Specialist Root Canal Treatment / Endodontics

We’re delighted to announce the latest addition to the Docklands Dental Team, Dr. Derek Duggan. After dentistry, Derek trained in the University of North Carloina in Endodontics and subsequently stayed to become part of the faculty staff in the Endodontics program (otherwise known as Specialist Root Canal Treatment). He returned to Ireland last year and has set up in private practice in a limited number of clinics.

With the integration of Derek into the team, we hope we have increased the level of service and benefit to our patients. It means that in difficult root canal cases where there previously may have been no other option but to loose a tooth due to a failed root canal, infection or pain, Derek has an ability to save and treat teeth that would be outside the ability of a general dentist.

Another term for a Specialist Root Canal Treatment is Endontics. An endodonist is a specilaist in root canal treatment. A patient can choose to have a root canal treatment if  they have developed pain in  a tooth or an infection has begun inside a tooth. Sometimes this can be very painful, however, we can assure you that a root canal treatment is totally painless. The process cleans and sterilises the inside of a tooth and then a special rubber filling is placed in the tooth to prevent an infection developing in the future.

Teeth have lots of different shapes and sometimes the anatomy of a tooth can be very complex. In these cases, it may be difficult for a general dentist to ensure that they have accessed the whole tooth and cleaned it completely. If the tooth is not fully cleaned, then it is possible a root canal may fail and an infection develop that can cause pain or damage for a patient. An Endodontist goes back to college after dentistry to specialise in root canal treatments. These are performed under a microscope to ensure that the whole tooth is cleaned, giving excellent success rates in over 95% of cases. We are one of the few private practices to have purchased a Global G3 microscope for the treatment of root canals. Meaning that even the most difficult teeth have a great chance of working in a patients mouth for years to come.

Absolutely not! If a patient is in pain or has developed an infection, this can be a stressful and painful time. The process of having a root canal is painless, we use modern anesthetics and in some cases IV sedation for very nervous patients, to ensure that the process is as easy as possible. The normal procedure time is between 60-90 minutes and will include a core restoration to make a tooth as strong as possible and ready for any further treatment a patient may decide to undertake.

Hopefully all the above gives an understanding of why we’re so excited about this very nice and highly skilled dentist joining our team. If you have any queries or would like to know more about Specialist Root Canal Treatment, then you can call our reception team on 01-6360192 or email to hello@docklandsdental.ie