youtube-video-thumbnail

What is an Endodontist, a "root canal specialist," and what do they do?

Endodontists are dentists who specialize in maintaining teeth through endodontic therapy procedures, involving the soft inner tissue of the teeth, called the pulp.  The word "endodontic" comes from "endo" meaning inside and "odont" meaning tooth.  Like many medical terms, it's Greek.  All dentists are trained in diagnosis and endodontic therapy, however, some teeth can be especially difficult to diagnose and treat.  That’s why you may have been referred to a Westchester endodontic root canal specialist such as Dr. Helen Chiao, who received an additional 3 years of post-graduate training at Harvard in "root canal" surgical and non-surgical treatments and is also board certified in endodontics through the American Board of Endodontics. Dr. Helen Chiao, your Westchester root canal specialist in Hartsdale, NY, near Scarsdale, Eastchester, White Plains, and Yonkers, is a highly qualified, well-trained and experienced root canal specialist who adheres to a code of excellence in the field of endodontics.

In addition to dental school, endodontists receive two or more years of advanced education in this kind of treatment. Dr. Helen Chiao received an additional 3 years of training at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine in the Advanced Graduate Program of Endodontics after her dental and medical education at Harvard University.  Endodontists study root canal techniques and procedures in greater depth, for diagnosis and treatment of more difficult cases. For this reason, many dentists in Westchester choose to refer their patients to endodontists such as Dr. Helen Chiao for her excellence, expertise and experience in endodontic diagnosis, clinical and surgical root canal therapies and overall patient care. 

What Happens During Endodontic Treatment with Dr. Helen Chiao? or What is a Root Canal?

A local anesthetic will be given.  A sheet of latex called the "rubber dam" (we've got nonlatex ones too) will be placed around the tooth to isolate it, hence keeping it clean and dry during treatment.  The treatment consists of three or four basic steps, but the number of visits will depend on your particular case.  Some treatments take 2 visits but many are just a single visit.  Occasionally 3 or more appointments are needed.

Generally, your appointment type and length will depend on the degree of infection/inflammation and degree of treatment difficulty.  To Dr. Helen Chiao, Westchester's Premier New York Endodontist, it is more important to treat patients the best way possible then to meet a specific time criteria.  Let's look at the basic steps for nonsurgical endodontic therapy.

There are, of course, no guarantees in medical and or dental procedures.  Root canal or endodontic therapy has a very high degree of success, up to 98%.  Teeth which can be treated near ideal have a success rate up to ninety eight percent!  Dr. Helen Chiao, Westchester's root canal specialist will discuss with you the chances of success before any endodontic procedure to help you make an informed decision.  If a root canal or endodontic therapy is unsuccessful or fails you still have options.

Consultation & Non-Surgical Root Canal Treatment

Dr. Helen Chiao offers same day emergency treatments.  You can request an appointment online under "Contact Us."  We will contact you to confirm your appointment and help you register.  Your initial consultation visit will encompass a thorough history, assessment and diagnosis of your “chief complaint” (or reason for visiting us), and recommended treatment (if any).  Non-surgical root canal treatment under the operating microscope can generally be completed in our office in just 1 visit and will take approximately 1.5-2 hours.  Special endodontic cases may require multiple visits as Dr. Helen Chiao’s primary aim is to provide thorough, precise, quality-centered clinical care for her endodontic patients.