Imagine a "ball point pen".  There is an ink cartridge inside the pen one can remove leaving the pen hollow.  Now, fill in this hollow space with a rubber-like filling material and you have just root canaled a ball-point-pen.  Our roots of our teeth extend into the bone supporting our teeth.  These roots have a canal inside similar to the ink cartridge in the pen.  When we do a root canal, the contents in the "canal" ( consists of the nerve and blood vessel supplying our teeth with nutrition and sensations) are removed just as one would remove the ink cartridge.  After cleaning out the canal, we fill it back up with a rubber like filling which seals the canal.

The "roots" are not removed as many people think.. Only the inside of the root is cleaned out so the root into the bone is unchanged and still supports the tooth.  This is the benefit of a root canal......A tooth can be saved and still function normally following a root canal.

The only option to a root canal is to have the tooth extracted hence, the beauty of a root canal.

Have you hugged your dentist today?  If not, why not? 

Have you flossed today?  If not, why not?

Have you seen your dentist within the last 6 months?  If not, why not?

Have you brushed your child's ( 5 years or younger) teeth today?  If not, why not?

Have you ever wondered what is the dentist doing when he/she grabs your tounge and pulls it out and looks???  Oral cancer can form anywhere in your mouth including the lateral borders of the tongue.  Cancer can be overlooked when the side of the tongue is the location.  By pulling the tongue out to the side, the dentist can see where cancer is easily hidden.  This cancer, if cought early, can be treated.  If caught late, treatments are much less effective.

Every single time you see your hygienist or dentist for an exam, this simple and life saving look-see exam needs to be done.  Ask for it if it is not done.  It could save your life.

Our goal mechanically is to reduce the amount of stress to the "system".  The system consists of teeth, gums, bone, muscles, jaw joint (TMJ), nerves, etc.  When one has a "balance" between the favorite position of the jaw joint (TMJ) and how the teeth bite together, this creates the most stress-free position.  If we provide this balance between the meshing of the teeth and the jaw joint (TMJ), one of the two causes of dental disease (plaque and stress) is controlled.  Think of a gate in a fence.  The gate swings on the hinges (TMJ) and the latch (teeth) engage to lock the gate.  When the gate works normally, the gate will swing smoothly closed as the latch smoothly engages.  What a well balanced gate one might say.  The jaw is the same idea.  When the jaw joint (TMJ) hinges as the jaw closes, the teeth mesh together (like the latch).  If the balance is there, the teeth come together smoothly allowing the TMJ to also work smoothly.  If the gate is not balanced, the latch will not engage unless you lift up on the gate to line up the latch.  This lifting up creates stress on the hinges and they wear out, get loose, get noisy, etc.  The TMJ (jaw joint) is the hinge and if the teeth do not engage, the TMJ must shift around to allow the teeth to engage.  Just like the hinges on the gate, the TMJ will wear out, get sore, get loose, make noises, etc.  One can see how the mechanics can cause undue stress.  The stress will attack the weak link in the person.  Everybody responds differently.  It behooves us to minimize, or eliminate the stress so parts of "our system" will not break down.  Balancing the bite is a form of prevention just as brushing and flossing.