Your dentist may refer you to an endodontist when specialized care is needed to save your tooth. Endodontics comes from the Greek word endo – “inside” and odont – “tooth”. It is a dental specialty for treatment of the dental pulp. An endodontist is a dentist with typically two or more years of advanced training after dental school. An endodontist may perform 25 or more root canal procedures in a week, while your dentist may perform 1-2 root canal procedures per week. When specialized care is needed to save your tooth the endodontist training prepares them for performing root canals and dental trauma.
Your dentist and your endodontist work together as a team to provide appropriate care for your teeth. The endodontist may perform your root canal and your dentist may complete the procedure by adding a tooth-shaped “cap” or crown that is placed over the tooth to restore the shape, size, function and appearance of the tooth. Typically your dentist will place a temporary crown which can be made in the dental office until a permanent crown can be made in the dental laboratory, usually within 1-2 weeks.
Watch the video for more information about root canal retreatment.
Please contact our offices with any questions or concerns you may have at 309-691-9100 in Peoria or 309-966-2001 in East Peoria.