Root Canal Treatment Success

Root canal procedures have an unfair reputation. When performed by a qualified root canal dentist like La Jolla’s very own Dr. Gary Sigafoos, root canal procedures are neither as scary nor as painful as most people imagine—even if they’ve had root canals performed before. There are quite a few misconceptions about root canals. On the whole, root canals performed with the proper biological and mechanical concepts are successful and provide a positive long-term prognosis, as evidenced by many international scientific studies. Dr. Sigafoos invites the people of La Jolla to consider a few of the following facts that can lead to positive or negative root canal treatment outcomes:

Yes, you may have had a painful and unsuccessful root canal procedure in the past. Older methods of root canal treatment had to make do with the best technology available at the time. Now, proven endodontic technology allows root canal dentists like Dr. Sigafoos to perform more precise and less painful root canal treatments with longer periods of success. They can more accurately predict an individual’s results over his or her lifetime.

Teeth that were treated with older methods may exhibit bacterial leakage. Leakage may lead to noticeable clinical symptoms of endodontic disease—or you may not even realize it’s happened. Dr. Sigafoos can give you a thorough examination and vastly improve your teeth with modern technologies, biological research, and techniques.

What if your tooth is severely affected by trauma, decay, or disease? Dr. Sigafoos can likely help even you successfully restore your tooth with tooth reinforcement techniques such as placing a post into the root before fitting you with a crown.

Why does Dr. Sigafoos fit his patients with a protective restoration after root canal treatments? Because protective restorations such as crowns play a large part in the long-term success of root canal procedures. Protective restorations protect your tooth against root fracture by decreasing the chance of filling leakage or additional tooth decay. Once a tooth experiences root fracture, it usually must be extracted, which may lead to biting and chewing problems.

A successful root canal treatment performed by Dr. Sigafoos starts with a patient whose tooth’s periodontal supporting structures are still relatively healthy or capable of being restored to health following periodontal treatment. Dr. Sigafoos would be happy to examine your mouth to see if you are qualified for a root canal procedure—and if not, he will inform you of your most promising alternative options.

Remember, a root canal treatment, even if it seems successful, isn’t over once the protective restoration is placed. Shifts in temperature (hot coffee on one end of the scale to ice cream on the other), tremendous mechanical loads (pounds per square inch), and constant exposure to bacteria in saliva—normal everyday occurrences in the life of a tooth—can all affect a tooth’s root canal success.

To avoid any problems, Dr. Sigafoos likes to meet with his patients regularly to examine the results of past treatments and intervene where there’s new damage or breakdown.

Dr. Sigafoos can’t tell you that he guarantees your root canal treatment success. There are many factors that can determine the success of treatment. What he can guarantee you is the best treatment available in the La Jolla area using the latest techniques and technology. He can even often reverse the damage cause by previous dentists’ attempts at root canals. Root canal treatments are more effective than ever and they’re one of the least costly options available to those with endodontic breakdown or disease.

This is one instance where the gain far outweighs the risk! Just call LaJolla Periodontics at (855) 563-7049 or fill out the online form to schedule your appointment with Dr. Gary Sigafoos.