October 14, 2025 • 37 mins
Root canals have a reputation problem, not a pain problem. We open the black box and show how endodontic therapy actually works: from the three-layer tooth anatomy (enamel, dentin, pulp) to why cold zings happen, what a lingering night ache means, and how that tiny gum “pimple” signals a draining abscess. With clear explanations and zero fluff, we map the journey from diagnosis to comfort: gentle anesthesia, rubber dam isolation, precise cleaning of the canals, and a tight seal with gutta‑percha—often followed by a crown to prevent fractures and restore long‑term function.
We also lay out the choices like a trusted friend would. When does a filling suffice? When is a crown non‑negotiable? How do you weigh saving the tooth with a root canal versus replacing it with a dental implant? Using 3D CBCT imaging, we reveal hidden canals, evaluate cracks, and estimate prognosis so you can make a smart, confident decision. We talk costs, durability, bite feel, esthetics, and the honest trade‑offs that matter for your daily life and budget.
Prevention gets its spotlight too. Learn how brushing and flossing schedules, fewer “sipping windows,” and quick water rinses after acidic drinks cut cavity risk. Understand how diet, stress, and delayed appointments turn simple fillings into bigger fixes. Most of all, hear why a modern root canal can be calm and quick—and why keeping your natural tooth often pays dividends in comfort and function.
If this changed your mind about root canals, subscribe, share with a friend who’s nervous about dental work, and leave a review to help others find the show. Have a question or a story about your own treatment? Drop it in the comments so we can bring it up next time.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
Welcome to the Semeday Dental Podcast.
(00:01):
We're here to provide you expertinsights on how dentistry can
improve your quality of life andextend your health span.
I'm Alex Semeday and I'm apracticing dentist.
And I'll be your host, alongwith Jeremy Wolf.
Enjoy the show.
SPEAKER_02 (00:18):
Well, hello, hello everyone, and welcome back to
Semeday Dental Podcast.
Jeremy Wolf here.
And as you you might notice ifyou're watching this, Dr.
Alex is not here today.
We got rid of him, didn't we?
SPEAKER_00 (00:30):
I no, we did not get rid of Dr.
Alex.
We love Dr.
Alex.
SPEAKER_02 (00:33):
We love Dr.
Alex around here.
SPEAKER_00 (00:35):
He is on vacation, so I'm hijacking his podcast.
And as you can see, I don't havethe same facial hair.
unknown (00:40):
Yes.
SPEAKER_02 (00:41):
You are you're a lot more pretty than he is, I must
say.
SPEAKER_00 (00:44):
Well, I I do tell patients that when they come in
and they're like, you're not Dr.
Alex.
I go, I hope I'm prettier.
SPEAKER_02 (00:50):
So okay, so topic for discussion today is it is
something that it's it's funny.
When I hear this, I think Ithink a lot about a lot of
people out here out there canidentify this.
When I hear this, I I instantlyget triggered.
I don't even know why, because Idon't know that I've ever
actually had one done.
We're talking about root canals.
(01:11):
Something about root canals justgets under everybody's skin, and
it it just seems like it's goingto be such a painful process.
Why, why is that, right?
Like again, I haven't even had Idon't think I've had one done.
What am I so worried about?
What like let's get into this.
Let's talk about what it is, whypeople are so scared of it, and
(01:32):
how you make that process prettyseamless and painless at your
office.
SPEAKER_00 (01:36):
Absolutely, Jeremy.
So oftentimes you'll hear peopleif something's difficult,
they're like, oh, it's likepulling teeth, or I'd rather
have a root canal.
People say these phrases all thetime, and typically they they're
not connected to dentistry, sothey don't really know what is
entailed in these procedures.
But I always laugh.
I'm like, hey, hey, wait asecond, it's not that bad.
(01:57):
Like, let me break down thismyth.
SPEAKER_02 (01:59):
So break it down, Dr.
Tart.
Let's go.
SPEAKER_00 (02:01):
It is very, very common that people come in and
they think a root canal, it'sgonna be the worst thing ever.
I rather just take the toothout.
SPEAKER_02 (02:09):
It's worse than giving birth.
SPEAKER_00 (02:11):
That's that's what I hear, but I gave birth and I
disagree.
So I've had root canals done andI've given birth.
Trust me, the root canal is awalk in the park.
Um, but so a root canal, people,you know, as Sem-Day Dental, we
spend a lot of time educatingour patients.
So the first thing, day one, weexplain to a patient that the
tooth has three layers.
We have the outside protectivelayer, we have the middle layer,
(02:34):
and then the inside layer,that's where the we call it the
pulp of the tooth.
That pulp of the tooth hasnerves in it and has some blood
vessels.
So when we have a cavity thatreaches close to that inside
layer of the tooth, that's whenwe start discussing a root canal
therapy, is our our plan ofaction to save our natural
(02:55):
tooth.
So you hear root canal, you gettriggered.
Someone that you know in lifehad a poor experience with a
root canal, and that's the onlything you know about root
canals.
So today, my goal is let's breakit down.
Let's talk about how do we getrecommended a root canal and
then what's the procedure like,and then break it down a little
(03:17):
bit further.
But like you said, it's aninstant trigger of fear.
And at Summit Day Dental, we'rewe're here to demystify all the
fears.
Last time we all got together,we talked about ghosting us.
You don't want to ghost usbecause we don't want you to
need a root canal, and then wehave to, you know, explain again
(03:37):
and get your your trust inpatients.
So the horror stories there,there's two sides, right?
Anything associated with pain isgonna cause a horror story.
The other thing is, is a lot ofpatients they don't want to be
sent around the world for theirdental care, they're already
scared to go to a dentist, and alot of the times, offices they
do the right thing by gettingyou into the right hands,
(03:59):
sending you to a specialist.
And don't get me wrong, thereare times where we also will
send a patient out for serviceif a specialist is needed.
But luckily, um, Dr.
Alex was awesome.
Um, he does implants here at theoffice, and I took an advanced
course in endodontics.
So endodontics is the specialtyto do root canals.
(04:19):
So here we do the root canals inoffice as well.
Again, if we have to send it tothe specialist, we will.
But it's kind of like a one-stopshop.
You can come, you can have yourtreatment.
You don't have to meet a newprovider.
You can just get your treatmentdone in a comfort office that
you're already used to.
So we're really excited toextend these services to our
(04:40):
patients and get them a littleless scared of this root canal
fear.
SPEAKER_02 (04:45):
So let's dig into this a little further.
I I want to make a I want tokind of make a draw distinction
between a filling and then aroot canal, because I I myself
have had plenty of fillings.
I think most people have.
And if I understand correctly,you know, filling, you basically
have like missing a space in thetooth or a gap, and then plaque
and things get stuck in there,and then you go in and you take
some composite or material andyou fill it in, hence the name
(05:07):
filling.
Uh, if I understand correctlyabout the root canal, this is
something where I guess youmaybe you've had some exposure
to the tooth and now it's kindof infiltrated down below the
tooth into the root, and now yougot to get into the root, clean
it out, and do something inthere.
Is that do I have that right?
SPEAKER_00 (05:21):
Or maybe you could help you're you're pretty pretty
accurate.
So a root canal therapy.
Um, so we refer it to root canaltherapy or endodontic therapy,
because a root canal soundsscary, but every tooth in your
mouth has a root and a canalthat it goes through.
Okay, so to get a little bitmore specific, we call it a root
canal therapy because what ourthe goal of a filling is that we
(05:44):
remove infected tooth structureand replace it with a healthy
replacement.
Okay, a filling is good up to acertain extent if a certain
amount of tooth structure ismissing.
We have crown time, baby.
We put a crown, yes, exactly.
SPEAKER_02 (05:58):
I know I know a thing or two about crowns.
SPEAKER_00 (06:00):
Me too.
Don't worry, Jeremy.
I have a I have plenty of my ownas well in the back.
So what happens is is just likeyou were explaining, we have
bacteria that affects the tooth.
So it starts attacking thatoutside layer we were talking
about, gets into the middlelayer, and that middle layer
gets direct communication intothe nerve.
So your body will actually tryto fight off the cavity and
(06:21):
protect itself from the insideout.
And when the cavity gets closeenough to the nerve, we start
getting different symptoms.
So with a with a cavity, youmight say, Hey, my tooth feels
weird, something's getting stuckin it.
We have a physical hole.
We do a filling.
When the bacteria gets into thethe nerve itself, that's we have
to do something about that.
(06:41):
You have pain, you havedifferent feelings, feelings.
Sometimes patients experiencenothing, but the inside nerves
of the tooth, they die.
SPEAKER_02 (06:51):
Okay, I've got a question.
I want to cut stop right there.
I'm curious.
Why what is it about the thepain associated with the tooth
that that is that that cold painthat you get?
That's that's always associatedwith dental pain in my mind, is
that like really, really cold,sharp pain.
What is it about the nerves upthere that cause that kind of
pain as opposed to a more dullpain or something like that?
SPEAKER_00 (07:13):
So your your nerves have a level of dying, okay?
So when that middle layer of thetooth is open and exposed to the
world, so it broke through thatfirst layer.
You might start having somesensitivity to colds or
something.
So the dentin, yep, that's thedentin, Larry.
Exactly.
Look at you.
I'm gonna tell Dr.
Alex he's gonna be so excitedthat you remembered from your
day one.
SPEAKER_02 (07:33):
Maybe they got a gold star when we're done.
SPEAKER_00 (07:35):
Maybe or a gold crown, your choice.
SPEAKER_02 (07:39):
There you go.
SPEAKER_00 (07:39):
So um, once that middle layer of the tooth is
exposed, it can communicate tothe nerve.
So the outside world with thecolds that you're drinking or
the coffee you're drinkingthat's hot, it can send a signal
to the nerve, and the nerveresponds as like, oh, that's a
trigger.
Now, you had mentioned before afilling, a filling replaces
tooth structure.
A root canal therapy, we go in,we clean out the infected nerve,
(08:02):
and then we fill the canal.
So it's very similar to afilling in the sense of we're
replacing the diseased part ofthe tooth, but the root canal
therapy is specifically afilling of the root itself, if
that makes sense.
So a filling may be the solutionto the tooth structure missing,
but root canal therapy is theremoval of disease of the canals
(08:29):
of the tooth and filling thatup.
So it's a filling for the root.
Um, you know, now that youbrought it up as that stance
point, like great way to explainit to a patient.
We have to clean it out and thenfill it up.
SPEAKER_02 (08:41):
Now, are you guys using for a root canal the same
type of uh like novocaine thatyou would use, the same type of
numbing that you would use forjust a general filling, or do
you have to go deeper with it?
Are there other types ofmedicines that you have to give
in conjunction with theNovocaine, or it's just a little
bit more, a little bit deeper?
SPEAKER_00 (08:57):
So the the same way we numb a tooth is the same way
we would numb a tooth for a rootcanal.
So the only difference is thatsometimes when patients come in,
you had mentioned before a dullache pain, that is your telltale
sign that a tooth is infected toan extent that is beyond a
feeling repairing it.
So we talked about how if youhave a cavity and your tooth
(09:20):
gets that cold sensitivity, ifthat cold sensitivity stops as
soon as you remove the cold, youknow, offender, you might not
need a root canal.
But if you have a dull achypain, it's it's worse at
nighttime, it's a throbbingpain, those are hey, our nerve
is is affected into differenttypes of nerves, and our dot our
(09:42):
nerve is dying.
So you have that response ofthat ache pain.
So if we see that, or if we takean x-ray and we see an
infection, sometimes we have todo a treatment before we go
ahead and open the tooth up toclean out the root canal.
Um, and that could be anantibiotic, or it could be a
draining of the infection,because any infection can
(10:06):
interfere with our medication tonumb the tooth.
So that's the only difference.
If we have an active infectionof the nerve in the root of the
tooth, sometimes we have to geta patient on medication to heal
that, and then our numbing, ournumbing medicine can work
normal.
But there's no special extranumbing technique that we have
(10:27):
to do.
The patients are comfortable,they come in, we explain the
procedure before we even bookit.
We take a 3D scan of the teeth.
I don't know if you knew this,but as somebody dental, we have
the CT machine.
SPEAKER_02 (10:38):
Uh-huh.
SPEAKER_00 (10:38):
So it does a 3D view of your entire jaw, every tooth.
We can see if there's aninfection happening.
And that's how we can help planour treatment.
So every tooth is different, noone's no one's teeth are all the
same.
And sometimes a tooth issupposed to have one root that
it will split in the middle, andthen there's multiple roots
(10:58):
coming off of it.
With this 3D service, we areable to actually map out where
the nerve goes in the tooth.
So when we're cleaning it, weget everything.
We don't have a half-done uhroot canal.
And that's something thattechnology has advanced in the
dental world to allow morethorough cleaning of these
canals.
SPEAKER_02 (11:20):
Aside from pain, what are some other red flags or
signs that you could have anissue that uh might you might
need some work, you might needto get a root canal?
SPEAKER_00 (11:32):
Yeah.
So I will say probably 50-50 ontime.
Some patients present with pain,and that's how they're diagnosed
to need a root canal.
The other 50% is maybe they gottrauma to their tooth.
It could be trauma from a longtime ago, and they've always
noticed this one tooth is a darkgray or a different color.
(11:52):
And when we test the tooth withour with our test, the nerve may
not respond, which means youcould have a dead nerve in your
mouth, it could be not affected,but it just has no life to it,
which will discolor your tooth.
So some people have a discoloredtooth from trauma, some people
can have a cracked tooth.
So bacteria isn't getting inthrough a cavity per se, but
(12:14):
it's coming in through the sideswhere the crack has happened.
And then another thing issometimes because we have goals
to rebuild teeth and to givepeople the smile that they want,
teeth are very short.
I know that it seems like whenwe're in the mouth, we're
drilling away a lot, but thetruth is your tooth is very,
very small and we work in verysmall increments.
(12:37):
And sometimes if the nerve istoo close to what we need for
space, we might do what we callelective endo, which means
you're getting a root canal sothat we can drill further into
the tooth and create our goaltype of crown or smile.
And it is very common that we wehave a mixture.
(13:00):
So it's 50-50 times.
Sometimes they have pain,sometimes they don't.
Um, sometimes we tell a patient,hey, if it doesn't bother you
that it's a different color or ashade, we might not do a root
canal, but that is therecommended treatment if we have
further goals to correctwhatever the complaint is.
So root canals are not always ascary, I have an infection, this
(13:22):
is really bad.
But if we don't have enoughtooth structure, the the benefit
is if we take the nerve out ofthe tooth, we can do it's called
a post.
And we literally put a poleinside the tooth and then get to
rebuild the base and the form ofthe tooth.
And then we can't implant to me.
Similar.
So the benefits, an implant is agreat option for someone who has
(13:45):
a lot of tooth structuremissing, and we can't do
anything about it, and we'regonna lose a tooth.
And it replaces one tooth withone implant, and it's an amazing
option for those who can affordit.
On the other side, a root canaltherapy, it removes the
infection or the problem, and itallows us to use what your body
has already naturally made andaccepted, yeah, and build on top
(14:09):
of that.
So there are benefits of both,and not everyone is best fit for
a root canal.
You know, if a tooth has has awiggle to it, I tend to
recommend to a patient, hey,doing a root canal is an option,
but I don't know how long that'sgonna last that patient.
So if that's the case, you know,we might lean toward doing an
(14:32):
implant because the money you'regonna invest in saving this
tooth, I can't guarantee howlong it's gonna last.
There's nothing in dentistrythat's that's forever, but we
always we always put our bestrecommendation first of what's
gonna be best for our patientlong term.
SPEAKER_02 (14:48):
Absolutely.
unknown (14:50):
Dr.
SPEAKER_02 (14:50):
Torr, can you explain what it means if someone
has a little like a small littlepimple on their gums?
What is that?
SPEAKER_00 (14:59):
So when we think about the tooth, we talked about
cavities.
If a cavity is open and the thecavity is all the way into the
root, the body is able to draininfection through that hole.
So sometimes the pressure andeverything, it has a way out.
Other times, if the cavity ismore internal of the tooth,
(15:21):
patients realize that they havea pressure and a pain because
the nerve infected has nowhereto go.
So the inside of the tooth wherethe nerve is and all that the
blood vessels, they'll swell up,but the tooth constricts it.
So you have that aching, dullthrob because there's no escape
to it.
If that infection infects theentire nerve, it can go out the
(15:43):
bottom of the tooth, and that'swhere the infection starts going
into the bone area, wherepatients will see on their gums,
right where the tooth hurts,they get that little pimple.
That's infection trying to finda way out.
So when we talked about whatcould be different, is we have
to go ahead and drain thatsometimes to allow that
infection to have an out, andthe patient has, you know, an
(16:07):
instant relief, but we didn'tsolve the problem because the
bacteria is within that tooth,and until we solve that problem
of the infected, the infectedtissue inside the tooth, they
might have that come back andforth.
So they might have that pimplecome and go and come and go.
And whenever we have aninfection in the mouth, that's
going into the entire body.
(16:28):
So if you have or if anyonelistening has pimples that pop
up near teeth that bother them,please go see your dentist and
get a routine exam because youmay not realize how much
infection is happening in teeth.
And when we take x-rays, we canactually see if the bone has
been damaged in the area.
And a lot of people don't evenknow what's happening, they just
(16:50):
know that pimple.
And Jeremy, it it's easy toignore the pimple, especially
when you want to ignore thedentist.
SPEAKER_02 (16:57):
It's so easy to ignore ignore all this stuff
until it until it becomes aproblem.
You hear that, everyone outthere?
Go get routine checkups.
Not just in dentistry, likeeverything, like just
prevention, an ounce ofprevention is worth a pound of
cure.
I can't say that enough.
Okay, Dr.
Tart, I want you to paint apicture here for me, right?
I I said I've never had a rootcanal before.
I come in to see you, you say,Hey Jeremy, guess what?
(17:19):
You need a root canal.
So we set up the appointment.
I don't want to go, but I go in,I get into the room.
Like, what walk me through theprocess?
How long does it take?
What's the first step?
Um, what am I to expect?
Because I think a lot of the umthe trepidation that we have
around this is the unknown.
And if it's explained and weknow exactly what we're to
(17:40):
expect through that process, um,you know, makes us feel a little
bit more comfortable, does itnot?
A hundred percent.
So walk us through it.
Let's go.
SPEAKER_00 (17:47):
I'll tell you the appointment starts the
appointment prior.
So when we present to you, thisis the treatment that's
recommended.
We always give the patient allthe options.
There's always option one, donothing.
Option two, move forward withthe recommendation of cleaning
out that root canal and doingthe therapy.
And then every time we do a rootcanal on a tooth, we have to go
(18:07):
ahead and protect that becauseonce you lose the life of the
tooth on the inside, you it's amore brittle tooth.
So you have to put a crown ontop to protect it.
And then, or they can choose animplant option or a bridge
option.
You know, there's severaloptions.
So we still the appointmentstarts the day or the
appointment prior.
Once the patient commits to it,we explain in detail what to
(18:29):
expect.
So when you're coming in for theactual appointment, you have a
breath of air because you knowwhy we're doing it, you
understand what happened to yourtooth, and then we begin.
So before you come, we take that3D x-ray.
We take a 2D x-ray.
So that's your traditional justchecking where the root is, and
then we do a 3D one.
The 3D one helps us plan outexactly where the the nerve is
(18:53):
and how we're gonna proceedforward.
So that's on the doctor end.
Once the patient comes in dayof, you know, we at semi-day
dental, we got the blanket, wehave your personalized music.
If you want the little eye mask,we have eye masks.
So our our assisting team, theythey spoil you galore, and then
they bring me in, which youalready are nervous to see.
(19:15):
And then what we do, I ask ifthere's any other questions you
a patient may be concerned with.
If not, we go ahead, we get themcomfortable and numb.
Once they're numb, yep,comfortably numb.
You know, tiny pinch, but a lotof the times we're we're
complimented about I didn't evenfeel a thing.
So that's the best complimentyou can give your dentist to
(19:35):
anyone out there.
Just tell them either.
SPEAKER_02 (19:38):
Am I also correct at some of the dental?
I know Dr.
Alex does to make sure that he'sthat you feel no pain with the
needles.
You're you you're like injectingyourself with the Novocaine to
like is that is that a thingthat you do there?
That that we inject ourselves,no, like you you to to test uh
whether or not there's any pain,like you're we work on each
(20:00):
other, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (20:01):
I yes, I will tell you that when I when I started
back at practice with Dr.
Alex, he's like, Go ahead, giveme shots.
So he will do pop pop shotinjections so that okay he knows
we we practice our comfortlevel.
But I am a patient of Dr.
Alex, so I can say personally Idon't feel a thing when he does
my fillings.
Um, yes, dentists have cavitiestoo.
(20:23):
So I have a really greatdentist, Dr.
Alex, but um, and he told me Iwas good, so I'll take his word
for it because I don't think Idon't think there's a lying bone
in that man's body.
So I'll accept it.
But yes, when the patient'snumb, we have to put on um so at
Summer Day Dental, we practicegold standard care, and it is
gold standard that we webasically block off the world
(20:47):
from the inside of that tooth.
So we have to use what's calledthe rubber dam.
A lot of people don't know this,but it's basically a little tent
that goes around the tooth, andit it gives us just the review
of the tooth that we're workingin, so that any of the infected
material is coming out of thetooth, and all the things that
we're doing to the tooth arejust so that one tooth.
(21:08):
So the patient has it's a funnylittle look.
I'll have to send it to you, buttheir mouth is just open and we
have a bite block, so they'recomfortable.
And as soon as we're we we areall set up and you know, safe to
start, we remove the infectedtooth structure just like you
would do with a normal filling,and then we open up the drilling
(21:28):
part, right?
And you get in there and we liketo call it tooth removal, but
yes, it's the drilling part, andum, we just go deep into to
where we find the the pulp ofthe tooth.
So the tooth has the threelayers, you know, it's like the
peanut MM, the enamel, thedentin, and then the pulp.
So we go through the enamel, wego through the dentin, we get to
(21:49):
the pulp, and then we startcleaning out the pulp itself.
That process, we clean out thepulp of the tooth, and then we
shape the inside of the toothand remove all the dead tooth
tissue that was surrounded bythat bacteria.
And then once we're done withthat, we clean it out really
well and we fill it up withsomething called gutta percha.
SPEAKER_02 (22:10):
It's actually a percha.
SPEAKER_00 (22:12):
Funny name.
No one, it's pink, it's pretty.
And this gutta percha that weput into the tooth, it seals off
what we took out.
So if we left it completelyempty, like we talked about
brittle, if you don't fillsomething up, can't can you
imagine us doing a filling,taking out the cavity and not
putting anything back?
Not a good idea.
SPEAKER_02 (22:31):
That would be no bueno.
SPEAKER_00 (22:32):
Yeah, so we have to fill up the root canal.
So we use something called guttapercha.
It's actually found in golfballs, too.
Fun fact.
And um, it's from a tree.
And then we we seal off thisthis healthy, now sterile area
of your tooth.
We seal it off, and then wecreate that buildup.
That buildups what will supportthat crown that we we end up
(22:55):
putting on top.
And this whole procedure can bedone in an hour to two hours.
Um, and in that two hours, we'rewe're hoping to do the whole
crown prep too.
So we try to save our patientsas long as the tooth isn't
infected to a level where wehave to break it into two parts,
we can do your root canal andthe crown prep all in one visit.
SPEAKER_02 (23:15):
That's nice.
Is a crown always required whengetting a root canal, or are
there scenarios where youwouldn't necessarily need a
crown?
SPEAKER_00 (23:22):
The only time that it's recommended you can get
away without doing so is ananterior tooth.
So the ones in the front.
Sometimes if the if it's notcavity related, so there's not a
lot of bacteria that took awaytooth structure, we can actually
remove the the root of the toothand do the root canal, seal it
(23:43):
off, and get away with doing afilling.
But remember, Jeremy, that thatinside of the tooth helps with
the tooth color.
So sometimes when we do a rootcanal on a front tooth, even
though we can get away becauseit's less structure that we had
to remove, if it wasn't a cavityreason, the problem can become
if the tooth changes colors, apatient's not happy.
(24:06):
So yeah, I would say 80% of thetime a crown is rec.
If it's a if it's a back tooth,100% of the time.
If it's a front tooth, you'relooking at about 80% of the
time, we'll recommend a crown,but there's a there's a 20%
where you can get away withoutdoing that and just do a filling
(24:27):
on it.
It's a it both ways are safe.
Anyone's dentist, whoever isrecommending the treatment, will
will help guide you on how muchtooth structure is is left for
you to make that decision.
SPEAKER_02 (24:41):
You know, this is why it's so important in my
mind.
Like I'm so happy I found Ifound you guys at Semiday
Dental.
Like, I I wanna when I go to thedentist, I wanna obviously I
like to get options.
I like to get, I'd like to havean explanation on what's going
on, but ultimately I want tofeel a level of trust with my
provider, with my dentist inthis case, where I could just
say, like, well, doc, what whatdo you recommend?
(25:02):
And like, that's what I will dobecause you know what the best
course of action is typicallyfor patients.
And I I don't want to put thatdecision on myself to have to go
out and then try to figure outwhat the best course of action
is.
Um, and I feel like I have thatwith you guys.
Like, whatever, whatever youguys tell me to do, I'm I'm
gonna do that.
SPEAKER_00 (25:19):
Jeremy, I will tell you this.
There are several times where apatient says, What would you do?
Yeah, and sometimes I shock thembecause I tell them, Listen, if
it were me, I would do this.
And they're like, But that'snot, it might not be the most
expensive treatment, it mightnot be the most, you know,
long-term solution.
And I said, You ask me what Iwould do.
(25:40):
I'm being honest with you.
So I have several fillings in mymouth from before I was a
dentist where really largecavities didn't do a root canal.
Some are still holding strongfrom back when I got these big
cavities and these big fillings,but I also have two root canals
in my own mouth, and I also havefour crowns.
So even though people think thedentist's teeth are perfect, and
(26:05):
I will say I did Invisalign atthe office to fix my crowding.
I did a lot of crowns in theback.
I'm not a perfect mouth, I'm avery expensive mouth.
So I understand the feelings ofbeing in the chair, being
anxious for a second.
I have patients who end uptaking photos of their mouth
when I'm trying to do theircanal.
And it's a really excitingmoment for a patient to be
(26:26):
involved and invested.
So, like you had mentioned, youwant to trust your dentist.
And once you get that fearfactor out, it becomes like an
interest in dentistry.
Not saying that everyone who hasan interest or wants to learn
more will become a dentist, butyou're less scared and you're
like, oh, look at this coolpicture that no one will care
about except us.
But I will say that we Dr.
(26:48):
Alex will only recommend, uh,well, he'll he'll give you all
your options and then he'llinform you of his recommendation
if you were his family member orhimself.
Same with me.
I'm not shy.
I'll tell you what.
If you ask me for my opinion,I'll tell you it.
Um, I'm also realistic what whatpatients are able and capable of
affording.
You know, I respect that.
(27:10):
So if they share with me, I'llstill option because we have
great the front team is isamazing with making things
affordable so people can get thethe treatment that's best fit
for them and not be scared ofthe financial scare.
But I will respect what they'retelling me and I will tell it,
sell them here are our options,here's what I think would be the
(27:34):
longest term solution for you.
Because when people have afinancial concern, you you want
to respect that and you want tomake sure that they're not
investing in something that willfail, which is why, Jeremy, we
talk about what's the otherwhat's the alternatives.
So if saving a tooth costs you Xamount of money, but the same X
amount of money can get you animplant, we we have those
(27:57):
conversations.
And uh if if anyone wants tocheck out our blog on the Summit
Daydentol.com um website, you'llsee we did we actually did a
blog on root canals.
So a lot of this the sameinformation you could find
there.
There's a little chart breakdownof costs, pros, and cons of
getting a root canal and acrown, getting an implant,
(28:19):
getting a bridge, or gettingsomething that comes in and out
to replace the tooth if wedecide to take it out.
So there's a there's a lot ofoptions out there, and root
canal therapies are amazingbecause again, Jeremy, you get
to save your natural tooth.
And every dentist in the worldwants to save natural teeth,
except except oral surgeons.
I guess they don't.
SPEAKER_02 (28:40):
Yes, I've I've been, I must say, I've been more
diligent um over the lastseveral years with taking care
of my teeth.
I've been flossing more andbrushing more and just trying to
make sure that I'm settingmyself up for success.
Uh I saw a video the other day,somebody was talking about how
you should always be looking outfor your future self, always
(29:01):
have your future self's back.
So often in life, we don't wantto deal with something now, and
we just kick the can down theroad until it becomes too much
of a problem, and then we kickourselves for not taking care of
it earlier.
It's a vicious cycle.
So I'm trying to be more presentand more um, you know, big on
prevention.
Speaking of prevention, what aresome of the most common habits
that eventually lead to peopleneeding root canals?
SPEAKER_00 (29:25):
So, you know, the unexpected that you can't
control trauma, spontaneousinfection.
You people can have the besthygiene and still get, you know,
an infected tooth.
So I don't want people to alwaysfeel that their dental problems
are a you did it, and thatthat's something we really
(29:46):
stress at Semiday Dental.
Life happens, and whatever youpresent to us, we're gonna give
you your options to get you backon track to get you healthier.
So some things are out of theircontrol for root canals.
You know, if they get let metell.
You once I had a kid and theseheadbuts, I'm like, man, I need
a mouth guard just to hang outwith my kid.
So trauma you can't avoid, butdecay, you can help protect
(30:11):
yourself.
So, like you had mentioned,brushing, brush two times a day.
There are many people in thisworld who do not brush two times
a day, they don't know thisfact.
So we start there.
Let's brush our teeth two timesa day.
I always give people the goalfloss three days a week if
you're not doing it already.
Seven days is what we we ourgoal is to get to.
But if you floss three days aweek, you're improving from zero
(30:33):
to three.
And routine dental cleaningsthat removes so much bacteria
out of your mouth is amazing.
Um, don't uh don't avoid thedentist.
When you start getting thatweird feeling, make your
appointment.
Go on and get your your regularcheckup or go for a limited
checkup just so that you'reahead of the game.
(30:54):
If we are able to catch itearly, it could be a solution as
just a filling.
If we wait, sometimes the tooth,we lose more structure, more
structure, things will break.
Sometimes we lose the even theoption to do a root canal and we
have to lose a tooth.
So don't ignore those earlysymptoms.
And then if you do have acavity, don't wait on it.
Again, a filling is an option atthe time we tell you.
(31:17):
If you wait longer, it couldbecome a crown.
If you wait even longer, itcould become a root canal plus a
crown.
If you wait even longer, we haveto take a tooth out.
So, like you had mentionedbefore, it's it's a matter of um
taking early action will saveyou a lot of money and stress
and pain down the road.
SPEAKER_02 (31:36):
What about diet?
I could only imagine that uhlots of sugar in your diet is
gonna be detrimental to the thehealth of your teeth.
Speak speak to that for amoment.
SPEAKER_00 (31:47):
Jeremy, you we always talk about how the mouth
is a systemic connection withthe rest of our body.
So everything you do starts inthe mouth and works its way
through.
I have uh I always tellpatients, listen, you can eat as
much sugar and candy as you'dlike.
I can help you protect againstcavities by you know our
brushing techniques, our routinedental care, this and that.
I go, I can't protect youagainst diabetes.
(32:09):
So anyone who knows our office,we are a Sour Patch Kid, like
frequent subscriber, basically.
Orange and blues are myfavorite, if anyone wants to
know.
Um, but I'm always constantlyeating candy.
That's why I have so manyfillings and grounds and
cavities.
But flossing, if you if you knowthe proper way to floss and
(32:30):
brush your teeth and go to yourroutine checkups, you may your
diet may be okay.
But things like candy, soda, um,coffee, a lot of these things
have an acidic factor.
So if you're not doing some ofthese preventive cares, your
tooth is constantly constantlybeing attacked.
And the outside surface of thattooth, that enamel, that hard
(32:52):
peanut MM shell, it can onlytake so much before it weakens
and breaks down.
And once we're into the middlelayer, that's when things
spread.
So, Jeremy, your diet is a bigfactor.
Um, if you're drinking soda orsomething, rinse your mouth
after.
That's one way.
Rinsing your mouth with waterkind of helps get rid of some of
that sugar left behind on thetooth surface, but that's why
(33:15):
it's it's so important to takethose preventive measures and
disrupt that sugar breakdown onour tooth surface.
SPEAKER_02 (33:22):
Yeah, I can proudly say that over the last six
months to a year, I'vesignificantly decreased my sugar
intake.
I I really hardly ever drinksoda now.
I actually stopped drinkingcoffee about a week ago.
I the older I get and like Ifeel my body aging, the more
cognizant I am of what I'mputting inside my body to make
sure that I I can live a long,healthy, fruitful life.
(33:45):
And I'm I'm starting to feel alot better, I must say.
Sugar is the silent killer, itreally is a poison to some
degree.
SPEAKER_00 (33:52):
You know what it is also?
Stress.
Stress is a silent killer,indeed.
And stress paired with poordiet, your body is taking a a
lot of toll that uh isn't reallythat recipe for disaster.
SPEAKER_02 (34:06):
Yes, take care of yourselves.
Yeah, one life to live.
Let's make sure we live it tothe fullest.
Um, did we anything we missed?
What what's what would you liketo leave our listeners with?
Just like one one little nugget,one piece of advice um regarding
this issue.
SPEAKER_00 (34:25):
Don't be scared when the word or topic comes up.
I will tell you that in dentalschool I was trained by the most
amazing endodontic um faculty.
Shout out to Dr.
Bakiri at UFCD.
That was my she always told meshe would see me again to become
a specialist.
(34:45):
And I told her absolutely not.
And then here I am on a podcasttalking about root canal.
So I'll give her a call afterthis to let her know.
But you have to understand thatyour your provider's doing an
amazing service to help you savethat natural tooth.
And you might be nervous, but ifyou're in the right hand, you'll
(35:06):
be able to trust that you'rebeing treated to the standard,
taking care of this infection,and you can leave your
appointment feeling proud ofyourself that you took care of
infection in your body, andmoving forward, create those
goals just like you did, Jeremy,where you improve so that you
don't have to be in that samesituation again.
(35:26):
We're here to help you, SemadayDental.
I always say comfort doesn'tcost more.
I'm not sure if Dr.
Alex likes that.
I don't pay the bills aroundhere.
So comfort does not cost more,and I know that that's our
priority here.
And our team is going to easeyou in every step of the way if
a root canal is in your future.
I have two myself, so all therumors are are not true.
(35:51):
Good experiences do happen.
And when we do our post-offcalls, sometimes these patients
just tell us they don't feelanything.
So let's hope that you have thatsame experience if you have to
be in those chairs.
SPEAKER_02 (36:02):
Well, I I'll I'll just be seeing you guys for
cleanings from now on.
I'm not gonna have any moreissues ever again in my mouth.
But if you do, knock on wood.
But if I do, I know where tofind you guys.
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00 (36:15):
So I think I think Dr.
Alex is gonna be jealous.
We had so much fun.
Should we should we make our ownpodcast, Jeremy?
Absolutely.
Let's do it.
Okay, you have to come in opthough.
That that's my preferred chairside chat.
SPEAKER_02 (36:26):
Okay, we will make it happen.
All right, all right, we'llleave it at that.
Thanks so much, everyone, fortuning in.
If you found this contentuseful, don't forget to like,
subscribe.
You know the drill.
Uh, if you've had an experience,be it good, be it bad, let us
know about it in the comments.
We're always interested to hearabout your feedback.
And if we missed anything, letus know as well.
(36:48):
And we'll bring it up on thenext episode.
Everyone, take care, have alovely day, and we will catch
you all next time in the nextepisode of the Semaday Dental
Podcast.
SPEAKER_01 (36:55):
Bye.
Thanks for tuning in to thisepisode of the Semaday Dental
Podcast.
We hope you enjoyed the show.
Don't forget to subscribe, leavea review, and follow us on
social media for the latestepisodes.
You can find us at SemedayDental.
If you have any questions, feelfree to reach out.
We're always happy to help.
Until then, keep smiling andstay curious.
Welcome to the Semeday Dental Podcast.
(00:01):
We're here to provide you expertinsights on how dentistry can
improve your quality of life andextend your health span.
I'm Alex Semeday and I'm apracticing dentist.
And I'll be your host, alongwith Jeremy Wolf.
Enjoy the show.
SPEAKER_02 (00:18):
Well, hello, hello everyone, and welcome back to
Semeday Dental Podcast.
Jeremy Wolf here.
And as you you might notice ifyou're watching this, Dr.
Alex is not here today.
We got rid of him, didn't we?
SPEAKER_00 (00:30):
I no, we did not get rid of Dr.
Alex.
We love Dr.
Alex.
SPEAKER_02 (00:33):
We love Dr.
Alex around here.
SPEAKER_00 (00:35):
He is on vacation, so I'm hijacking his podcast.
And as you can see, I don't havethe same facial hair.
unknown (00:40):
Yes.
SPEAKER_02 (00:41):
You are you're a lot more pretty than he is, I must
say.
SPEAKER_00 (00:44):
Well, I I do tell patients that when they come in
and they're like, you're not Dr.
Alex.
I go, I hope I'm prettier.
SPEAKER_02 (00:50):
So okay, so topic for discussion today is it is
something that it's it's funny.
When I hear this, I think Ithink a lot about a lot of
people out here out there canidentify this.
When I hear this, I I instantlyget triggered.
I don't even know why, because Idon't know that I've ever
actually had one done.
We're talking about root canals.
(01:11):
Something about root canals justgets under everybody's skin, and
it it just seems like it's goingto be such a painful process.
Why, why is that, right?
Like again, I haven't even had Idon't think I've had one done.
What am I so worried about?
What like let's get into this.
Let's talk about what it is, whypeople are so scared of it, and
(01:32):
how you make that process prettyseamless and painless at your
office.
SPEAKER_00 (01:36):
Absolutely, Jeremy.
So oftentimes you'll hear peopleif something's difficult,
they're like, oh, it's likepulling teeth, or I'd rather
have a root canal.
People say these phrases all thetime, and typically they they're
not connected to dentistry, sothey don't really know what is
entailed in these procedures.
But I always laugh.
I'm like, hey, hey, wait asecond, it's not that bad.
(01:57):
Like, let me break down thismyth.
SPEAKER_02 (01:59):
So break it down, Dr.
Tart.
Let's go.
SPEAKER_00 (02:01):
It is very, very common that people come in and
they think a root canal, it'sgonna be the worst thing ever.
I rather just take the toothout.
SPEAKER_02 (02:09):
It's worse than giving birth.
SPEAKER_00 (02:11):
That's that's what I hear, but I gave birth and I
disagree.
So I've had root canals done andI've given birth.
Trust me, the root canal is awalk in the park.
Um, but so a root canal, people,you know, as Sem-Day Dental, we
spend a lot of time educatingour patients.
So the first thing, day one, weexplain to a patient that the
tooth has three layers.
We have the outside protectivelayer, we have the middle layer,
(02:34):
and then the inside layer,that's where the we call it the
pulp of the tooth.
That pulp of the tooth hasnerves in it and has some blood
vessels.
So when we have a cavity thatreaches close to that inside
layer of the tooth, that's whenwe start discussing a root canal
therapy, is our our plan ofaction to save our natural
(02:55):
tooth.
So you hear root canal, you gettriggered.
Someone that you know in lifehad a poor experience with a
root canal, and that's the onlything you know about root
canals.
So today, my goal is let's breakit down.
Let's talk about how do we getrecommended a root canal and
then what's the procedure like,and then break it down a little
(03:17):
bit further.
But like you said, it's aninstant trigger of fear.
And at Summit Day Dental, we'rewe're here to demystify all the
fears.
Last time we all got together,we talked about ghosting us.
You don't want to ghost usbecause we don't want you to
need a root canal, and then wehave to, you know, explain again
(03:37):
and get your your trust inpatients.
So the horror stories there,there's two sides, right?
Anything associated with pain isgonna cause a horror story.
The other thing is, is a lot ofpatients they don't want to be
sent around the world for theirdental care, they're already
scared to go to a dentist, and alot of the times, offices they
do the right thing by gettingyou into the right hands,
(03:59):
sending you to a specialist.
And don't get me wrong, thereare times where we also will
send a patient out for serviceif a specialist is needed.
But luckily, um, Dr.
Alex was awesome.
Um, he does implants here at theoffice, and I took an advanced
course in endodontics.
So endodontics is the specialtyto do root canals.
(04:19):
So here we do the root canals inoffice as well.
Again, if we have to send it tothe specialist, we will.
But it's kind of like a one-stopshop.
You can come, you can have yourtreatment.
You don't have to meet a newprovider.
You can just get your treatmentdone in a comfort office that
you're already used to.
So we're really excited toextend these services to our
(04:40):
patients and get them a littleless scared of this root canal
fear.
SPEAKER_02 (04:45):
So let's dig into this a little further.
I I want to make a I want tokind of make a draw distinction
between a filling and then aroot canal, because I I myself
have had plenty of fillings.
I think most people have.
And if I understand correctly,you know, filling, you basically
have like missing a space in thetooth or a gap, and then plaque
and things get stuck in there,and then you go in and you take
some composite or material andyou fill it in, hence the name
(05:07):
filling.
Uh, if I understand correctlyabout the root canal, this is
something where I guess youmaybe you've had some exposure
to the tooth and now it's kindof infiltrated down below the
tooth into the root, and now yougot to get into the root, clean
it out, and do something inthere.
Is that do I have that right?
SPEAKER_00 (05:21):
Or maybe you could help you're you're pretty pretty
accurate.
So a root canal therapy.
Um, so we refer it to root canaltherapy or endodontic therapy,
because a root canal soundsscary, but every tooth in your
mouth has a root and a canalthat it goes through.
Okay, so to get a little bitmore specific, we call it a root
canal therapy because what ourthe goal of a filling is that we
(05:44):
remove infected tooth structureand replace it with a healthy
replacement.
Okay, a filling is good up to acertain extent if a certain
amount of tooth structure ismissing.
We have crown time, baby.
We put a crown, yes, exactly.
SPEAKER_02 (05:58):
I know I know a thing or two about crowns.
SPEAKER_00 (06:00):
Me too.
Don't worry, Jeremy.
I have a I have plenty of my ownas well in the back.
So what happens is is just likeyou were explaining, we have
bacteria that affects the tooth.
So it starts attacking thatoutside layer we were talking
about, gets into the middlelayer, and that middle layer
gets direct communication intothe nerve.
So your body will actually tryto fight off the cavity and
(06:21):
protect itself from the insideout.
And when the cavity gets closeenough to the nerve, we start
getting different symptoms.
So with a with a cavity, youmight say, Hey, my tooth feels
weird, something's getting stuckin it.
We have a physical hole.
We do a filling.
When the bacteria gets into thethe nerve itself, that's we have
to do something about that.
(06:41):
You have pain, you havedifferent feelings, feelings.
Sometimes patients experiencenothing, but the inside nerves
of the tooth, they die.
SPEAKER_02 (06:51):
Okay, I've got a question.
I want to cut stop right there.
I'm curious.
Why what is it about the thepain associated with the tooth
that that is that that cold painthat you get?
That's that's always associatedwith dental pain in my mind, is
that like really, really cold,sharp pain.
What is it about the nerves upthere that cause that kind of
pain as opposed to a more dullpain or something like that?
SPEAKER_00 (07:13):
So your your nerves have a level of dying, okay?
So when that middle layer of thetooth is open and exposed to the
world, so it broke through thatfirst layer.
You might start having somesensitivity to colds or
something.
So the dentin, yep, that's thedentin, Larry.
Exactly.
Look at you.
I'm gonna tell Dr.
Alex he's gonna be so excitedthat you remembered from your
day one.
SPEAKER_02 (07:33):
Maybe they got a gold star when we're done.
SPEAKER_00 (07:35):
Maybe or a gold crown, your choice.
SPEAKER_02 (07:39):
There you go.
SPEAKER_00 (07:39):
So um, once that middle layer of the tooth is
exposed, it can communicate tothe nerve.
So the outside world with thecolds that you're drinking or
the coffee you're drinkingthat's hot, it can send a signal
to the nerve, and the nerveresponds as like, oh, that's a
trigger.
Now, you had mentioned before afilling, a filling replaces
tooth structure.
A root canal therapy, we go in,we clean out the infected nerve,
(08:02):
and then we fill the canal.
So it's very similar to afilling in the sense of we're
replacing the diseased part ofthe tooth, but the root canal
therapy is specifically afilling of the root itself, if
that makes sense.
So a filling may be the solutionto the tooth structure missing,
but root canal therapy is theremoval of disease of the canals
(08:29):
of the tooth and filling thatup.
So it's a filling for the root.
Um, you know, now that youbrought it up as that stance
point, like great way to explainit to a patient.
We have to clean it out and thenfill it up.
SPEAKER_02 (08:41):
Now, are you guys using for a root canal the same
type of uh like novocaine thatyou would use, the same type of
numbing that you would use forjust a general filling, or do
you have to go deeper with it?
Are there other types ofmedicines that you have to give
in conjunction with theNovocaine, or it's just a little
bit more, a little bit deeper?
SPEAKER_00 (08:57):
So the the same way we numb a tooth is the same way
we would numb a tooth for a rootcanal.
So the only difference is thatsometimes when patients come in,
you had mentioned before a dullache pain, that is your telltale
sign that a tooth is infected toan extent that is beyond a
feeling repairing it.
So we talked about how if youhave a cavity and your tooth
(09:20):
gets that cold sensitivity, ifthat cold sensitivity stops as
soon as you remove the cold, youknow, offender, you might not
need a root canal.
But if you have a dull achypain, it's it's worse at
nighttime, it's a throbbingpain, those are hey, our nerve
is is affected into differenttypes of nerves, and our dot our
(09:42):
nerve is dying.
So you have that response ofthat ache pain.
So if we see that, or if we takean x-ray and we see an
infection, sometimes we have todo a treatment before we go
ahead and open the tooth up toclean out the root canal.
Um, and that could be anantibiotic, or it could be a
draining of the infection,because any infection can
(10:06):
interfere with our medication tonumb the tooth.
So that's the only difference.
If we have an active infectionof the nerve in the root of the
tooth, sometimes we have to geta patient on medication to heal
that, and then our numbing, ournumbing medicine can work
normal.
But there's no special extranumbing technique that we have
(10:27):
to do.
The patients are comfortable,they come in, we explain the
procedure before we even bookit.
We take a 3D scan of the teeth.
I don't know if you knew this,but as somebody dental, we have
the CT machine.
SPEAKER_02 (10:38):
Uh-huh.
SPEAKER_00 (10:38):
So it does a 3D view of your entire jaw, every tooth.
We can see if there's aninfection happening.
And that's how we can help planour treatment.
So every tooth is different, noone's no one's teeth are all the
same.
And sometimes a tooth issupposed to have one root that
it will split in the middle, andthen there's multiple roots
(10:58):
coming off of it.
With this 3D service, we areable to actually map out where
the nerve goes in the tooth.
So when we're cleaning it, weget everything.
We don't have a half-done uhroot canal.
And that's something thattechnology has advanced in the
dental world to allow morethorough cleaning of these
canals.
SPEAKER_02 (11:20):
Aside from pain, what are some other red flags or
signs that you could have anissue that uh might you might
need some work, you might needto get a root canal?
SPEAKER_00 (11:32):
Yeah.
So I will say probably 50-50 ontime.
Some patients present with pain,and that's how they're diagnosed
to need a root canal.
The other 50% is maybe they gottrauma to their tooth.
It could be trauma from a longtime ago, and they've always
noticed this one tooth is a darkgray or a different color.
(11:52):
And when we test the tooth withour with our test, the nerve may
not respond, which means youcould have a dead nerve in your
mouth, it could be not affected,but it just has no life to it,
which will discolor your tooth.
So some people have a discoloredtooth from trauma, some people
can have a cracked tooth.
So bacteria isn't getting inthrough a cavity per se, but
(12:14):
it's coming in through the sideswhere the crack has happened.
And then another thing issometimes because we have goals
to rebuild teeth and to givepeople the smile that they want,
teeth are very short.
I know that it seems like whenwe're in the mouth, we're
drilling away a lot, but thetruth is your tooth is very,
very small and we work in verysmall increments.
(12:37):
And sometimes if the nerve istoo close to what we need for
space, we might do what we callelective endo, which means
you're getting a root canal sothat we can drill further into
the tooth and create our goaltype of crown or smile.
And it is very common that we wehave a mixture.
(13:00):
So it's 50-50 times.
Sometimes they have pain,sometimes they don't.
Um, sometimes we tell a patient,hey, if it doesn't bother you
that it's a different color or ashade, we might not do a root
canal, but that is therecommended treatment if we have
further goals to correctwhatever the complaint is.
So root canals are not always ascary, I have an infection, this
(13:22):
is really bad.
But if we don't have enoughtooth structure, the the benefit
is if we take the nerve out ofthe tooth, we can do it's called
a post.
And we literally put a poleinside the tooth and then get to
rebuild the base and the form ofthe tooth.
And then we can't implant to me.
Similar.
So the benefits, an implant is agreat option for someone who has
(13:45):
a lot of tooth structuremissing, and we can't do
anything about it, and we'regonna lose a tooth.
And it replaces one tooth withone implant, and it's an amazing
option for those who can affordit.
On the other side, a root canaltherapy, it removes the
infection or the problem, and itallows us to use what your body
has already naturally made andaccepted, yeah, and build on top
(14:09):
of that.
So there are benefits of both,and not everyone is best fit for
a root canal.
You know, if a tooth has has awiggle to it, I tend to
recommend to a patient, hey,doing a root canal is an option,
but I don't know how long that'sgonna last that patient.
So if that's the case, you know,we might lean toward doing an
(14:32):
implant because the money you'regonna invest in saving this
tooth, I can't guarantee howlong it's gonna last.
There's nothing in dentistrythat's that's forever, but we
always we always put our bestrecommendation first of what's
gonna be best for our patientlong term.
SPEAKER_02 (14:48):
Absolutely.
unknown (14:50):
Dr.
SPEAKER_02 (14:50):
Torr, can you explain what it means if someone
has a little like a small littlepimple on their gums?
What is that?
SPEAKER_00 (14:59):
So when we think about the tooth, we talked about
cavities.
If a cavity is open and the thecavity is all the way into the
root, the body is able to draininfection through that hole.
So sometimes the pressure andeverything, it has a way out.
Other times, if the cavity ismore internal of the tooth,
(15:21):
patients realize that they havea pressure and a pain because
the nerve infected has nowhereto go.
So the inside of the tooth wherethe nerve is and all that the
blood vessels, they'll swell up,but the tooth constricts it.
So you have that aching, dullthrob because there's no escape
to it.
If that infection infects theentire nerve, it can go out the
(15:43):
bottom of the tooth, and that'swhere the infection starts going
into the bone area, wherepatients will see on their gums,
right where the tooth hurts,they get that little pimple.
That's infection trying to finda way out.
So when we talked about whatcould be different, is we have
to go ahead and drain thatsometimes to allow that
infection to have an out, andthe patient has, you know, an
(16:07):
instant relief, but we didn'tsolve the problem because the
bacteria is within that tooth,and until we solve that problem
of the infected, the infectedtissue inside the tooth, they
might have that come back andforth.
So they might have that pimplecome and go and come and go.
And whenever we have aninfection in the mouth, that's
going into the entire body.
(16:28):
So if you have or if anyonelistening has pimples that pop
up near teeth that bother them,please go see your dentist and
get a routine exam because youmay not realize how much
infection is happening in teeth.
And when we take x-rays, we canactually see if the bone has
been damaged in the area.
And a lot of people don't evenknow what's happening, they just
(16:50):
know that pimple.
And Jeremy, it it's easy toignore the pimple, especially
when you want to ignore thedentist.
SPEAKER_02 (16:57):
It's so easy to ignore ignore all this stuff
until it until it becomes aproblem.
You hear that, everyone outthere?
Go get routine checkups.
Not just in dentistry, likeeverything, like just
prevention, an ounce ofprevention is worth a pound of
cure.
I can't say that enough.
Okay, Dr.
Tart, I want you to paint apicture here for me, right?
I I said I've never had a rootcanal before.
I come in to see you, you say,Hey Jeremy, guess what?
(17:19):
You need a root canal.
So we set up the appointment.
I don't want to go, but I go in,I get into the room.
Like, what walk me through theprocess?
How long does it take?
What's the first step?
Um, what am I to expect?
Because I think a lot of the umthe trepidation that we have
around this is the unknown.
And if it's explained and weknow exactly what we're to
(17:40):
expect through that process, um,you know, makes us feel a little
bit more comfortable, does itnot?
A hundred percent.
So walk us through it.
Let's go.
SPEAKER_00 (17:47):
I'll tell you the appointment starts the
appointment prior.
So when we present to you, thisis the treatment that's
recommended.
We always give the patient allthe options.
There's always option one, donothing.
Option two, move forward withthe recommendation of cleaning
out that root canal and doingthe therapy.
And then every time we do a rootcanal on a tooth, we have to go
(18:07):
ahead and protect that becauseonce you lose the life of the
tooth on the inside, you it's amore brittle tooth.
So you have to put a crown ontop to protect it.
And then, or they can choose animplant option or a bridge
option.
You know, there's severaloptions.
So we still the appointmentstarts the day or the
appointment prior.
Once the patient commits to it,we explain in detail what to
(18:29):
expect.
So when you're coming in for theactual appointment, you have a
breath of air because you knowwhy we're doing it, you
understand what happened to yourtooth, and then we begin.
So before you come, we take that3D x-ray.
We take a 2D x-ray.
So that's your traditional justchecking where the root is, and
then we do a 3D one.
The 3D one helps us plan outexactly where the the nerve is
(18:53):
and how we're gonna proceedforward.
So that's on the doctor end.
Once the patient comes in dayof, you know, we at semi-day
dental, we got the blanket, wehave your personalized music.
If you want the little eye mask,we have eye masks.
So our our assisting team, theythey spoil you galore, and then
they bring me in, which youalready are nervous to see.
(19:15):
And then what we do, I ask ifthere's any other questions you
a patient may be concerned with.
If not, we go ahead, we get themcomfortable and numb.
Once they're numb, yep,comfortably numb.
You know, tiny pinch, but a lotof the times we're we're
complimented about I didn't evenfeel a thing.
So that's the best complimentyou can give your dentist to
(19:35):
anyone out there.
Just tell them either.
SPEAKER_02 (19:38):
Am I also correct at some of the dental?
I know Dr.
Alex does to make sure that he'sthat you feel no pain with the
needles.
You're you you're like injectingyourself with the Novocaine to
like is that is that a thingthat you do there?
That that we inject ourselves,no, like you you to to test uh
whether or not there's any pain,like you're we work on each
(20:00):
other, yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (20:01):
I yes, I will tell you that when I when I started
back at practice with Dr.
Alex, he's like, Go ahead, giveme shots.
So he will do pop pop shotinjections so that okay he knows
we we practice our comfortlevel.
But I am a patient of Dr.
Alex, so I can say personally Idon't feel a thing when he does
my fillings.
Um, yes, dentists have cavitiestoo.
(20:23):
So I have a really greatdentist, Dr.
Alex, but um, and he told me Iwas good, so I'll take his word
for it because I don't think Idon't think there's a lying bone
in that man's body.
So I'll accept it.
But yes, when the patient'snumb, we have to put on um so at
Summer Day Dental, we practicegold standard care, and it is
gold standard that we webasically block off the world
(20:47):
from the inside of that tooth.
So we have to use what's calledthe rubber dam.
A lot of people don't know this,but it's basically a little tent
that goes around the tooth, andit it gives us just the review
of the tooth that we're workingin, so that any of the infected
material is coming out of thetooth, and all the things that
we're doing to the tooth arejust so that one tooth.
(21:08):
So the patient has it's a funnylittle look.
I'll have to send it to you, buttheir mouth is just open and we
have a bite block, so they'recomfortable.
And as soon as we're we we areall set up and you know, safe to
start, we remove the infectedtooth structure just like you
would do with a normal filling,and then we open up the drilling
(21:28):
part, right?
And you get in there and we liketo call it tooth removal, but
yes, it's the drilling part, andum, we just go deep into to
where we find the the pulp ofthe tooth.
So the tooth has the threelayers, you know, it's like the
peanut MM, the enamel, thedentin, and then the pulp.
So we go through the enamel, wego through the dentin, we get to
(21:49):
the pulp, and then we startcleaning out the pulp itself.
That process, we clean out thepulp of the tooth, and then we
shape the inside of the toothand remove all the dead tooth
tissue that was surrounded bythat bacteria.
And then once we're done withthat, we clean it out really
well and we fill it up withsomething called gutta percha.
SPEAKER_02 (22:10):
It's actually a percha.
SPEAKER_00 (22:12):
Funny name.
No one, it's pink, it's pretty.
And this gutta percha that weput into the tooth, it seals off
what we took out.
So if we left it completelyempty, like we talked about
brittle, if you don't fillsomething up, can't can you
imagine us doing a filling,taking out the cavity and not
putting anything back?
Not a good idea.
SPEAKER_02 (22:31):
That would be no bueno.
SPEAKER_00 (22:32):
Yeah, so we have to fill up the root canal.
So we use something called guttapercha.
It's actually found in golfballs, too.
Fun fact.
And um, it's from a tree.
And then we we seal off thisthis healthy, now sterile area
of your tooth.
We seal it off, and then wecreate that buildup.
That buildups what will supportthat crown that we we end up
(22:55):
putting on top.
And this whole procedure can bedone in an hour to two hours.
Um, and in that two hours, we'rewe're hoping to do the whole
crown prep too.
So we try to save our patientsas long as the tooth isn't
infected to a level where wehave to break it into two parts,
we can do your root canal andthe crown prep all in one visit.
SPEAKER_02 (23:15):
That's nice.
Is a crown always required whengetting a root canal, or are
there scenarios where youwouldn't necessarily need a
crown?
SPEAKER_00 (23:22):
The only time that it's recommended you can get
away without doing so is ananterior tooth.
So the ones in the front.
Sometimes if the if it's notcavity related, so there's not a
lot of bacteria that took awaytooth structure, we can actually
remove the the root of the toothand do the root canal, seal it
(23:43):
off, and get away with doing afilling.
But remember, Jeremy, that thatinside of the tooth helps with
the tooth color.
So sometimes when we do a rootcanal on a front tooth, even
though we can get away becauseit's less structure that we had
to remove, if it wasn't a cavityreason, the problem can become
if the tooth changes colors, apatient's not happy.
(24:06):
So yeah, I would say 80% of thetime a crown is rec.
If it's a if it's a back tooth,100% of the time.
If it's a front tooth, you'relooking at about 80% of the
time, we'll recommend a crown,but there's a there's a 20%
where you can get away withoutdoing that and just do a filling
(24:27):
on it.
It's a it both ways are safe.
Anyone's dentist, whoever isrecommending the treatment, will
will help guide you on how muchtooth structure is is left for
you to make that decision.
SPEAKER_02 (24:41):
You know, this is why it's so important in my
mind.
Like I'm so happy I found Ifound you guys at Semiday
Dental.
Like, I I wanna when I go to thedentist, I wanna obviously I
like to get options.
I like to get, I'd like to havean explanation on what's going
on, but ultimately I want tofeel a level of trust with my
provider, with my dentist inthis case, where I could just
say, like, well, doc, what whatdo you recommend?
(25:02):
And like, that's what I will dobecause you know what the best
course of action is typicallyfor patients.
And I I don't want to put thatdecision on myself to have to go
out and then try to figure outwhat the best course of action
is.
Um, and I feel like I have thatwith you guys.
Like, whatever, whatever youguys tell me to do, I'm I'm
gonna do that.
SPEAKER_00 (25:19):
Jeremy, I will tell you this.
There are several times where apatient says, What would you do?
Yeah, and sometimes I shock thembecause I tell them, Listen, if
it were me, I would do this.
And they're like, But that'snot, it might not be the most
expensive treatment, it mightnot be the most, you know,
long-term solution.
And I said, You ask me what Iwould do.
(25:40):
I'm being honest with you.
So I have several fillings in mymouth from before I was a
dentist where really largecavities didn't do a root canal.
Some are still holding strongfrom back when I got these big
cavities and these big fillings,but I also have two root canals
in my own mouth, and I also havefour crowns.
So even though people think thedentist's teeth are perfect, and
(26:05):
I will say I did Invisalign atthe office to fix my crowding.
I did a lot of crowns in theback.
I'm not a perfect mouth, I'm avery expensive mouth.
So I understand the feelings ofbeing in the chair, being
anxious for a second.
I have patients who end uptaking photos of their mouth
when I'm trying to do theircanal.
And it's a really excitingmoment for a patient to be
(26:26):
involved and invested.
So, like you had mentioned, youwant to trust your dentist.
And once you get that fearfactor out, it becomes like an
interest in dentistry.
Not saying that everyone who hasan interest or wants to learn
more will become a dentist, butyou're less scared and you're
like, oh, look at this coolpicture that no one will care
about except us.
But I will say that we Dr.
(26:48):
Alex will only recommend, uh,well, he'll he'll give you all
your options and then he'llinform you of his recommendation
if you were his family member orhimself.
Same with me.
I'm not shy.
I'll tell you what.
If you ask me for my opinion,I'll tell you it.
Um, I'm also realistic what whatpatients are able and capable of
affording.
You know, I respect that.
(27:10):
So if they share with me, I'llstill option because we have
great the front team is isamazing with making things
affordable so people can get thethe treatment that's best fit
for them and not be scared ofthe financial scare.
But I will respect what they'retelling me and I will tell it,
sell them here are our options,here's what I think would be the
(27:34):
longest term solution for you.
Because when people have afinancial concern, you you want
to respect that and you want tomake sure that they're not
investing in something that willfail, which is why, Jeremy, we
talk about what's the otherwhat's the alternatives.
So if saving a tooth costs you Xamount of money, but the same X
amount of money can get you animplant, we we have those
(27:57):
conversations.
And uh if if anyone wants tocheck out our blog on the Summit
Daydentol.com um website, you'llsee we did we actually did a
blog on root canals.
So a lot of this the sameinformation you could find
there.
There's a little chart breakdownof costs, pros, and cons of
getting a root canal and acrown, getting an implant,
(28:19):
getting a bridge, or gettingsomething that comes in and out
to replace the tooth if wedecide to take it out.
So there's a there's a lot ofoptions out there, and root
canal therapies are amazingbecause again, Jeremy, you get
to save your natural tooth.
And every dentist in the worldwants to save natural teeth,
except except oral surgeons.
I guess they don't.
SPEAKER_02 (28:40):
Yes, I've I've been, I must say, I've been more
diligent um over the lastseveral years with taking care
of my teeth.
I've been flossing more andbrushing more and just trying to
make sure that I'm settingmyself up for success.
Uh I saw a video the other day,somebody was talking about how
you should always be looking outfor your future self, always
(29:01):
have your future self's back.
So often in life, we don't wantto deal with something now, and
we just kick the can down theroad until it becomes too much
of a problem, and then we kickourselves for not taking care of
it earlier.
It's a vicious cycle.
So I'm trying to be more presentand more um, you know, big on
prevention.
Speaking of prevention, what aresome of the most common habits
that eventually lead to peopleneeding root canals?
SPEAKER_00 (29:25):
So, you know, the unexpected that you can't
control trauma, spontaneousinfection.
You people can have the besthygiene and still get, you know,
an infected tooth.
So I don't want people to alwaysfeel that their dental problems
are a you did it, and thatthat's something we really
(29:46):
stress at Semiday Dental.
Life happens, and whatever youpresent to us, we're gonna give
you your options to get you backon track to get you healthier.
So some things are out of theircontrol for root canals.
You know, if they get let metell.
You once I had a kid and theseheadbuts, I'm like, man, I need
a mouth guard just to hang outwith my kid.
So trauma you can't avoid, butdecay, you can help protect
(30:11):
yourself.
So, like you had mentioned,brushing, brush two times a day.
There are many people in thisworld who do not brush two times
a day, they don't know thisfact.
So we start there.
Let's brush our teeth two timesa day.
I always give people the goalfloss three days a week if
you're not doing it already.
Seven days is what we we ourgoal is to get to.
But if you floss three days aweek, you're improving from zero
(30:33):
to three.
And routine dental cleaningsthat removes so much bacteria
out of your mouth is amazing.
Um, don't uh don't avoid thedentist.
When you start getting thatweird feeling, make your
appointment.
Go on and get your your regularcheckup or go for a limited
checkup just so that you'reahead of the game.
(30:54):
If we are able to catch itearly, it could be a solution as
just a filling.
If we wait, sometimes the tooth,we lose more structure, more
structure, things will break.
Sometimes we lose the even theoption to do a root canal and we
have to lose a tooth.
So don't ignore those earlysymptoms.
And then if you do have acavity, don't wait on it.
Again, a filling is an option atthe time we tell you.
(31:17):
If you wait longer, it couldbecome a crown.
If you wait even longer, itcould become a root canal plus a
crown.
If you wait even longer, we haveto take a tooth out.
So, like you had mentionedbefore, it's it's a matter of um
taking early action will saveyou a lot of money and stress
and pain down the road.
SPEAKER_02 (31:36):
What about diet?
I could only imagine that uhlots of sugar in your diet is
gonna be detrimental to the thehealth of your teeth.
Speak speak to that for amoment.
SPEAKER_00 (31:47):
Jeremy, you we always talk about how the mouth
is a systemic connection withthe rest of our body.
So everything you do starts inthe mouth and works its way
through.
I have uh I always tellpatients, listen, you can eat as
much sugar and candy as you'dlike.
I can help you protect againstcavities by you know our
brushing techniques, our routinedental care, this and that.
I go, I can't protect youagainst diabetes.
(32:09):
So anyone who knows our office,we are a Sour Patch Kid, like
frequent subscriber, basically.
Orange and blues are myfavorite, if anyone wants to
know.
Um, but I'm always constantlyeating candy.
That's why I have so manyfillings and grounds and
cavities.
But flossing, if you if you knowthe proper way to floss and
(32:30):
brush your teeth and go to yourroutine checkups, you may your
diet may be okay.
But things like candy, soda, um,coffee, a lot of these things
have an acidic factor.
So if you're not doing some ofthese preventive cares, your
tooth is constantly constantlybeing attacked.
And the outside surface of thattooth, that enamel, that hard
(32:52):
peanut MM shell, it can onlytake so much before it weakens
and breaks down.
And once we're into the middlelayer, that's when things
spread.
So, Jeremy, your diet is a bigfactor.
Um, if you're drinking soda orsomething, rinse your mouth
after.
That's one way.
Rinsing your mouth with waterkind of helps get rid of some of
that sugar left behind on thetooth surface, but that's why
(33:15):
it's it's so important to takethose preventive measures and
disrupt that sugar breakdown onour tooth surface.
SPEAKER_02 (33:22):
Yeah, I can proudly say that over the last six
months to a year, I'vesignificantly decreased my sugar
intake.
I I really hardly ever drinksoda now.
I actually stopped drinkingcoffee about a week ago.
I the older I get and like Ifeel my body aging, the more
cognizant I am of what I'mputting inside my body to make
sure that I I can live a long,healthy, fruitful life.
(33:45):
And I'm I'm starting to feel alot better, I must say.
Sugar is the silent killer, itreally is a poison to some
degree.
SPEAKER_00 (33:52):
You know what it is also?
Stress.
Stress is a silent killer,indeed.
And stress paired with poordiet, your body is taking a a
lot of toll that uh isn't reallythat recipe for disaster.
SPEAKER_02 (34:06):
Yes, take care of yourselves.
Yeah, one life to live.
Let's make sure we live it tothe fullest.
Um, did we anything we missed?
What what's what would you liketo leave our listeners with?
Just like one one little nugget,one piece of advice um regarding
this issue.
SPEAKER_00 (34:25):
Don't be scared when the word or topic comes up.
I will tell you that in dentalschool I was trained by the most
amazing endodontic um faculty.
Shout out to Dr.
Bakiri at UFCD.
That was my she always told meshe would see me again to become
a specialist.
(34:45):
And I told her absolutely not.
And then here I am on a podcasttalking about root canal.
So I'll give her a call afterthis to let her know.
But you have to understand thatyour your provider's doing an
amazing service to help you savethat natural tooth.
And you might be nervous, but ifyou're in the right hand, you'll
(35:06):
be able to trust that you'rebeing treated to the standard,
taking care of this infection,and you can leave your
appointment feeling proud ofyourself that you took care of
infection in your body, andmoving forward, create those
goals just like you did, Jeremy,where you improve so that you
don't have to be in that samesituation again.
(35:26):
We're here to help you, SemadayDental.
I always say comfort doesn'tcost more.
I'm not sure if Dr.
Alex likes that.
I don't pay the bills aroundhere.
So comfort does not cost more,and I know that that's our
priority here.
And our team is going to easeyou in every step of the way if
a root canal is in your future.
I have two myself, so all therumors are are not true.
(35:51):
Good experiences do happen.
And when we do our post-offcalls, sometimes these patients
just tell us they don't feelanything.
So let's hope that you have thatsame experience if you have to
be in those chairs.
SPEAKER_02 (36:02):
Well, I I'll I'll just be seeing you guys for
cleanings from now on.
I'm not gonna have any moreissues ever again in my mouth.
But if you do, knock on wood.
But if I do, I know where tofind you guys.
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_00 (36:15):
So I think I think Dr.
Alex is gonna be jealous.
We had so much fun.
Should we should we make our ownpodcast, Jeremy?
Absolutely.
Let's do it.
Okay, you have to come in opthough.
That that's my preferred chairside chat.
SPEAKER_02 (36:26):
Okay, we will make it happen.
All right, all right, we'llleave it at that.
Thanks so much, everyone, fortuning in.
If you found this contentuseful, don't forget to like,
subscribe.
You know the drill.
Uh, if you've had an experience,be it good, be it bad, let us
know about it in the comments.
We're always interested to hearabout your feedback.
And if we missed anything, letus know as well.
(36:48):
And we'll bring it up on thenext episode.
Everyone, take care, have alovely day, and we will catch
you all next time in the nextepisode of the Semaday Dental
Podcast.
SPEAKER_01 (36:55):
Bye.
Thanks for tuning in to thisepisode of the Semaday Dental
Podcast.
We hope you enjoyed the show.
Don't forget to subscribe, leavea review, and follow us on
social media for the latestepisodes.
You can find us at SemedayDental.
If you have any questions, feelfree to reach out.
We're always happy to help.
Until then, keep smiling andstay curious.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Betrayal: Weekly
Betrayal Weekly is back for a brand new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack. And make sure to check out Seasons 1-4 of Betrayal, along with Betrayal Weekly Season 1.