The root canal is a procedure designed to remove infected pulp tissue from under the hard enamel layers of your tooth. Your tooth has the outer layer called enamel, then under it is another hard layer called dentin. Inside the dentin is the pulp, which is where the blood vessels, nerves and connective tissue of your tooth are.

Your dentist will recommend a root canal if there’s been some sort of damage or disease to your tooth that has caused an infection in your tooth. A root canal procedure is where we make a small hole in your tooth, remove the infected tissue and clean the canal, then seal the tooth back up to prevent anything else from getting inside the tooth.

The most important thing to remember is: a root canal procedure (or “root canal therapy”, as we call it) is designed to save your tooth instead of removing it. That means your tooth can continue to function in chewing and smiling for years and years after you have your root canal therapy procedure.

Absolutely! We wouldn’t have started our practice at Stone Ridge Endodontics if we didn’t see an opportunity to help save teeth and fight tooth pain in North Virginia. Root canal procedures happen millions of times a year, so if you need to have a root canal done, don’t feel like you’ve done something wrong or are an anomaly.

A typical root canal therapy session lasts about an hour to an hour and a half and is overseen by Dr Sehgal in our office. Depending on the severity of the issue and whether you’ve seen a dentist beforehand, we may be able to have you in and out in one day. Sometimes you may come in for a consultation and be rescheduled for the procedure later. It really all depends on what your unique situation is.

Typically, most of our patients are referred to us by their dentist because dentists are on the front lines of teeth health. But, the truth is that you may see some symptoms that could mean you need an endodontist to take a look at your teeth.

Those may include:

-Severe pain when chewing, especially with harder or chewier materials

-A chip or crack in the tooth, which may also lead to pain

-Noticeable sensitivity to hot or cold foods and drinks

-Discoloration on the tooth or around the gums

Stone Ridge Endodontics is proud to be the ONLY provider in Loudoun County offering the GentleWave® Procedure.

The GentleWave Procedure is another method Dr. Sehgal uses to treat your root canal infections with effective, high-tech cleaning designed to reach the most complex tooth anatomies where bacteria can hide.

Through its proprietary cleaning process, the GentleWave Procedure clears bacteria in 3 steps:

-Stimulation: A high-pressure stream of fluid is stimulated, creating tiny vapor bubbles that collapse to create multisonic energy.

-Activation: Multisonic energy is activated to loosen and dissolve infected tissue and bacteria, including in hard-to-reach areas.

-Disinfection: The disinfecting fluid is swirled into a powerful vortex, lifting the infected tissue debris up and out of the canal in a quick 8-minute cycle, allowing for a pristinely clean root canal system.

You can learn about the GentleWave Procedure here.

Payment depends on your insurance coverage and what services you receive at your appointment.

If you provide our office with complete dental insurance information, we will gladly inquire on your behalf to verify what benefits may be applied to your fee for our services. If your insurance benefits entitle you to a reduced fee or provide for payment to our office (except for deductible or co-payment), your portion of the balance is expected at the time of service. Our office will then submit your claim to your insurance company on your behalf for reimbursement.

All co-payments are estimates until payment is received from the insurance company, any portion not covered will be the patient’s responsibility. Please keep in mind that dental insurance is a contract between you and your insurance company.