Hampshire Endodontics is a dedicated endodontic clinic. Endodontics is the dental discipline concerned with all things on the inside of the tooth. Teeth are hard outer shells with a hollow chamber at their centre where – in normal times – the nerve (or pulp) resides inside the root canal. Trauma or simply wear and tear can give rise to occasions where the nerve becomes troubled. Generally the pulp will become inflamed (toothache) or can die off. Without a blood supply keeping the innards of the tooth sterile that root canal space will - given time - become infected. Sometimes salivary bacteria can re-enter into a previously root filled tooth and irritate the jaw bone that the root filled tooth sits in. Dentists try to save such teeth by through root canal treatment ; the most common endodontic procedure. This involves drilling into the tooth to access the root canal, scrubbing and flushing out the insides and plugging the whole of the root canal space with an inert rubber material leaving the tooth as a comfortably functioning chewer. The alternative way to remove the problematic contents of the tooth is to remove the tooth as a whole (ie extraction).
The vast majority of root canal treatments in the UK are performed by general dentists and the vast majority of these work out fine but on occasions an endodontic expert will be called upon. Whilst a general dentist will be expected to be proficient in all areas of dentistry an endodontist only does endodontic treatment. Whilst a general dentist is equipped with a broad range of gadgets to tackle a broad range of common dental procedures, an endodontist is equipped with all of the endodontic gadgets and nothing else. King among these is the microscope for magnification and illumination.
At Hampshire Endodontics; Peter, Kate and Manpreet only do root canal treatment and have all the modern endodontic gadgets. The success rate of root canal treatment is very high * – and it is at its highest when done by a specialist**.We have additional training and experience in tricky root canal treatment.; knowing when to do them and how. Endodontists tend to be called upon when a general dentist perceives (from experience) that a case will prove tricky. Or when tan initial treatment has failed. Or when patients absolutely want to maximise the chances of treatment succeeding first time. Hampshire Endodontics was set up in 2014 – initially in central Portsmouth before relocating to dedicated premises Havant in 2015. In late 2020 we established an outpost in Winchester. The whole team take pride in successful endodontics. We strive to demystify the process of a referral to an endodontist. We treat you as we ourselves would want to be treated; courteously, quickly, sympathetically and expertly. We will always discuss (jargon-free) your options, the prospects of success in those option, the alternatives and what to expect during any of the range of endodontic procedures we offer and the costs. HantsEndo is the least expensive Specialist endodontic service in the county. Experience has taught us that the best way to manage a case involves see patients for an initial consultation. Treatment is typically started (and finished) at a later date; the vast majority of root canal treatment is completed in a single session. We find the consultation is a chance to discuss the procedure, the costs and the prospect of success. We will want to address and alleviate any concerns the patient may have about root canal treatment. Post-operatively we are more than happy to check-up on the work if there are any issues or else review the tooth around 6 months later to check on healing on via xray.
*Imura et al, J Endod 2007. The outcome of endodontic treatment: a retrospective study of 2000 cases performed by a specialist 94.0% in 1376 teeth in the initial endodontic treatment, 85.9% of the 624 teeth in the nonsurgical retreatment sample. **Alley et al, OOO 2004. A comparison of survival of teeth following endodontic treatment performed by general dentists or by specialists Calibrated dentists reviewed over 350 generalists, with an 89.7% success rate. 155 teeth were treated by endodontists, with a 98.1% success rate.