Doctor Avi Malkis, an experienced dentist, has treated patients at Oakwood Dental Arts on Staten Island since early 2016. Also a member of the team at Shel Dental in Norwalk, Connecticut, Dr. Avi Malkis offers root canals to preserve teeth that are deeply damaged or decayed.
Avi Malkis performs root canal procedures, also known as endodontic treatments, to attempt to save a tooth that has decayed or damaged pulp. The procedure removes the contaminated tooth material and cleans out the canal that runs down through the tooth to the roots, so as to protect the patient from the swelling, abscess development, and bone loss that can occur if deep damage is left untreated.
The procedure begins after the dentist or endodontist numbs the area and places a rubber dam around the tooth, which protects it from saliva and other contaminants during the procedure. The dentist then drills an access hole through which he or she passes a series of increasingly wider files, which shape the inside of the root canal. Sodium hypochlorite or water rinses wash away any debris generated during this process.
Once the root canal is empty, the tooth is effectively dead. It can function normally as a chewing and biting surface without its nerve, though the dentist needs to fill it with artificial material to protect it from breakage.
In many cases, the dentist will also need to place a crown or other type of restorative covering on the tooth. This is necessary because after a root canal the patient's tooth is more fragile than it would be with out a root canal. This final step allows the patient to use the tooth as he or she would an undamaged natural tooth.