Endodontics (Root Canals)

Occasionally, a tooth will get sick from decay or injury and the nerve will become infected. The teeth may get extremely painful or have no pain at all. Endodontics is needed to preserve the teeth for proper function. You may have heard horror stories regarding root canals, but with modern anesthetics, techniques and materials, the treatment is quite comfortable.The Doctors at Smile La Jolla hope you never need a root canal, but if you do, we are quite comfortable with telling you that you’ll be at ease as we provide the needed treatment.

Extractions

Although it is our goal to never have to extract a tooth due to disease or injury, there are occasional circumstances that may necessitate an extraction. Should you need an extraction for wisdom teeth, orthodontic considerations, or due to disease and injury, we will do everything in our power to make it as pleasant as possible. Your comfort and safety is our chief concern. Please do not hesitate to ask us about sedation, nitrous oxide (laughing gas) or pre-medications to relieve normal anxiety. Many of our patients prefer sedation dentistry for surgical procedures. Because your safety and comfort are important to us, we may refer you to a surgical specialist if needed.

Dental Implants 

Our La Jolla team of dentists feel that if you are considering replacing missing teeth the first option should be with the use of dental implants. Dental implants can seamlessly replace missing teeth. Implant crowns no longer require unsightly dark metal edges or clasps. With the advances in implant dentistry, an artificial root (implant) can be placed into the bone where the tooth had been lost and place a crown over that root. The implant is made of a biocompatible metal that actually integrates with the bone anchoring it down permanently. 

Conventional bridgework, opposed to dental implants, requires the dentist to cut down adjacent teeth to place crowns which would replace a missing tooth or teeth. Implants provide tooth replacement without the need to cut down adjacent teeth and also replace the missing root within the bone. In addition to preserving the adjacent teeth, the implant also prevents the loss of bone in the area of the missing tooth. The bone starts to melt away as soon as a tooth is lost, it loses its purpose to be there if it is not supporting a tooth. The longer the teeth are missing from the bone the more bone loss occurs. Placing a dental implant preserves the bone in the area by restoring its function to provide better stability and esthetics.

Implants act as an anchor in the bone to which a new crown is attached. After the implant has been placed it typically takes an integration period of three to six months before the final restoration can be placed. Dental implants are considered a permanent solution to tooth loss.

We wil determine whether your are a good candidate for implants by taking radiographs of the existing bone, study models where the tooth is missing and perform a thorough exam.
These things will help determine if you are a candidate for dental implants.