Our job here at Brinkley Dental is to delight and inform. We hope you feel both in equal measure as you read our bi-weekly installments. Recently, we talked about both becoming a Dentist and then about what’s required to become a Dental Hygienist. Today – we address the topic of Endodontics but with a slightly different twist. That is, while we will talk about just what the heck is an Endodontist (the informative part) we are also delighted to introduce a new affiliate member of the Brinkley Dental team (the delight part!) So, without further ado a brief discussion of Endodontistry.
An Endodontist is a “saving specialist!” The Endodontist is committed to helping patients preserve their natural teeth and smile by saving teeth wherever possible. Typically performing root canals, his or her main focus is on preserving a patients tooth rather than pulling it / replacing it. Like any other type of specialist Doctor, Endodontists are specialists who have completed additional training after receiving their Dentistry degree. Typically, this means at least an additional two years of post-graduate study. Interestingly, while all Endodontists are Dentists, less than 3% of Dentists go on to become an Endodontist. Performing root canals and additional treatments and procedures relating to the interior of the tooth, an Endodontist might perform over 25 root canals a week vs. a typical one or two for a Dentist. They really are the experts when it comes to fast, efficient and effective root canal treatments.
What is a root canal anyway? Mythologized as something that causes a great deal of pain and suffering, root canals have a bad rap. A root canal isn’t about causing pain – it’s about relieving it! During the procedure the Endodontist removes infected pulp from inside the tooth and then cleans and fills the canal and seals the tooth to prevent further damage and infection. This procedure is done to help preserve your teeth as mentioned earlier and keeping a repaired tooth rather than pulling it has the added advantage of helping to keep all of your teeth in place.
Now that you know a little bit about what an Endodontist does, we are very excited to announce that Dr. Jon Rapp is now a part of the Brampton Brinkley Team. Why go out of town to some pricey Toronto clinic where you probably have to pay for parking too! Brinkley Dental welcomes Dr. Rapp who completed his dental degree at the University of Toronto in 2001 and practiced for 7 years before returning to school to become an Endodontist. He brings a wealth of experience to the practice and combining his expertise with that of our existing team means you don’t have far to go for ALL of your dental needs. Welcome Dr. Rapp and to all of our readers, as always: ”don’t forget to be a BFF with your mouth and Brush that SMILE!”
