Endodontic Treatment in Beachwood, OH

Endodontic treatment is care for the inside of a tooth: the nerve, the pulp and the roots. Its goal is to keep your natural tooth, whether it’s cracked, chipped, injured or a root-canal-treated tooth that has started hurting again. At Diamond Dental in Beachwood, Dr. Barry Diamond examines the tooth, tells you what’s going on in plain words and explains every option, including whether it can be treated here or needs a referral.

Call (216) 206-8075 or book a tooth evaluation online.

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Endodontics

What Is Endodontic Treatment?

“Endodontic” means inside the tooth. Endodontic treatment deals with the pulp, the soft tissue at the center of each tooth, when it’s inflamed, infected or injured, and with the root structure around it.

The most common endodontic treatment is a root canal, which removes infected pulp and seals the tooth. Read about root canal treatment. This page covers the other situations where a tooth needs saving: cracks and breaks, teeth that hurt again after an earlier root canal, root-tip surgery, the alternatives, and injuries.

Ask About Saving Your Tooth

Cracked, Chipped or Broken Tooth: Symptoms and Treatment

Not every crack is the same. The type of damage decides the repair:

Chipped tooth: a small piece of enamel breaks off, often a front tooth edge.
Craze lines: tiny surface cracks in the enamel. Common and usually harmless.
Broken cusp: a pointed chewing corner breaks off, often around a large filling.
Cracked tooth: a crack runs from the chewing surface down toward the root.
Split tooth: a cracked tooth that has separated into two parts.

Symptoms

Sharp pain when you bite down, or when you release the bite
Pain that comes and goes rather than a constant ache
Sensitivity to hot, cold or sweet foods
Swelling of the gum around the tooth
A rough or sharp edge your tongue keeps finding.

Some cracks cause no symptoms until they get worse.

How long can it wait? It shouldn’t. A cracked tooth can’t heal, and a crack tends to spread with chewing. It can also let bacteria reach the pulp and cause an abscess. Early repair is simpler and gives the best chance of keeping the tooth.

Repair options

Bonding or smoothing for small chips: tooth-colored resin or reshaping, usually in one visit.
A filling when a small piece of tooth is missing.
A crown for a broken cusp or a cracked tooth. It holds the tooth together so the crack can't spread.
A root canal, then a crown, when the crack has reached the pulp.
Extraction, with a replacement such as an implant or bridge, when the crack runs down into the root and the tooth can't be saved.

A small area of damage may be repairable with a filling; a tooth needing more support may require a crown. If the pulp is affected, root canal treatment may be considered before the final restoration.

The depth and direction of a crack matter. A split tooth or damage extending too far into the root may make the tooth unsuitable for saving. An examination and diagnostic records help distinguish these situations; symptoms alone cannot decide the repair.

When a Treated Tooth Hurts Again: Root Canal Retreatment

Most root canals succeed for many years, often a lifetime. Occasionally a treated tooth doesn’t heal fully, or becomes infected again months or years later. Common reasons include:

a narrow or curved canal that couldn’t be cleaned the first time;
new decay that exposes the root filling to bacteria;
a crown or filling that cracked, loosened or was delayed;
a new crack in the tooth.

Signs: pain when biting, swelling or a bump on the gum near the tooth, or tenderness that has returned.

Retreatment reopens the tooth, removes the old filling material, cleans the canals again and reseals them, then the tooth is restored.

Is it worth it? Often, yes. A retreated tooth can last many m