An endodontist is a dentist who specializes in the soft inner tissue of the tooth, known as the pulp. They provide endodontic therapies, coming from the word “endo,” meaning inside, and “odont,” which means teeth. One of the most common procedures an endodontic dentist performs is a root canal.

At Ideal Endodontics, you’ll be seen by our endodontists: Dr. Moein Darjani and Dr. Ali Manesh. They specialize in root canals, root canal therapies, and other endodontic therapies. They’ll help you be pain-free in no time! You can read more about them on our Endodontists page!

A root canal is needed when the pulp in a tooth becomes infected or inflamed. This is often the result of a tooth crack or chip, deep decay, or after repeated dental procedures on the tooth. An abscess can develop if this inflammation or infection is not treated with a root canal. Our experienced endodontic dentists have administered many root canals in the Washington DC area to help their patients.

Some signs that your tooth is inflamed or infected include:

• Pain around a specific tooth
• Prolonged sensitivity to changes in temperature, heat, and/or cold
• Tenderness to touch and chewing
• Lymph node tenderness
• Swelling of the gums around the tooth
• Discoloration of the tooth

A root canal can save a tooth! The pulp has the nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissue that helps the tooth develop. However, once fully developed, the tooth can survive without the pulp. The surrounding tissue provides enough nourishment to the tooth for it to remain healthy. The damaged pulp in a tooth can not only hurt your tooth but also damage the tissue surrounding it if an abscess develops.

An apicoectomy is another treatment we have available at Ideal Endodontics. During this procedure, our doctors will open the gum tissue of a tooth. From there, they will be able to see any underlying bone and remove any infected or inflamed tissue. The very end of the root of a tooth is removed and sealed with a filling. The gums will then be stitched up to heal. After several months, the bone will heal around the end of the root of the tooth.

During this treatment, your tooth will be reopened for our doctors to access the root canal. Often, this requires the disassembling and removal of a crown, post, and core material. Endodontic retreatment is needed if the initial root canal did not altogether remove the pulp, if there was an undetected canal anomaly, or if there was a delay in the final placement of the crown or other tooth restoration. It is also needed if a previous procedure did not properly seal the tooth, causing saliva to contaminate the inside of the tooth.

Once our dentist has access to the canal, they will examine and clean the canals. They will look for any unusual anatomy that requires additional treatment. If your canals are blocked or unusually narrow, additional oral surgery might be needed. Once finished, you must return to your dentist to have a new crown placed to protect and restore your tooth to full function.

Would you like to meet one of our endodontists for a one-on-one consultation here in the Washington, DC area? We are conveniently located at 1145 19th Street NW, Suite 314 Washington, DC 20036. Contact us or request an appointment online. When you visit, our doctors will review with you any symptoms you might have that would benefit from treatments at our clinic. You can also have your dentist refer you to our clinic for a root canal.

We look forward to meeting you here at Ideal Endodontics.