Endodontic Services
Specializing in Endodontics in Baton Rouge, LA
Dr. Marty J. Saltzman specializes in endodontic treatments such as root canal therapy, dental implants, and more. Our office offers professionalism and experience so you can return to the quality of life you enjoy. Learn more about our treatments below and call us to schedule an appointment.
Our Treatments
Root Canal Therapy
A tooth can become infected because of decay, repeated dental procedures, or a chip in the tooth. The pulp can be damaged from trauma even if there is no crack to show for it. If left untreated, it can become painful and develop an abscess.
Some signs that the dental pulp is damaged are; prolonged sensitivity to heat or cold, discoloration of the tooth, and swelling in the gums. Sometimes your doctor may be able to diagnose the infection before symptoms begin.
As an endodontist, Dr. Saltzman will remove the inflamed or infected pulp and seal the canal. A crown is often needed to protect the tooth and restore function. The tooth will continue to function like all other teeth because of the healthy tissue supporting it.
Our office offers Intravenous Sedation to help patients with their dental needs. Patients who choose Intravenous Sedation report an excellent dental experience and usually do not remember the procedure.
What can I expect during and after root canal treatment?
Most cases take less than an hour. Current advances in techniques and anesthetics make treatment very comfortable during the procedure. Most patients can return to work and daily activities immediately after treatment, much like after a dental filling. For the first few days after treatment, your tooth may feel sensitive, especially if there was pain or acute infection before the procedure. This discomfort can be relieved with over-the-counter or prescription medications. Follow Dr. Saltzman’s instructions carefully. Intravenous sedation is available in our office for patients who desire to be sedated. Patients who choose intravenous sedation report an excellent dental experience and usually do not remember the procedure.
Do I need to take antibiotics before the root canal?
The sooner the infection is removed, the sooner you will feel better. Removing infection from your body is the most important step to relieving pain and swelling and allows antibiotics to work more effectively. Current advances in endodontics and anesthetics make this possible.
How much does it cost?
Endodontic treatment and restoration of the natural tooth are less expensive than removing the tooth and an artificial replacement. Actually, the value of a natural tooth is irreplaceable. Most dental insurance policies provide coverage for endodontic treatment.
Retreatment Root Canal Therapy
Dr. Saltzman performs root canal treatments daily. He is highly experienced in treating difficult cases to resolve the infection. Using advanced technology and specialty training, our office is confident that we will provide the best care possible so you have the best chance of saving your tooth.
A tooth may not heal after the first root canal for the following reasons:
- Complicated canals went undetected.
- Narrow or curved canals were not treated.
- Failure to remove all of the infection during the first procedure.
- Placement of the crown or other restoration was delayed following the endodontic treatment.
- Crown or restoration did not prevent contamination to the inside of the tooth.
- New decay under the crown or other restoration allowed new infection in the tooth.
- Loose or damaged crown or restoration can expose the tooth to a new infection.
Dr. Saltzman can save most teeth, even those with significant problems. There is no substitute for a natural tooth.
What will happen during retreatment?
During retreatment the crown, post, and core materials must be taken apart and removed so Dr. Saltzman has access to the root canals. He will then clean, fill, and seal the canals and place a filling inside the tooth. Once completed, you may have to return to your general dentist to have a new crown put on your tooth.
What about sedation?
Intravenous sedation is available in our office for patients who desire to be sedated. Patients who choose intravenous sedation report an excellent dental experience and usually do not remember the procedure.
Endodontic Microsurgery (Apicoectomy)
What is an apicoectomy?
An apicoectomy is a microsurgical procedure that is performed when inflammation or infection persists around the bone at the end of the root after a root canal procedure. “Apicoectomy” is simply a fancy word for removing the infection at the end of the root. The top of the root is removed and a small filling may be placed to seal the end of the root.
What can I expect during and after the apicoectomy?
With modern technology and anesthetics you can be very comfortable during treatment. After the procedure you can expect some swelling that will subside in about a week. Most of the time patients return to work after five days with restrictions.
Post-operative discomfort can be relieved with over-the-counter or prescription medications. Follow Dr. Saltzman’s instructions carefully. We will have you return to our office to follow up and remove any sutures that have not dissolved.
The endodontist can save most teeth, even those with significant problems. There is no substitute for a natural tooth.
How much does it cost?
An apicoectomy is less expensive than removing the tooth and an artificial replacement. Actually, the value of a natural tooth is irreplaceable. Most dental insurance policies provide coverage for apicoectomy (endodontic microsurgery).
What about sedation?
Intravenous sedation is available in our office for patients who desire to be sedated. Patients who choose intravenous sedation report an excellent dental experience and usually do not remember the procedure.
Cracked Teeth
Cracked teeth can have a variety of symptoms including pain when chewing or when the tooth is exposed to very warm or cold temperatures. It can sometimes be difficult to diagnose a cracked tooth.
Cracks may lead to infection in the pulp tissue, which can then spread to the bone and gums. It’s important to get to the endodontist, find the crack, and correct it before the infection begins and spreads.
Our office offers Intravenous Sedation to help patients with their dental needs. Patients who choose Intravenous Sedation report an excellent dental experience and usually do not remember the procedure.
Types of Cracks
The treatment of cracks varies depending on the type, location, and severity of the crack.
Craze Lines
Craze lines affect the outer enamel and are very common in adult teeth. They cause no pain and are mostly a cosmetic concern.
Cracked Tooth
A tooth is cracked when the crack goes from the enamel to the inner layers of the tooth. This can result in infection and damage to the pulp, requiring a root canal procedure.
Split Tooth
A tooth will split when a cracked tooth is left to progress and worsen. A split tooth is when a crack has distinct segments that can be separated.
Vertical Root Fracture
This is when a crack begins in the root and extends toward the chewing surface. Sometimes the tooth may be saved if the fractured root can be removed through endodontic surgery.
Dental Implants
When a tooth is removed, it can be replaced with an implant. They are “anchors” like screws made of titanium and other materials that are compatible with the human body. The implant is surgically placed in the jaw to replace your missing tooth’s root.
The implant will look and act like a natural tooth and will not affect your other teeth. Although nothing can replace a natural tooth, the next best option is a dental implant. You will be able to chew and talk normally, and others will not even notice you have it.
Advantages of Implants
- A single tooth implant does not involve treatment of your other teeth.
- Can replace one tooth, several teeth, or an entire mouth.
- Can support a single crown or a bridge (multiple teeth).
- Can hold in a partial denture or complete denture and significantly improve chewing function.
- Will not develop decay.
- Better esthetics than partial or complete dentures.
- May last longer than a traditional bridge placed on natural teeth to replace a missing tooth/teeth.
Our office offers Intravenous Sedation to help patients with their dental needs. Patients who choose Intravenous Sedation report an excellent dental experience and usually do not remember the procedure.
What can I expect?
Getting a surgical dental implant is less painful than having a tooth removed. Patients can often return to work after the treatment.
The implant and crown can sometimes be placed in the same appointment, but sometimes it takes two to three appointments to ensure the body can heal between steps. Although it may take months, it allows your body time to recover and breaks up the treatment cost.
Who is a good candidate?
Most people are candidates for dental implants. No one is too old. Dr. Saltzman has seen implants placed in a ninety-year-old man so he could enjoy his quality of life. On his 95th birthday, he celebrated that his dentist was the only one who believed he would make it another five years!
Come into our office for a consultation, and let us show you what can be done for you. Many implant options are available.
What does it cost?
Replacement of a tooth with an implant costs about the same as a traditional bridge. Insurance coverage for implants varies widely among insurance companies. Our office can help you determine if your policy has coverage for you.
Bone Grafting
Modern advances make it possible to preserve and rebuild bone in dentistry. Bone in the jaws can be lost due to infection, trauma, loss of teeth, lack of use, and pathological conditions.
Our office offers Intravenous Sedation to help patients with their dental needs. Patients who choose Intravenous Sedation report an excellent dental experience and usually do not remember the procedure.
Why would I need a bone graft?
There are different reasons for needing a bone graft. Common reasons include the following:
- To preserve existing bone and prevent bone defects
- To rebuild lost bone
- Augmentation of the maxillary sinus
When is bone grafting used?
- When a tooth is extracted
- When an infection has caused bone loss and bone damage
- When trauma has caused bone loss and bone damage
- To preserve or build a foundation of bone to place dental implants or for the placement of a fixed bridge
Where do you get the bone for bone grafting?
In most cases, we use human bone because nothing works as well as human bone. The bone is donated to a bone bank just like someone donates their heart or kidney. The bone does not contain blood. Only the white mineralized hard part of the bone is used. Modern processes allow the removal of blood and blood products and sterilization of the bone graft to ensure safety. Bone grafting has been used in medicine and dentistry for decades and has become more predictable than in previous years.
For patients who do not want to use human bone, synthetic alternatives are available but may be more costly in some cases.
How common is bone grafting?
To give you a better idea of how common bone grafting is, let’s consider some well-known medical procedures. If you know someone who has had spinal fusion of the back or neck, joint replacement, broken bones, or other orthopedic procedures, chances are they had bone grafting performed.
Sedation
You are not alone! Many patients are dental-phobic and extremely anxious about dental treatment.
With IV sedation, we can sedate you as little or as much as needed.
If you have tried oral sedation (pills) and were not satisfied with the results, we can help you. If you had success with oral sedation (pills) in the past, you will absolutely love IV sedation.
Indications for IV sedation include:
- Fear and anxiety
- Dental phobia
- Patient prefers sedation
- Small mouth
- Large tongue
- Salivator
- Gag reflex
- Dental surgery
- Claustrophobia (feeling of being closed-in)
- Medically compromised (blood pressure and heart rate are better controlled)
- Mentally handicapped and special needs
- Chronic pain patients who cannot sit in one place very long
- Elderly patients who cannot sit in one place very long
- Smoker’s cough when reclined
What can I expect with sedation?
An IV will be placed and medication will be given to sedate you before starting the procedure and keep you sedated until the procedure is completed.
What if I’m afraid of needles?
If you are needle-phobic Dr. Saltzman will give you a sedative by mouth (pill) to relax you enough to start the IV sedation. Then he can sedate you further and perform the procedure.
What if I had problems with nausea in the past?
If you have had problems in the past with nausea associated with sedation medications, please let us know. We can give you medication to prevent nausea and provide you with an excellent experience.
What does it cost?
In order to help the greatest number of patients possible, Dr. Saltzman has established a fee that is less than the average fee in this area. We have one flat-rate fee for IV sedation regardless of how long the procedure takes. You will know exactly what to expect. We have never had a patient regret receiving IV sedation in our office.
Schedule Your Appointment
Our Technology
Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT)
This kind of imaging can be used to detect, diagnose, and treat dental issues. It can also be used to provide a more accurate representation of what is happening inside the mouth than traditional dental X-rays. For example, it’s beneficial when planning surgical procedures such as dental implants.
The CBCT machine works by rotating around the patient while taking hundreds of X-rays from different angles. The resulting data is then processed by a computer to create cross-sectional images that can be viewed from any angle.
It’s used for many dental applications, such as trauma surgery, oral surgery, maxillofacial surgery, sinus disease diagnosis, bite analysis, and treatment planning for orthodontics.
Dental Microscope
Digital Radiography
Digital radiography is used in the diagnosis of dental decay and other abnormalities. In addition to providing high-quality images, digital radiography reduces exposure to ionizing radiation by up to 90%.
The advantages of digital radiography include:
- less radiation exposure for patients and staff
- faster processing time
- easier storage and retrieval of images
Visit Us
Dr. Marty J. Saltzman
11962 Coursey Blvd.
Baton Rouge, LA 70816
Our Hours
Monday – Thursday:
8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Friday: 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Visit Us
11962 Coursey Blvd.
Baton Rouge, LA 70816
Monday – Thursday:
8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Friday: 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM