Del Mar Family Dentistry can treat your natural tooth with root canal therapy
What is Root Canal Therapy?
When the section of the tooth that contains nerves and blood vessels becomes inflamed or infected, you need root canal therapy (RCT) to restore your natural tooth. Root canal therapy, when completed by our endodontist/root canal specialist, Dr. Erik Balinghasay, here at Del Mar Family Dentistry, is safe and effective.
Warning signs you need a root canal (endodontics)
How do you know you need to visit a root canal specialist? While only a dentist can determine your need for a root canal, there are symptoms to watch out for. The symptoms below indicate potential infection and the need for root canal therapy.
- Constant tooth pain
- Tooth sensitivity, especially when biting down or consuming hot and cold liquids
- Tooth discoloration
- Pimple-like swelling on your gums
- Chronic bad breath, despite optimal oral hygiene
- A persistent bad taste in your mouth
- Gum swelling
Although these symptoms can also be a sign of another issue, it is best you visit your dentist when you experience any of these symptoms to rule out any potential dental problems. Additionally, an infected tooth may stop causing pain at some point. This temporary relief doesn’t mean your tooth has healed, but rather, it may be a sign that the nerves inside your tooth have died, and you will no longer experience sensation. In reality, the infection is alive and could spread to nearby structures and your bloodstream in the long run if it goes untreated.
Meet Dr. Erik Balinghasay: Root Canals Made Simple & Stress-Free
Speaker 1: Hi, I am Dr. Eric be, I’m the endodontist. I’m a root canal specialist. I specialize in treating toothaches and tooth infections. I work with everyone in the office and Dr. Fitzpatrick and Dr. Trudeau who refer me, the patients who are suffering from real minor toothaches, and we can take care of that all the way up to real major tooth and bone infections. And I see my job as, yes, I do the root canals, but I’m always hoping that I could find something or find a way to tell you that we don’t need to do the root canal. There’s something else we can do to treat the tooth, but if we can, and if root house’s got to be the way it’s got to be, then I’ll be here for it. Part of what I want to do is kind of show everybody that root house aren’t the way that they used to be. I know they have a rep, and I’m here to hopefully show you that that’s just not how it’s anymore, and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with how everything goes. Well, thanks.
Root Canal Therapy: A Painless Solution for Saving Your Tooth
Root canal therapy is a very common procedure. It has a reputation of being undesirable and painful. But when done properly it is actually painless. Every tooth in your mouth is composed of a crown and a root. When a cavity or bacteria penetrates the tooth, the root and its nerves become irritated. As a result, the bacteria within the pulp cavity needs to be removed and cleaned in order to restore the tooth to its healthy state. Following the procedure, the tooth is fragile and consequently is restored with the natural crown for a lifetime of durability. Root canals have a success rate of 95% or greater. Most root canal are diagnosed by patients’ sensitivities to a specific tooth. Be sure to consult your dentist any symptoms or discomfort occur.
What to expect from root canal therapy?
Root canal therapy is a standard dental procedure typically completed in one to two appointments at our Solana Beach office. The first step before an RCT is an in-depth examination of your tooth. We use a 3D CBCT scanner and dental X-rays along with other diagnostic tools to determine the extent of damage and whether a root canal is the best treatment.
Before your root canal procedure, we numb your tooth using local anesthesia. This pain management procedure works well for many patients, but those with dental fears can talk to us about sedation dentistry. We aim to make you as comfortable as possible before and during the procedure.
Endodontic therapy near me
Root canal therapy relieves pain and saves your natural tooth. If you need a root canal in Solana Beach, CA, please call our office at (858) 360-3102 to schedule an appointment with our team.
Dr. Dale Trudeau
Dr. Thomas Fitzpatrick
Dr. Nikko Johnson
Dr. Erik Balinghasay
Del Mar Family Dentistry is served by four experienced and talented physicians: Drs. Dale Trudeau, Thomas Fitzpatrick, Nikko Johnson, and Erik Balinghasay.
Dr. Dale Trudeau has served the community of Del Mar and Solana Beach since 1984. He is a graduate and former instructor at USC School of Dentistry and has completed many hours of advanced training in restorative, cosmetic, implant dentistry, and Invisalign. He is a member of the American Dental Association (ADA), California Dental Association (CDA), San Diego County Dental Society (SDCDS), and American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. Dr. Trudeau is active in the community and volunteers at many local charities and youth organizations.
Dr. Thomas Fitzpatrick is a graduate of Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) in San Diego and Loma Linda University, School of Dentistry. He is a Research Associate at PLNU, YMCA, and Foundation for Worldwide Health, along with being a member of the ADA, CDA, Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), and SDCDS. Dr. Fitzpatrick has a passion to provide sustainable dental services to underserved communities both locally and globally. In 2013 he founded Cura Coffee Company to help fund the non-profit work of Cura Smiles. This non-profit has been able to build a dental clinic in the diverse community of City Heights, San Diego to help serve the underserved in their dental needs.
Connect with Dr. Thomas Fitzpatrick on Linkedin
Dr. Nikko Johnson is a graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma and Oklahoma University College of Dentistry. After completing her dental residency, she practiced as a general dentist in Oklahoma and North Carolina before obtaining her Master of Science in Periodontology from the University Of Detroit Mercy School Of Dentistry. Among her competencies are prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of periodontal diseases and treatment modalities with advanced oral plastic surgeries. She has had the honor of providing dental care to veterans for many years.
Dr. Erik Balinghasay is a graduate of the University of California San Diego(UCSD) and University of California Los Angeles(UCLA), School of Dentistry. Upon graduating from UCLA, he pursued advanced speciality training in Endodontics, the dental specialty related to root canals, at the University of Washington in Seattle. He is a Board-Certified Endodontist and a Diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics.