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From Dr. Keith A. Hoover

WHAT HAPPENS DURING A ROOT CANAL?–PART V

February 3, 2020Services

You will need a root canal if your tooth has damage to its dental pulp, the soft tissue that surrounds nerves in the center of the tooth.

The most common causes of pulp nerve damage are:

Infection. This is often caused by tooth decay (cavity) reaching the nerve or a cracked tooth. This can allow harmful bacteria to reach the nerve, resulting in infection and decay.
Injury. An injury to a tooth or the jaw can cause damage to sensitive nerve tissue in the tooth.

Without treatment, the infected dental pulp will spread to the bone around the tooth. This makes it unable to hold the tooth in place.

Alternatives to a Root Canal

The only alternative to a root canal procedure is having the tooth extracted and replaced with a bridge, implant, or removable partial denture to restore chewing function and prevent adjacent teeth from shifting. These alternatives not only are more expensive than a root canal procedure but require more treatment time and additional procedures to adjacent teeth and supporting tissues.

Root Canal Prevention

Since some of the reasons why the nerve of a tooth and its pulp become inflamed and infected are due to deep decay, repeated dental procedures on a tooth and/or large fillings, following good oral hygiene practices (brushing twice a day, flossing at least once a day, and scheduling regular dental visits) may reduce the need for a root canal procedure. Trauma resulting from a sports-related injury can be reduced by wearing a mouth guard.

If you, your family or friends need dental care, we would be honored to provide you with state-of-the-art dental care in our modern dental practice. Refer someone you love to someone you trust!

Presented as a service to the community by Doctors Hoover and Yanda,

39 Milford Drive, Hudson, Ohio 44236. 330-650-0360. www.drshooverandyanda.com

WHAT HAPPENS DURING A ROOT CANAL?—PART IV

January 27, 2020Services

Complications of a Root Canal

Despite your dentist’s best efforts to clean and seal a tooth, new infections might emerge after a root canal. Some teeth that have had root canal therapy, need it again. Fortunately, retreatment of a root canal is often successful. Retreatment is usually performed by an endodontist, with the aid of an operating microscope.

Sometimes endodontic surgery must be performed in order to save a tooth. The most common endodontic surgical procedure is called an apicoectomy, or root-end resection. This procedure relieves the inflammation or infection in the bony area around the end of your tooth that continues after endodontic treatment. In this procedure, the gum tissue is opened, the infected tissue is removed, and the very end of the root is removed. A small filling is placed into the end of the root to seal the root canal.

The endodontist will also examine the interior of the root for fractures. Unfortunately, fractured roots are not repairable and extraction of the tooth would be necessary.

If you, your family or friends need dental care, we would be honored to provide you with state-of-the-art dental care in our modern dental practice. Refer someone you love to someone you trust!

Presented as a service to the community by Doctors Hoover and Yanda,

39 Milford Drive, Hudson, Ohio 44236. 330-650-0360. www.drshooverandyanda.com

WHAT HAPPENS DURING A ROOT CANAL?—PART III

January 20, 2020Services

What Should One Expect After the Root Canal?

For the first few days following the completion of a root canal, the tooth may feel sensitive, especially to chewing pressures due to tissue inflammation around the tooth, especially if there was pain or infection before the procedure. This sensitivity or discomfort usually can be controlled with over-the-counter pain medications such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve). Most patients can return to their normal activities the next day.

Until your root canal procedure is completely finished—that is to say, the permanent filling is in place and/or the crown, it’s wise to minimize chewing on the tooth under repair. This step will help avoid recontamination of the interior of the tooth and also may prevent a fragile tooth from breaking before the tooth can be fully restored.

As far as oral health care is concerned, brush, floss, and use an antiseptic mouthwash as you regularly would and see your dentist at normally scheduled intervals.

How Successful Are Root Canals?

Root canal treatment is highly successful; the procedure has more than a 95% success rate. Many teeth treated with root canal therapy can last a lifetime.

Also, because the final step of the root canal procedure is application of a restoration such as a crown or a filling, it will not be obvious to onlookers that a root canal was performed.

If you, your family or friends need dental care, we would be honored to provide you with state-of-the-art dental care in our modern dental practice. Refer someone you love to someone you trust!

Presented as a service to the community by Doctors Hoover and Yanda,

39 Milford Drive, Hudson, Ohio 44236. 330-650-0360. www.drshooverandyanda.com

WHAT HAPPENS DURING A ROOT CANAL?—PART II

January 13, 2020Services

Once the tooth is thoroughly cleaned, it is sealed. That can often be completed in one appointment. But if there is an infection, your dentist may put a medication inside the tooth to clear it up and allow a painful tooth to settle down. If the root canal is not completed on the same day, a temporary filling is placed in the exterior hole in the tooth to keep out contaminants like saliva and food between appointments.

At the next appointment, to fill the interior of the tooth, a sealer paste and a rubber compound called gutta percha is placed into the tooth’s root canal. To fill the exterior access hole created at the beginning of treatment, a filling is placed.

The final step may involve further restoration of the tooth. Because a tooth that needs a root canal often is one that has a large filling or extensive decay or other weakness, a crown, crown often needs to be placed on the tooth to protect it, prevent it from breaking, and restore it to full function.

How Painful Is a Root Canal?

Root canal procedures have the reputation of being painful. Actually, most people report that the procedure itself is no more uncomfortable than having a filling placed.

If you, your family or friends need dental care, we would be honored to provide you with state-of-the-art dental care in our modern dental practice. Refer someone you love to someone you trust!

Presented as a service to the community by Doctors Hoover and Yanda,

39 Milford Drive, Hudson, Ohio 44236. 330-650-0360. www.drshooverandyanda.com

WHAT HAPPENS DURING A ROOT CANAL?—PART I

January 6, 2020Services

A root canal requires one or more office visits and can be performed by a general dentist or an endodontist. An endodontist is a dentist who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and injuries of the dental pulp or the nerve of the tooth. Our office is very experienced in performing root canal therapy, so we do them regularly. We do refer to endodontists for more complicated cases.

The first step in the procedure is to take an X-ray to see the shape of the root canals and determine if there are any signs of infection in a surrounding bone. Your dentist or endodontist will then use local anesthesia to numb the area near the tooth.

Next, to keep the area dry and free of saliva and the bacteria in saliva during treatment, your dentist will place a rubber dam (a sheet of rubber) around the tooth.

An access hole will then be made into the tooth. The pulp along with bacteria, the decayed nerve tissue and related debris is removed from the tooth. The cleaning out process is accomplished using root canal files. A series of these files of increasing diameter are each subsequently placed into the access hole and worked down the full length of the tooth to shape the sides of the root canals. Disinfecting solutions are used periodically to flush away the debris and kill bacteria.

If you, your family or friends need dental care, we would be honored to provide you with state-of-the-art dental care in our modern dental practice. Refer someone you love to someone you trust!

Presented as a service to the community by Doctors Hoover and Yanda,

39 Milford Drive, Hudson, Ohio 44236. 330-650-0360. www.drshooverandyanda.com

START THE NEW YEAR RIGHT

December 30, 2019Prevention

Q: Any suggestions for starting off the New Year on the right foot?

A: Whatever the reason, if you’ve been putting off a trip to the dentist, pick up the phone and book an appointment for an examination and a cleaning. You will feel so much better for having done so. Procrastinating, whether you have a particular dental issue or not, will only make your situation worse over the long haul.

It’s recommended that you visit a dentist at least twice a year. If you’ve gotten away from that, the time to get back into that schedule is now, when you are full of the New Year’s resolve to do something positive for yourself. Keeping your mouth healthy is a reward in itself. And it’s financially sound, too… the earlier you catch a problem like a cavity or gum disease, the less expensive it will be to treat it.

Gum disease is particularly difficult to detect in its beginning stages. It takes a professional eye and examination. Gum disease is the most common cause of tooth loss. It’s a condition you definitely want to deal with before it has a chance to progress. And no matter how thoroughly you brush and floss at home, a professional cleaning by a hygienist or dentist is something you simply can’t achieve yourself. So make 2020 the year you get back on track with your dental care.

If you, your family or friends need dental care, we would be honored to provide you with state-of-the-art dental care in our modern dental practice. Refer someone you love to someone you trust!

Presented as a service to the community by Doctors Hoover and Yanda,

39 Milford Drive, Hudson, Ohio 44236. 330-650-0360. www.drshooverandyanda.com

WHAT CAUSES A WHITE TONGUE

December 23, 2019Health

There are a number of things that can cause a whitish coating or white spots to develop on the tongue, including:

Leukoplakia: This condition causes cells in the mouth to grow excessively. That, in turn, leads to the formation of white patches inside the mouth, including on the tongue. Although not dangerous on its own, leukoplakia can be a precursor to cancer. So it is important for your dentist to determine the cause of white patches on your tongue. Leukoplakia can develop when the tongue has been irritated, and it is often found in people who use tobacco products.

Oral thrush: Also known as candidiasis, oral thrush is a yeast infection that develops inside the mouth. The condition results in white patches that are often cottage cheese-like in consistency on the surfaces of the mouth and tongue. Oral thrush is most commonly seen in infants and the elderly, especially denture wearers, or in people with weakened immune systems. Oral thrush is more likely to occur after the use of antibiotics, which may kill the “good” bacteria in the mouth. Eating plain yogurt with live and active cultures may help restore the proper fauna in your mouth. Anti-fungal medications may be used to combat the infection.

Oral lichen planus: A network of raised white lines on your tongue with a lace-like appearance can be a sign of this condition. Doctors often can’t pinpoint its cause, but it usually gets better on its own. You can do some things that might help: Practice proper dental hygiene, avoid tobacco, and cut back on foods that irritate your mouth.

If you, your family or friends need dental care, we would be honored to provide you with state-of-the-art dental care in our modern dental practice. Refer someone you love to someone you trust!

Presented as a service to the community by Doctors Hoover and Yanda,

39 Milford Drive, Hudson, Ohio 44236. 330-650-0360. www.drshooverandyanda.com

WHAT CAUSES A SORE OR BUMPY TONGUE?

December 16, 2019Prevention

There are many things that can cause your tongue to become sore or cause painful bumps to form, including:

Trauma: Accidentally biting your tongue or scalding it on something straight out of the oven can result in a sore tongue until the damage heals. Grinding or clenching the teeth can also irritate the sides of the tongue and cause it to become painful.

Smoking: Smoking excessively can irritate your tongue and make it sore.

Canker sores: Many people will develop these mouth ulcers on the tongue eventually. The cause is unknown, although they can be worse during periods of heightened stress.

Burning tongue syndrome: Some postmenopausal women develop this syndrome, which makes the tongue feel as if it has been burned.

Enlarged papillae: If one or more of your taste buds become inflamed or irritated, it can swell and form a painful bump on your tongue.

Certain medical conditions: Medical conditions, including diabetes and anemia, can have a sore tongue as a symptom.

Oral cancer: Though most sore tongues are nothing to worry about, you should consult a doctor if you have a lump or sore on your tongue that doesn’t go away within a week or two. Many oral cancers don’t hurt in the early stages, so don’t assume a lack of pain means nothing is wrong.

If you, your family or friends need dental care, we would be honored to provide you with state-of-the-art dental care in our modern dental practice. Refer someone you love to someone you trust!

Presented as a service to the community by Doctors Hoover and Yanda,

39 Milford Drive, Hudson, Ohio 44236. 330-650-0360. www.drshooverandyanda.com

WHAT CAUSES A RED OR STRAWBERRY TONGUE

December 9, 2019Health

There are multiple factors that can cause a normally pink tongue to turn red. In some instances, the tongue may even take on the appearance of a strawberry with enlarged, red taste buds dotting the surface. Possible causes include:

Vitamin deficiencies: Deficiencies of folic acid and vitamin B-12 may cause your tongue to take on a reddish appearance.

Geographic tongue: This condition, also known as benign migratory glossitis, is named for the map-like pattern of reddish spots that develop on the surface of the tongue. At times, these patches have a white border around them and their location on the tongue may shift over time. Although these are usually harmless, you should check with your dentist to investigate red patches that last longer than 2 weeks. Once the dentist has determined that the redness is a result of geographic tongue, no further treatment is necessary. If the condition makes your tongue sore or uncomfortable, you may be prescribed topical medications to ease discomfort.

Scarlet fever: People who get this infection may develop a strawberry tongue. Be sure to contact a doctor immediately if you have a high fever and red tongue. Antibiotic treatment is necessary for scarlet fever.

Kawasaki syndrome: This disease, usually seen in children under the age of 5, affects the blood vessels in the body and can cause strawberry tongue. During the severe phase of illness, children often run an extremely high fever and may also have redness and swelling in the hands and feet.

If you, your family or friends need dental care, we would be honored to provide you with state-of-the-art dental care in our modern dental practice. Refer someone you love to someone you trust!

Presented as a service to the community by Doctors Hoover and Yanda,

39 Milford Drive, Hudson, Ohio 44236. 330-650-0360. www.drshooverandyanda.com

TONGUE PROBLEMS

December 2, 2019Prevention

Though often hailed as “the strongest muscle in the body,” the tongue is made up of a group of muscles that allow us to taste food, swallow, and talk. A healthy tongue is pink and covered with small nodules called papillae.

Because you use your tongue constantly, it can be frustrating and uncomfortable when you experience tongue problems, including discoloration and soreness. There are a variety of causes for a number of common tongue symptoms. Fortunately, the majority of tongue problems are not serious and most can be resolved quickly.

In some instances, though, a discolored or painful tongue can indicate more serious conditions, including vitamin deficiencies, AIDS, or oral cancer. For this reason, it is important to seek medical advice if you have any ongoing problems with your tongue.

If you, your family or friends need dental care, we would be honored to provide you with state-of-the-art dental care in our modern dental practice. Refer someone you love to someone you trust!

Presented as a service to the community by Doctors Hoover and Yanda,

39 Milford Drive, Hudson, Ohio 44236. 330-650-0360. www.drshooverandyanda.com