South Mountain Endodontics

Hours: At South Mountain Endodontics we are available Monday through Friday 8-5 to make appointments or answer any questions you may have. Appointments are scheduled from 8-5., Tuesday through Friday. We are not open on holidays. Many offices are closed on Friday, however we are open for your convenience.

Dr. Molen books one patient at a time. He does not go from patient to patient during your visit. We know your time is valuable and we want to be sure your appointment is just for you. South Mountain Endodontics does not have an assembly line feel to it. Your time is just for you.

Dr. Molen is a university-trained Endodontic specialist. He specializes in one appointment root canals as well as post and instrument removal. (Dr. Molen's Education)

Dr. Molen's reasonable fees will save you more on your insurance benefits. We recommend you compare prices because we know you will find that South Mountain Endodontics is still one of the most reasonably priced practices in the state. He is a preferred provider for several insurance companies. (Insurance Preferred List)

Dr. Molen offers senior and student discounts upon request and discounts for uninsured cash or credit paying patients who pay up front.

Rarely is there a wait to be seen at South Mountain Endodontics. Dr. Molen can often see you the same day or within a few days after receiving your call. South Mountain Endodontics does not charge an emergency fee if the root canal is performed at our office.

Do I have to be referred to Dr. Molen or can I just come to him for all my root canals? You do not need an official referral, but you should be seen by your dentist first to make sure the tooth can be saved and that what you are truly feeling is root canal pain and not another dental issue. Once you have been diagnosed with a root canal problem, please call and make an appointment.

Does Dr. Molen do any general dentistry? No. Dr. Molen performs no other treatments other than those related to root canals, retreatments of root canals, apexifications, pulpotomies, and surgeries relating to root canals or "apicoectomies."

What is an Endodontist? Endodontists are dentists with two additional years of advanced training in root canal procedures and whose practices are limited to root canals and procedures relating to root canal treatment. They specialize in easy or difficult cases.

I have a heart valve condition (murmur) or joint replacement. How do I pre-medicate? There is a specific regime from the American Heart Association that is as follows: 2000 mg or four tablets of amoxicillin should be taken one hour before the appointment -- unless you are allergic to penicillin, in which case you would take 600 mg or four tablets of Clindamycin one hour before the appointment. This is mandatory regardless of whether you are currently on any antibiotic for anything else. You must take the four tablets one hour before the appointment or you are not considered pre-medicated. Patients should not self medicate. Talk to your doctor first.

How does your office prevent the transfer of disease from one patient to another? We take this issue very seriously. At South Mountain Endodontics we use ADA and OSHA approved sterilization methods and universal barrier precautions between each patient.

What caused my tooth to need a root canal? Decay is one of the biggest causes for root canals. The deeper or bigger the filling, the more likely the need for a root canal. Other causes are crowns, recession of the gums, or periodontal disease. In general, the more work performed on a tooth the less capable that pulp is of healing itself. If the pulp dies, the body sees the dead tissue as foreign and tries to dispose of it. This forms a pocket of healing tissue in the bone that shows up as a dark spot on an x-ray. This is what most people refer to as an abscess.

What is a root canal? Root canal therapy is when the individual root canals or insides are cleaned, shaped, and disinfected. They are then filled to seal the inside of the root from the outside of the root. The root stays in the jaw bone. It is not removed.

I had a root canal before and it took three or four visits. Will this be the same? No. Dr. Molen prefers to complete each root canal in a single visit. He knows your time is valuable and does not want to inconvenience you. There are, however, situations and complications that one has no control over, and those can occasionally take one additional short visit. However, these occurrences are rare. If a root canal is more difficult than usual, a follow-up visit will be required as we do not want to sacrifice quality of work.

Should an endodontist do regular, easy root canals or just the difficult ones and/or surgeries? Yes, an endodontist does regular, easy, first-time root canals on any tooth. Patients most often are referred to endodontists when they have a difficult case or retreatment. However, dentists may refer a root canal at any time when they feel it is in the best interest's of the patient to have an endodontist perform the procedure.

My tooth already had a root canal that has gone bad. Do I need to have it pulled? No. Many teeth can be saved simply by retreating the existing, failed root canal.Dr. Molen has performed this procedure many times with excellent results. It is a rare occurrence where extraction of a tooth is the only solution.

My general dentist said I need to have a surgery or an apicoectomy. Do I have any other options? Yes. In the past it was taught that once a root canal has failed, the next step is surgery. However, with modern technical advancements we are now able to redo or retreat a root canal that has failed with better results than a surgery and at a lower cost and healing time to the patient. According to the American Association of Endodontists, statistically speaking, a retreated root canal has a better prognosis than that of a surgery.

My tooth had a root canal by a specialist and it is failing. What options do I have? The majority of these can be retreated successfully depending on a few factors. Occasionally we can perform a successful surgery on these as well to get a good long-term prognosis. Each of these must be examined on a case-by-case basis. The best course would be to schedule a consultation with Dr. Molen where he can take radiographs and perform diagnostic tests and then explain your best course of action and your options. It is always best to be informed about your options.

If my doctor said I need a root canal, does that mean the tooth is dead? Not always. Your tooth can be damaged beyond your body's ability to repair it, yet still be alive and causing you pain. It can also be partially necrotic (dead), or totally necrotic. There are many variables and each patient is different.

Can a root canal fail? Yes, but in general the benefit to risk ratio is high. Generally it takes between 6 to 10 months or longer to see whether a root canal has either healed or failed. A patient coming to Dr. Molen for a retreatment may present with circumstances that will indicate a lower success rate with retreatment. These patients are always informed of that possibility before the retreatment is performed and are given the options available to them. Dr. Molen will always give you straightforward information regarding your prognosis.

What kind of symptoms can I expect from a failing root canal? Sometimes there is no pain and it is inadvertently detected when your general dentist takes a radiograph. If there is pain, it is usually a slight sensitivity to chewing or a dull ache. This may be intermittent at first and then become more constant and pronounced as time goes on. Extreme cases involve swelling of the jaw next to the tooth which can happen very quickly, sometimes overnight. Any time you experience swelling on the outside of your face due to a tooth problem, it is urgent that you see an endodontist to avoid complications.