Why You Need an Evaluation Before Treatment

Hearing you need an endodontic evaluation before receiving treatment can be disappointing. You might wonder why such an appointment is necessary, especially if you’ve been referred to Renovo endodontic specialists by your primary dentist. Here are some reasons why this appointment is necessary.

1. We’ll Determine if the Infection Is from Your Gums or a Tooth

It’s not always easy to distinguish between a tooth and a gum infection. Many of the symptoms are similar, including:

• Swollen gums
• An abscess
• Pus
• A toothache
• More than one tooth hurting
• Discomfort when chewing

A dentist can often determine whether you have a gum or tooth infection. In some situations, though, it may be challenging to narrow down the cause of the infection, or a patient might have multiple infections. Other factors include atypical facial pain or phantom tooth pain.

When you visit us for an endodontic evaluation, we can provide you with an accurate diagnosis due to our state-of-the-art diagnostic testing equipment.

2. We’ll Confirm the Tooth That Needs Treatment

Have you ever heard of referred pain? This is a condition in which you think one tooth is bothering you, but the culprit is actually a different tooth.

Referred pain is a phenomenon that can happen anywhere in the body. For example, a recent report found that a woman with chest pain was diagnosed with a heart condition when her esophagus was, in fact, perforated.

Similarly, referred pain is quite common in dentistry. If we simply perform a procedure based on where you’re feeling pain, we could end up doing more damage than good.

Getting an accurate diagnosis during a pre-treatment evaluation from our Renovo dental team will help us:

• Know exactly which tooth is problematic
• Determine whether the nerve is inflamed or infected
• Determine any other conditions that could be contributing to your pain
• Decide which treatment will suit your needs best

3. We’ll Decide Which Course of Action Is Best for Your Oral Health

We can only perform treatment by knowing precisely what your teeth need.

Just because you have a toothache doesn’t automatically mean you need root canal therapy. Another dental procedure might prove adequate. Or you might need another type of endodontic procedure.

Our pre-treatment evaluations will help us make these important calls.

4. You’ll Get to Know Our Team

It can feel awkward, uncomfortable, and invasive to meet someone for the first time and then allow them to jump into treatment. Knowing your endodontic team before treatment will help you feel calmer and more comfortable during treatment.

Our goal is to help reduce your anxiety, get you out of pain, and restore your oral health. Meeting and getting to know our team will alleviate some pressure because you’ll realize that everyone at Renovo Endo is compassionate, kind, and caring.

5. We Can Provide a More Accurate Cost Estimate

If we started treatment before evaluating you, we wouldn’t be able to provide an accurate estimate of costs. Until we get an accurate diagnosis, we can’t provide you with a cost estimate based on your treatment plan.

However, after an endodontic evaluation with our Renovo Endo team, we’ll create your custom treatment plan. Then, our front office team will determine an accurate cost estimate, including an estimate of what your insurance will cover.

After your initial evaluation, we’ll be able to discuss payment plans, outside financing options, and any other financial questions you have about your treatment plan.

What Happens During an Endodontic Evaluation with a Renovo Dental Specialist?

During your evaluation, a specialist at Renovo Endodontic Studio will:

• Identify which tooth/teeth are causing your discomfort
• Assess the extent of the damage to your tooth
• Identify your treatment options

To accomplish this, we start by reviewing your medical and dental history. Such information helps our endodontic providers understand the following:

• Your overall health
• Your level of oral health
• The damage to the tooth
• The context of the trauma sustained

Our providers need to understand your medical health because medical and oral health are closely related. There’s a link between dental infections and certain diseases and conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

Your Oral Evaluation

The next step is to examine your teeth. Our endodontic specialist will evaluate your teeth and narrow the search to find the exact tooth causing trouble. To do this, they’ll perform various diagnostic tests, such as:

• Percussion tests
• Bite pressure tests
• Temperature tests

Our team will also take images, including x-rays and possibly 3D imaging technology. They’ll also ask you some questions, like:

• What are your specific symptoms?
• Where do you feel the discomfort?
• How long have you been in pain?
• Can you remember what caused the pain (some sort of trauma)?
• Do you want to attempt to save the tooth or extract it?
• If you want an extraction, are you interested in investing in a dental implant?
• Would you like to discuss sedation options for your treatment appointment?

Once they have that information, plus the results from the diagnostic testing, they’ll be able to present your treatment plan.

Renovo Endodontic Studio: Providing You with the Highest-Quality Care

Renovo Endodontic Studio consists of a diverse group of endodontic specialists who are dedicated to providing high-quality care to our patients.

We take the time to review each patient’s case thoroughly. We will never rush through an examination or procedure just to save a few minutes.

Our team takes its job very seriously, which is why we will never perform treatment without first confirming the diagnosis with an evaluation. You can trust that we will always put your health and well-being first in our practice.

Are you suffering from a toothache? Contact our team to schedule an appointment with one of our endodontic specialists.