While all Endodontists are Dentists, less than three (3) percent of Dentists are Endodontists. Just like a doctor in any other field, Dr. Campbell is a specialist because he has completed an additional two or more years of training beyond traditional dental school. This additional training focused specifically on diagnosing tooth pain and performing root canal and root end surgery treatments. In many cases, a diseased tooth can be saved with endodontic treatment. For this reason, Dr. Campbell and many other Endodontists in his field proudly refer to themselves as Specialists in Saving Teeth.
What are the signs of needing endodontic treatment?
Signs to look for include pain, prolonged sensitivity to heat or cold, tenderness to touch and chewing, discoloration of the tooth, and swelling, drainage and tenderness in the lymph nodes as well as nearby bone and gum tissues. Sometimes, however, there are no symptoms. Endodontic treatment is necessary when the pulp, the soft tissue inside the root canal, becomes inflamed or infected. The inflammation or infection can have a variety of causes: deep decay, repeated dental procedures on the tooth, or a crack or chip in the tooth. In addition, an injury to a tooth may cause pulp damage even if the tooth has no visible chips or cracks. If pulp inflammation or infection is left untreated, it can cause pain or lead to an abscess.
Once you walk through our front door you will be greeted by a member of our Cary Endo team. They will gather any referral paperwork you have and will ask you to complete our patient registration packet, which includes your medical history and consent forms. (In order to speed up this process we have included a button link to these forms below. If you would like to take advantage of this time saving benefit, please complete and bring them to your scheduled visit).
Once all forms are complete, an assistant will take you to one of our four operatories, where you are surrounded by floor to ceiling windows that frame the beautiful trees and greenery surrounding our office. The assistant will review your medical history with you and document any other pertinent information related to your visit. Dr. Campbell will also review your paperwork and evaluate your symptoms prior to testing the tooth in question along with adjacent teeth.
After the tests are complete, a diagnosis will be given and Dr. Campbell will discuss your treatment options. Dr. Campbell will make you aware of the benefits, options and risks involved in order for you to understand how endodontic treatment can relieve your pain and save your tooth. Possible post-treatment decisions such as a crown on the treated tooth also will be addressed. It is sometimes necessary to have additional x-rays taken in order to provide a three dimensional view of the tooth/s in question. Your endodontic consultation will be completed prior to the initiation of any treatment. Be sure to contact us if you have any questions or concerns regarding your treatment.
Unfortunately, diagnosis can be difficult and pain medications, either prescription or over the counter can alter your testing results. Which may delay diagnosing the problem. Please feel free to take maintainance medications, just do not take any prescribed or over the counter medicines you use for pain management.
Please bring a list of all prescription, non-prescription, natural or herbal medications along with the dosage and frequency for each medicine you take with you to your appointment. It is very important that we know what medications you are taking. We will also need your primary care physicians name and telephone number. In some cases we will need to contact your Physician prior to dental treatment.
Please call our office at (919) 233-8830 to confirm any appointments made by a third party. (We strive to be flexible on appointment scheduling however, due to the severity of the treatment/s needed, we kindly ask for flexibility on our patients part so we can offer you the best quality of care that you deserve).
*Please alert the our office if you have a medical condition that may be of concern prior to surgery (i.e. diabetes, high blood pressure, artificial heart valves and joints, rheumatic fever, etc.) or if you are on any medication (i.e. heart medications, aspirin, anticoagulant therapy, etc.) or require medication prior to dental cleanings (i.e antibiotics, for pre-med.)
Once one of our assistants has prepared you for treatment in one of our relaxing operatories, Dr. Campbell will administer local anesthesia to numb any sensations you may feel during the procedure. After receiving proper anesthesia a small surgical dressing known as a "rubber dam" will be placed on your tooth. The rubber dam helps to keep the surgical site clean and free of saliva as well as keep anything unwanted out of your mouth.
Now that the infected tooth is numb it is time to remove the tissue that is either dead or dying. Much like a cavity filling, a small opening will be made through the top of the tooth to gain access to the center of the tooth known as the "pulp chamber". The pulp chamber is the soft tissue center of your tooth that contains blood vessels and nerves that are often the source of any pain or infection. This tissue is removed with specially designed instruments used to clean out root canals and the pulp chamber. The root canal is then shaped with tiny flexible instruments called "files".
Once the files have shaped the canal, step three is to irrigate any loose debris within the canal/s. Recent research shows that while cleaning & shaping the canals with our files, most but not all debris is removed. To help clean the areas that our files cannot reach irrigation solutions are used. When required, a specialized instrument called the "EndoVac®" will also be used. This instrument will suction the cleaning solutions all the way to the tip of the root. By using these solutions in combination with the shaping and cleaning files, Dr. Campbell can faciliate the cleanist canal/s possible. This helps us to provide the best possible treatment outcome for our patients.
For more information on the EndoVac® please see our Educational Videos section.
After cleaning the canals with the EndoVac®, Dr. Campbell fills the root canals with a biocompatible material, called gutta-percha. The gutta-percha is placed and then compressed against the walls of the canals with an adhesive cement to ensure complete sealing of the root canals.
After filling the root canals with the gutta-percha, the access that was made in the top of the tooth is sealed with a temporary or permanant filling to prevent re-contamination of the treated tooth. Dr. Campbell will take a final x-ray to send to your General Dentist. Your root canal treatment is now complete.
If a temporary filling was placed at the final visit with Dr. Campbell, it is vitally important that you return to your General Dentist within 2-4 weeks so the temporary filling can be replaced with a more permanant filling and/or crown. This will ensure your tooth has the best chance of being restored to full function.
To help with any anxieties regarding your upcoming visit, anti-anxiety medications can be prescribed. They can be taken one hour before bedtime to help you get a good nights sleep prior to your treatment appointment. An additional dose may be taken by mouth one hour prior to your scheduled visit. This will give you the best chance at having the medication working and decreasing your anxiety before you even enter our office. Please mention any concerns regarding potential anxiety issues with a member of our staff during your consulation and/or prior to scheduling your root canal treatment.
***In most cases, when taking prescription anti-anxiety medications, it is necessary that you have someone drive you to and from your appointment.***
ADVANCED ENDODONTICS offers the convenience of electronic filing of insurance claims for our patients (if they would like us to do so for them), so that our patients can maximize insurance reimbursement for covered procedures, which in turn speeds up the process of reimbursement. Some of our patients in the past have been reimbursed within 3-5 business days*. We also offer all of our patients in house no-interest payment plans to assure our patients feel financially comfortable moving forward with their treatment plan. Please contact a member of our billing team at (919) 233-8830 for more information on the payment options we are happy to provide to our patients.
ADVANCED ENDODONTICS offers the convenience of electronic filing of insurance claims for our patients (if they would like us to do so for them), so that our patients can maximize insurance reimbursement for covered procedures, which in turn speeds up the process of reimbursement. Some of our patients in the past have been reimbursed within 3-5 business days*. (*We do not guarantee reimbursement from your insurance provider, reimbursement is solely based on what is currently available to the patient as per their individual insurance plan benefits/deductibles).
***Please be sure to bring your insurance card to your appointment. This information will be stored in your patient record so we can assist you in sending the paperwork necessary for you to file your insurance claim/s.***
In addition to helping file your insurance, we also participate with CareCredit® Healthcare card and offers flexible payment options, giving you many options to still receive the best Endodontic treatment you deserve.
