver for your appointment. OCS is always administered in combination with local anesthesia and often also administered with Nitrous Oxide. You will need to pick up the medication(s) from your pharmacy after your consultation appointment and return to our office for treatment.
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Intravenous Sedation (Being Put To Sleep):
An anesthetic technique in which you are given small doses of medications through an IV to produce a deep state of relaxation, reduced perception of pain and drowsiness. You will need a driver for your appointment. IV sedation needs to be performed by a dental anesthesiologist who will come to Harpeth Endodontics on a scheduled appointment date after your initial consultation with Dr. Blaseio.
Root Canal Therapy
After the consultation and evaluation of your X-rays with Dr. Blaseio, root canal therapy may be recommended. A root canal, is a painless procedure that involves removal of decay and the minimum amount of tooth structure necessary to access the dental pulp (nerve and vasculature), followed by cleaning and disinfecting the pulp space, and placing a biologically inert and nontoxic filling material in its place.
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Usually root canal therapy can be completed in one visit. However if a tooth presents with a large infection or other complication, Dr. Poppy may recommend a two visit approach in order to disinfect the root canal system effectively.
Root Canal Safety
Root canals are safe and painless procedures when performed by an experienced professional. Information you may find on the Internet or elsewhere, claiming that if you receive a root canal treatment that you’re more likely to become ill or contract a systemic disease in the future simply is not true. This false claim was based on long-debunked and poorly designed research conducted nearly a century ago, long before modern medicine understood the actual causes of many diseases or how to treat disease properly. There is no valid, scientific evidence linking root canal treatment to cancer or disease elsewhere in the body. In fact, modern research has shown that patients with multiple endodontic treatments had a 45% reduced risk of cancer. (Tezal M, et al. Dental Caries and Head and Neck Cancers. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 139(10):1054-60, Oct. 2013.).
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At Harpeth Endodontics, we use advanced techniques in the cleaning and disinfection process for your root canal. This gives us greater confidence in our ability to remove infection from your tooth. Saving your natural teeth, when possible, is always the best and most holistic treatment approach. Nothing artificial functions, looks, or interacts with your body like your natural tooth - this includes zirconia (ceramic) implants which are considered by the holistic dental community to be more natural than titanium implants.
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Looking for extra re-assurance that your dental infection was cleaned sufficiently? Ask Dr. Blaseio about one of the latest innovations in endodontics: the ATP biomarker. By using an ATP biomarker, we can detect trace amounts of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) and cellular debris remaining in the root canal system, giving us greater evidence of a clean root canal system prior to finishing the root canal. Teeth with large infections may require placement of an antimicrobial medicament for 2-3 weeks prior to finishing.