A few telltale tooth signs and symptoms could mean that you might need root canals. Your Flint, MI, endodontist and periodontist, Dr. Franklin Gordon, can help you determine if a root canal could help you.

How a root canal eases your pain

You'll need a root canal if the pulp deep inside your tooth becomes inflamed or infected. It's not always possible to figure out what caused an inflammation or infection, although they're more likely to occur if your tooth is severely decayed, you've had multiple dental procedures on the same tooth, the tooth is cracked or damaged, or you had a knocked-out tooth re-implanted.

During root canal therapy in the Flint office, your dentist removes your pulp from the interior of the tooth and the root canals that extend from the top of the tooth into the roots. After cleaning the tooth and using a file to shape the canals, you'll receive a temporary filling. The filling will be replaced with a permanent filling in about a week or two.

4 root canal signs and symptoms

You may need a root canal if:

• You have tooth pain: Pain in a tooth is a common symptom if your tooth is inflamed or infected. You may notice that the pain worsens when you eat, particularly if you eat or drink hot, cold, or sugary foods and beverages. Pain can be constant or intermittent.
• You feel terrible: You may feel a little sick if your tooth pain is due to a bacterial infection in the pulp called an abscess. Abscess symptoms can include fever, facial swelling, swollen lymph nodes, pus around your tooth, and severe, throbbing pain. Abscesses are dental emergencies and require immediate treatment to prevent the infection from spreading throughout your body.
• Your gums are red: Red, swollen, painful gums can occur if you need a root canal.
• Your tooth has changed color: Has your tooth become darker lately? Darkening may also be a sign of a problem inside your tooth pulp.

Root canals end your tooth pain! Call your endodontist and periodontist in Flint, MI, Dr. Franklin Gordon, at (810) 230-0990 to schedule your appointment.

Did you hear a strange sound when you bite into a hard piece of food or used your teeth to open a package? You may have cracked a tooth. Cracks require prompt treatment by your Flint, MI, endodontist, Dr. Frank Gordon.
 

How cracked teeth can affect your oral health

Ignoring cracks can increase your risk of developing dental problems that could put your tooth at risk. Damage to the tooth pulp is common after a tooth crack. The pulp is a collection of soft tissues, nerves, and blood vessels in the center of your tooth. After a crack, the pulp can become inflamed or infected.
 

Cracks also create openings in your teeth that allow bacteria to enter. Once inside, bacteria can soon travel to the center of your tooth, irritating or infecting the pulp.
 

Treatment options for cracked teeth

Treatments for cracked teeth vary depending on the extent of the damage. Superficial cracks in your tooth enamel generally don't require any treatment, although you may want to improve the appearance of the tooth with bonding or a veneer.
 

If a piece of your tooth broke off, but the pulp isn't damaged, you may need a dental crown. Hollow crowns are made of porcelain, porcelain-fused-to-metal, ceramic, or resin and are cemented over the tooth once it's been reduced in size. Crowns end the pain that can occur when the edges of the break are exposed to the air and also restore the normal appearance of your teeth.
 

Tooth extraction may be the only option if a crack extends beyond the gum line. If the crack starts in the root, removing the affected root might be an option.
 

During your visit to the Flint dental office, your endodontist may recommend a root canal if your pulp is damaged, inflamed, or infected. After you receive a local anesthetic to numb your mouth, your endodontist opens the tooth and removes the pulp. The tooth is thoroughly cleaned and the tiny root canals that travel from the roots to the top of the tooth are cleaned and shaped with tiny files.
 

Your endodontist restores your tooth by placing a filling made of a rubber-based material in it. During your first root canal appointment, you'll receive a temporary filling and return for a permanent filling at your second appointment. Root canals preserve inflamed and infected teeth and help you avoid tooth loss.
 

Have you cracked a tooth? Call your endodontist in Flint, MI, Dr. Frank Gordon, at (810) 230-0990 to schedule your appointment.

A large part of your oral health depends on your gum tissue. Your gums support and nourish your teeth, but when they are diseased, the problem spreads throughout your body. At Dr. Frank Gordon, Jr.'s office in Flint, MI, our on-staff periodontist/endodontist and his team alert patients to signs of gum disease and treat them with state of the art services which really work.

What is gum disease?

It's also called periodontitis--literally, inflammation around teeth, explains MedicalNewsToday. Gum disease is a bacteria-based infection. It begins with an oral environment which strep germs really enjoy. Starchy food residues from soft plaque and hard tartar and bacteria proliferate, giving off damaging acids that destroy tooth enamel and degrade gums.

Inflammation from this condition develops problems localized in the mouth and appear linked to chronic and acute health conditions such as diabetes, stroke, heart attack, dementia, arthritis, and more. Sadly, many patients who come to our office in Flint, MI, are unaware of how serious their gum problems are. But, your periodontist knows the signs.

Symptoms of gum disease include:

• Bleeding gum tissue (especially characteristic of early gum disease, or gingivitis)
• Heavy deposits of plaque and tartar
• Deep gum pockets, or sulci
• Puffiness and tenderness
• Gum recession (a long-in-the-tooth appearance)
• Pus at the gum line and in between teeth
• Mouth and gum sores
• Shifting, loosening teeth
• Changing dental bite
• Bad breath

Gum disease has some basis in heredity. However, much relates to poor oral hygiene, smoking, alcohol, and a low-fiber diet. As such, it is both preventable and treatable.

Here's how your periodontist can help

In our Flint, MI, office, Dr. Gordon will evaluate your gum health. He has extensive training and expertise in periodontal disease and will individualize your treatment. Once your gums are healthy, he'll put you on a maintenance plan to include at-home care (careful brushing and flossing) and in-office treatments.

Offered care includes:

• Tooth scaling and root planing to remove plaque and tartar from inter-dental spaces and below the gum line. Root planing smooths root surfaces so your gum tissue can heal and re-attach.
• Antibiotic therapy
• Laser surgery to debride gums and remove bacteria
• Tooth replacement with state of the art dental implants as needed

Do not wait

Gum disease doesn't go away by itself. Please call periodontist, Dr. Frank Gordon at his Flint, MI, office. He'll take care of you, your gums, and your health. For your consultation, phone us at (810) 230-0990.

Commonly called "root canal specialists," endodontists treat painful inflammation and infection in your tooth pulp. Your Flint, MI, endodontist, Dr. Frank Gordon can help you protect your smile with root canals and other procedures.

What do endodontists do?

Endodontists are dentists who have received several years of additional training in diseases and injuries that affect tooth pulp and roots. The soft pulp is located at the center of your tooth and contains nerves, tissues, and blood vessels. Although essential for tooth formation, the pulp can be removed during a root canal without affecting the function of your tooth.

Your endodontist can:

• Diagnose the Source of Your Tooth Pain: Cavities aren't the only cause of tooth pain. Sometimes, pulp issues or small cracks or fractures in tooth roots may be responsible for pain in your teeth, face, neck, or head. Because pain isn't always felt in the affected tooth, finding the source of the problem requires specialized skills and extensive endodontics knowledge.
• Treat Tooth Injuries: A blow to the face or a fall can knock out teeth or cause cracks in the roots. Endodontists reimplant knocked out teeth, stabilize loose teeth after accidents, and treat injuries that affect the roots or the pulp. Root canal therapy is often performed in addition to other treatments for injuries.
• Offer Root Canal Therapy: Root canals end the pain caused by inflammation or infection in your pulp. If untreated the inflammation or infection will lead to the loss of your tooth. The procedure involves removing the pulp, cleaning the tooth, shaping and cleaning the root canals, and adding a rubber-based filling to the tooth to seal and restore it. In many cases, a dental crown is later added to the tooth to strengthen it.
• Perform Endodontic Surgery: Surgery may be needed due to severe pain, debris in your roots, or pain after a previous root canal, cracks, the presence of cysts. It may also be needed if root canal therapy isn't an option because your canals are too small or impossible to reach with traditional root canal techniques.

A visit to your endodontist in Flint, MI, can help you avoid tooth loss. Call Dr. Frank Gordon at (810) 230-0990 to schedule your appointment.

If you don’t get regular dental check-ups, periodontal disease can sneak up on you and catch you by surprise. Before you know it you need extensive dental work that will cost you time and money. However, if you visit your Periodontist Flint MI regularly and enjoy the benefits of non-surgical periodontal therapy, you can prevent gum disease from taking hold. Dr. Frank Gordon Jr. is an endodontist and periodontist in Flint, MI, where he provides non-surgical periodontal therapy.

What is Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy

Although you may notice subtle signs of the initial stages of gum disease, such as bleeding gums, swollen gums, or persistent bad breath, often periodontal disease is present for several years without symptoms. This is why regular six-month check-ups with your dentist are important, not only so he can examine your teeth and gums, but also so you can get non-surgical periodontal therapy, also known as scaling and planing.

Scaling and root planing remove plaque and tartar below the gum line where periodontal disease begins. Regular cleaning can only eliminate plaque above the gum line as it isn’t sufficient on its own to prevent gum disease.

• Scaling: This is the first part of the process and it removes plaque and tartar from above and below the gum line.

• Root planing: This process smooths out any rough spots on the roots that may trap bacteria.

Periodontist Flint MI patients see that these two methods combined prevent gum disease from taking hold. If you have already been diagnosed with periodontal disease, scaling and planing are important to prevent the condition from worsening. In this case, you will return to your Periodontist Flint MI within six weeks after the treatment so he can assess the improvement of your teeth and gum health.

If you live in Flint MI and you would like to find out more about non-surgical periodontal therapy, call Dr. Frank Gordon Jr. today at (810) 230-0990.