San Ramon, CA Endodontist Dr. Mohammad Khandaqji, DDS FAQ’s
At the endodontist specialty office of San Ramon, CA Endodontist Dr. Mohammad Khandaqji, DDS, we are dedicated to providing exceptional endodontic root canal and root canal therapy in a patient-friendly environment. Mona Lisa Smile Dental utilize state-of-the art dental technology, and do everything possible to provide our patients with a comfortable and positive treatment experience in our office.
With the appropriate care by endodontist Dr. Mohammad Khandaqji, your teeth that have had endodontic root canal treatment can last as long as other natural teeth. Yet, a tooth that has received treatment may fail to heal or pain may continue to exist. Sometimes, the pain may occur months or years after treatment. If so, Endodontic Retreatment may be needed.
We look forward to being of service to you. We provide the highest standard of care in a friendly, comfortable environment. Our expert team includes an experienced endodontic staff. We hope that the information provided in this site will answer many of your questions regarding your treatment. To learn more about endodontics surgery, talk to Dentist Dr. Mohammad Khandaqji, DDS in our San Ramon dental office. Here are some faq’s endodontist Dr. Mohammad Khandaqji commonly and encounters from his San Ramon, CA endodontic patients at Mona Lisa Smile Dental.
What is Endodontics?
This specialty deals with diseases of the pulp, or nerve, of the tooth. Treatment performed by San Ramon, CA Endodontist Dr. Mohammad Khandaqji, DDS may be called “root canals”. Endodontics, from the Greek endo (inside) and odons (tooth), is a specialist sub-field of dentistry that deals with the tooth pulp and the tissues surrounding the root of a tooth. The pulp (containing nerves, arterioles and venules as well as lymphatic tissue and fibrous tissue) can become diseased or injured, and is often unable to repair itself; if it dies, endodontic treatment is required. Oral Conscious Sedation dentistry is available at Mona Lisa Smile Dental.
What is an Endodontist?
San Ramon, CA endodontist Dr. Mohammad Khandaqji, DDS is a dentist who have specialized in this field; qualification as an endodontist typically requires an additional 2-3 years of training following dental school. Many endodontic residents do original research and earn a Master’s degree as well as a specialty certificate. They specialize and limit their practice to root canal therapy and root canal surgery, and use their special training and experience in treating difficult cases, such as teeth with narrow or blocked canals, or unusual anatomy. San Ramon endodontist Dr. Mohammad Khandaqji, DDS may use advanced technology, such as operating microscopes, ultrasonics and digital imaging, to perform these special services, and often have great experience in successfully treating patients who present in pain. Patients requiring root canal therapy are either referred by their general dentists to the endodontist or are self referred; the most common procedure done in endodontics is root-canal therapy.
What exactly is a root canal?
It’s when a nerve within the tooth has to be removed either from decay, a cavity, large filling or trauma from a fall or blunt force. We make an access opening [with a drill] and remove the nerve tissue and get filling material into the tooth to seal it.
How do you help a patient who is nervous?
What Dr. Mohammad Khandaqji typically does is try to identify their fear and find out what their trigger is – whether they have a fear of needles, or don’t like the position of the chair [because they feel vulnerable]. Then I explain everything almost ad nauseam to make them comfortable and let them know they have total control and can stop the procedure at any time.
Why does a toothache throb and why is it so painful?
As the nerve [in a tooth] degrades, it causes the nervous system to give your brain signals that there’s pain. The environment of the nerve tissue is under pressure, and there’s no room for expansion so it starts to throb. Same as if you bash your elbow, it swells but it has room [to do so]. There’s no room for it to swell in the tooth. The times when people have trouble is when they’ve had pain for a while, and they don’t get the root canal either because of their fear, monetary issues or they just don’t have the time. But the more you wait, the worse it’s going to get.
What are the consequences to a tooth due to root canals? Is it compromised?
Yes, because you’re taking away the tooth’s blood supply. It will become more brittle and dried out and more at risk for fracture. People typically get a crown or cap to support the tooth; you have to think – it’s a tooth with a filling that now has a hole in it. A crown protects it.
Besides root canals, what else do endodontists do?
We do retreatment of root canals – teeth they’ve had done before and restoration may have failed. For example, let’s say a cap was put on the tooth, and there may be a cavity between the cap and the tooth. That can cause decay. There are certain other scenarios where if root canal is failing, you can take care of it surgically by making an incision in the gums and removing the infected tissue directly.
Today’s advanced restorative dentistry treatments and materials can make a real difference, and the skill, experience, and commitment of our San Ramon, California dental practice, using a unique combination of science and artistry, can literally redesign your smile. At Mona Lisa Smile Dental, located in the heart of San Ramon, Dr. Khandaqji’s use of Microscopic Dentistry enables him to provide a higher standard of care. These loupes provide limited levels of magnification compared to Microscope Dentistry, which uses a surgical microscope similar to those used by medical specialists and surgeons. This significantly enhances magnification levels, which means high quality care for our patients. Digital X-Rays are much more sensitive to radiation and has been specifically designed with the patient in mind. This great innovation substantially reduces your exposure to radiation from X-rays, making your visit to our office safer, faster and easier than ever before. From dental implants to Cosmetic Dentistry, the Mona Lisa Smile Dental Professionals will use this amazing Digital X-Rays to better serve you.
