Preserve Damaged Teeth and Find Relief with Root Canal Therapy

As a comprehensive dental office in Rohnert Park, California, Sonoma Smiles recommends root canal treatment to save infected and damaged teeth. Painlessly administered by our partnering specialists, root canals save infected teeth from extraction, protecting your natural smile for years. Our specialists use modern technology and techniques to provide a more streamlined and comfortable experience. Please schedule an appointment today to save your natural tooth.

Illustration of root canals

How do I know I need a root canal?

Naturally, antibiotics are the go-to solution for bacterial infections. Unfortunately, they aren’t always the solution for dental infection. Antibiotics circulate through your bloodstream, targeting infections throughout your body. Unfortunately, tooth infection causes your pulp chamber to die off, cutting off blood supply to the tooth. That said, antibiotics won’t penetrate the infected area within the tooth or reach the bacteria entrenched in the root canals or inside an abscess.

If the infection has reached the tooth’s pulp, only a root canal can save your tooth. During an endodontic treatment, the doctor removes the diseased pulp, sanitizes the root canals, and seals them to thwart future infections.

But how can you tell you need a root canal? Watch out for the following symptoms.

 Severe tooth pain, especially when biting down
 Tooth sensitivity to hot and cold stimuli
 Swollen or tender gums around the infected tooth
 Tooth discoloration (an infected tooth turns dark or brown)
 A small bump on the gums near the infected tooth

Visit a dentist immediately if you notice the above signs. Delaying treatment causes further damage, and a root canal may not be sufficient to save your tooth.

What can I expect during root canal treatment?

Root canal therapy is an intricate procedure, so choosing a dentist you can trust is crucial. Our team provides the latest pain management techniques to ensure a painless experience. We offer power anesthetics and sedation dentistry to ensure your root canal is nearly painless. We’ll only proceed with treatment once you are at ease.

Here’s what you can expect from your treatment.

• Tooth isolation: Before working on your tooth, we’ll isolate it with a rubber dam to prevent saliva contamination. Then, the dentist makes a small hole in your tooth, which we’ll use to access the pulp chamber.
• Cleaning your tooth: The dentist will remove the damaged/infected tissues and clean the root canals, leaving a healthy, infection-free surface.
• Sealing the tooth: The dentist will fill the hollowed tooth with a latex-like material called gutta-percha. This material replaces your pulp chamber and seals your tooth against future infections.
• Tooth restoration: The dentist will seal the access hole with a temporary filling before placing a dental crown to provide ultimate structural support. A root canal alleviates pain rather than causes it. Many patients report feeling much better after a root canal.
 Aftercare: Our dental team will give post-op instructions to ensure you recover seamlessly after your treatment. A root canal-treated tooth recovers fully after a few days.

In most cases, our specialists can complete your root canal in as few as two visits, although complicated cases may require additional visits. With proper care, a tooth treated with a root canal can last a lifetime.

Do you need root canal treatment?

The only way to determine whether a root canal is necessary is to talk to an experienced dentist. We invite you to schedule an appointment with Sonoma Smiles to discuss your specific needs—call (707) 868-0666 to start your treatment.

The Truth About Painless Root Canal Therapy

Root Canal
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.

Dr. Sutton is one of the premier cosmetic dentists in Sonoma County

Dr. Wayne Sutton

Connect with Dr. Wayne Sutton on Linkedin

A renowned cosmetic dentist in Sonoma County, Dr. Sutton has over 20 years of experience and maintains a standard of excellence at his implant center using the strongest dental implant bridge currently available to provide predictable full mouth dental implant reconstructions.

Dr. Sutton received his postgraduate at The Pacific Aesthetic Continuum in San Francisco and his doctorate and three years of experience as a clinical instructor from UCSF School of Dentistry in 1997, where he was the only one to receive the “Clinical Excellence Award”. He also studied Advanced Occlusion at the Hornbrook Group and earned his Fellowship in the Academy of Comprehensive Esthetics.

Today, Dr. Sutton takes over 4 times the annual continuing education requirements to maintain his license. He is a member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, the Dental Organization for Conscious Sedation (awarded his Fellowship), the Academy of General Dentistry (Fellowships status), the American Dental Implant Association (Diplomat status), the American Dental Association, the American Academy for Dental Sleep Medicine, and is a select cosmetic dentist recognized as an Official Dentist of the Mrs. Globe – Mrs. USA Pageants.