When Tooth Pain Is More Than It Seems
Tooth pain can be one of the most severe and distracting sensations you’ll ever experience, often making eating, drinking, sleeping, and completing your daily tasks extremely difficult. Sometimes the source of the tooth pain is a cavity or crack in your tooth; these are easily remedied. When such conditions go untreated, however, they can spread from the outer enamel to the living tissue at the tooth’s core, resulting in infection, severe tooth pain, and, eventually, a “dead” tooth. At this stage many dentists will recommend a root canal. While Dr. Richard Porcelli and the entire team here at our Bluffton, SC practice recognize the value of root canals, we want you to know there is a more biologically based alternative.
Our Alternative to Root Canal Treatment
Root canals can be effective, but most dental professionals acknowledge that it’s difficult to completely remove harmful pathogens from the inside of your teeth. Root canals frequently serve as a band-aids until reinfection occurs. To completely eliminate this possibility, we may recommend a four-stage treatment plan as an alternative to a root canal.
The process, executed collaboratively by multiple members of our extensively trained team, begins with extraction of the affected tooth. We then sanitize the empty tooth socket using ozone therapy and laser therapy to further disinfect the site. We then perform bone grafting if needed to rebuild the underlying bone. A dedicated biologic dentist educated at the Dawson Academy and the Pankey Institute, Dr. Porcelli completes this process using platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) to heal the surgical site naturally. Finally, we place a metal-free zirconia dental implant in the site of the extracted tooth. A tooth extraction paired with the placement of a dental implant eliminates concern of reinfection and offers a natural-looking smile that can last a lifetime!
- Treatment of an infected tooth
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PRF and PRP Promote Natural Healing
Our Bluffton, SC office specializes in helping you recover through the natural healing power of your own body. Whether we’re providing an alternative to root canal treatment or other services, platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) is a core tool of our biologically focused practice. PRF growth factors are proteins that already exist in your own blood and are proven to help your body heal more quickly. We acquire PRF using a centrifuge to separate the elements of your blood. We then isolate your PRF and apply them at the surgery site to stimulate healing and restore your dental health as soon as possible. We can also derive platelet-rich plasma (PRP) from your blood in a similar manner. This contains a high percentage of growth factors which can help accelerate your healing.
Symptoms of a Tooth Infection
- Acute toothache
- Temperature sensitivity
- Pimples or abscesses on the gums
- Swelling or redness in the surrounding tissues
