Save your tooth with nonsurgical root canal treatment in Cleveland, OH
Root canal treatment has an unfair reputation for being painful. The truth is that root canal therapy is the way to immediately resolve the pain and pressure from a toothache. This form of treatment is also responsible for “saving” natural tooth structure. With advanced and precision medications and techniques, treatment is little more time-consuming and extensive than a common filling. Downtown Dental Services Dr. Tony Lu may recommend this nonsurgical, straightforward therapy to patients in the Cleveland, OH area if they have deep damage to the innermost part of a tooth.
Treatment candidates
At the center of each tooth, underneath the protective enamel and softer dentin layers, resides soft pulp tissue. The pulp is contained within root canals. Each pulp includes nerves and blood vessels. As a tooth is maturing, the pulp “feeds” and nourishes it, which supports healthy development. Once the tooth is fully matured, however, the pulp is not required for the tooth to be healthy. In fact, this central chamber can be a liability. If bacteria work their way through the tooth, the pulp may become inflamed or infected. Without proper treatment, the infection can spread to other parts of the face, or body. Severe abscesses or systemic infections are a medical emergency. We encourage you to keep routine check-ups at our office. So, we can pinpoint early-stage decay or disease and resolve it before the problem produces pain or threatens your tooth. And we also encourage you to contact us promptly to schedule an appointment if you notice any changes, such as:
- Sudden sensitivity, especially when you drink or eat hot, cold, or sweet items
- Pain when you bite down on foods
- Persistent pain that lingers
- Gum swelling
- A lump on your gums (abscess)
Root canal, Invisalign, and implant - all successfully and comfortably concluded
Dr. Lu: Thank you so much for agreeing to talk about your dental treatment. To show our other patients how it works. It’s my pleasure working with you for several years already.
Patient: Definitely.
Dr. Lu: Yeah. We did several dental treatments.
Patient: Definitely
Dr. Lu: Recently, we did a root canal for a molar tooth.
Patient: Definitely.
Dr. Lu: Earlier this year, we finished the Invisalign treatment and we did dental implants. You want to talk about these treatments?
Patient: Oh yeah, definitely.
Dr. Lu: You can start with this root canal, right?
Patient: Yeah, definitely.
Dr. Lu: So, the tooth really bothered you.
Patient: Oh yeah, it was actually pretty bad. On one side of my mouth, it was just fine. But on the other side, if I drank a bottle of cold water, I love drinking my cold water, it was impossible to do it on this side. It was just so bad.
Dr. Lu: I see, it bothers and really hurts. (Patient: Absolutely) So, we decided to do a root canal, right? (Patient: Exactly) So, we were able to do everything in one visit, right?
Patient: Oh, yeah, yeah, took care of all of it in one visit. It was great. It was nice and fast and everything.
Dr. Lu: And then you felt better the next day.
Patient: Oh yeah. Seriously, like immediately. I just immediately felt like it was normal. Now I can drink from both sides of the mouth and man, oh man, it was unbelievable. It was almost like night and day. It was like just yesterday, I couldn’t drink on that side of my mouth, but now, it’s just fine.
Dr. Lu: I’m really happy that root canal worked really well for you. Because a lot of patients are afraid when they hear about the root canal. But the root canal can definitely help you.
Patient: Oh yeah, definitely. Root canal is definitely very helpful, and it really alleviates the pain, and everything is great.
Dr. Lu: I know you did awesome. It didn’t hurt much, right? It doesn’t always happen that way. It worked really well.
Patient: Yeah, absolutely.
Dr. Lu: Yeah, that’s very good. Next, maybe we can talk about the Invisalign treatment, and also during the Invisalign treatment, we did an implant to replace a tooth.
Patient: Absolutely.
Dr. Lu: So, when did it start?
Patient: Yeah, we actually started that Invisalign process in March or April… No, no, it was May. May of 2024, and it went all the way to earlier this year.
Dr. Lu: So, it was about a year, right?
Patient: Yeah, roughly about a year.
Dr. Lu: I remember the teeth were really crooked. (Patient: Oh yeah) Then we just straightened everything. Now it looks really nice.
Patient: Absolutely. It was a great process. I mean, you change a new one (Invisalign aligners) every couple of weeks. you really feel like your teeth are getting straighter and I’ve actually had people giving me more compliments on the teeth as the process was in motion.
Dr. Lu: And the reason people usually prefer Invisalign clear aligners is because people are working. (Patient: Absolutely) They don’t want to wear braces, and Invisalign is more comfortable than braces.
Patient: Oh, very much more comfortable.
Dr. Lu: It worked out really well, and I remember you had a missing tooth. When we started Invisalign, we decided to replace that missing tooth with a dental implant. (Patient: Absolutely)
So the next thing is, we do both procedures in our office, Invisalign and dental implant (Patient: Absolutely) so we can coordinate the treatment time, right? So, remember, toward the end of the Invisalign, three months before it finishes, I put an implant in your mouth. So, it can take three months for the implant to grow with the bone, and then when you finish the Invisalign, we put the implant crown tooth back. (Patient: Absolutely) So it’s beautiful, coordinated, and everything was down.
Patient: Yeah, definitely.
Dr. Lu: How do you like the implant?
Patient: Oh, the implant is excellent. And also, there’s one thing I wanted to mention. I remember in November of last year, when you actually first put the implant in, and you say, “Three months from now, we’re going to put the real thing in here”. And boy, it was a really exciting time. And then, when the day actually came, it was so smooth. It was just kind of like an in-and-out process, and things have been much, much better with that area.
Dr. Lu: That’s awesome. As I always say, it’s my pleasure working with you.
Patient: Definitely.
Dr. Lu: Thank you so much. I think everything went really well, Invisalign, implant and the root canal. I know a lot of patients tell us, “We like you guys, but I don’t want to come here very often.” Hopefully we’ll give you a break. (Patient: Yeah, definitely) The teeth will be in good shape.
Patient: Oh yeah. I just want to thank you very much because you really made everything smooth and simple and everything is very much improved.
Dr. Lu: Okay, you’re welcome. And thank you again for sharing with us about your dental treatment.
Patient: My pleasure.
Dr. Lu: Take care.
Dr. Lu: Thank you.
Emergency dentistry under tight deadlines: Have a root canal to fit your schedule
Dr. Lu: Thank you so much, Maria, for helping us to talk about your experience here at the Downtown Dental.
Patient: Yeah, so just a little bit about my experience. I chipped a tooth or broke a tooth. I called, they got me in, it was an emergency. They got me in to at least do part of the root canal. They fit me in on a Friday. They explained the whole procedure to me. They explained to me what was going to happen.
Patient: They were fair. They’ve got parking too. I tell you that. And that was a good experience from start to finish, from the fact that it was an emergency. And they got me in, they fit me in on a Friday, and were able to explain to me what was going to happen. And then they were also very good about getting me in for my follow-up visits. I’m a sales director, so I travel a lot. So they worked around my schedule. Like I said, they also have parking around here, so you don’t have to worry about that. And it was a good experience all around, including the root canal. I mean, no one wants to have a root canal, but if you’re going to have it, you should have it here because it didn’t hurt. It was good. They explained everything, and they have TV while you’re getting your procedures, too—just an FYI. So, if you need to catch up on your shows, you can catch up on your shows as well.
Dr. Lu: So, Maria, it is really a pleasure working with you. I’m glad that this emergency service worked well for you. We save a certain number of appointments each day for people. I know sometimes that an emergency cannot wait.
Patient: Yeah, and I appreciate that. I did have a dental emergency, and you guys fit me right in, and we’re very good at explaining the procedure, what’s going to happen on every visit, following up with my visits, and then making sure that I wasn’t in any pain.
Dr. Lu: I see. And the root canal worked really well.
Patient: No one wants to have a root canal, but if you’re going to have a root canal, I mean, it was probably the best experience I’ve had with having a root canal. So you did a really good job of taking care of me and making sure that I felt comfortable the whole way through. Okay.
Dr. Lu: Yeah. Okay, great. Thank you.
Relief with root canal treatment
If we determine that you need root canal therapy, we will discuss options to keep you comfortable and relaxed. The procedure generally involves opening the crown, which immediately relieves painful pressure. The inner part of the tooth is accessed. Damaged tissue is removed. The root canals themselves are sterilized and shaped. Then, the canals are sealed with a gutta percha material to protect the treatment site and to prevent reinfection. Usually, a temporary crown is placed until your permanent crown is ready. Before the permanent crown is cemented into place, we will check that it fits perfectly and looks natural. Think of this as a deep clean for the inside of your tooth to “save” it!
Do not wait for problems to arise to call us. Schedule your appointment today.
Root canal therapy is a very common procedure. It has a reputation of being undesirable and painful but when done properly it is actually painless. Every tooth in your mouth is composed of a crown and a root. When a cavity or bacteria penetrates the tooth the root and its nerves become irritated. As a result the bacteria within the pulp cavity needs to be removed and cleaned in order to restore the tooth to its healthy state. Following the procedure the tooth is fragile and consequently is restored with a natural crown for a lifetime of durability. Root canals have a success rate of 95 percent or greater. Most root canals are diagnosed by patient’s sensitivities to a specific tooth. Be sure to consult your dentist if any symptoms or discomfort occur.
