Endodontics is a branch of dentistry that specializes in the prevention and treatment of diseases of the root pulp and related structures–dental pulp, root canal, blood vessels, and nerves. Dental pulp supplies blood to a tooth and allows you to feel sensations such as temperature.
Endodontists are dentists who focus on disorders of the dental pulp and specialize in treatments such as root canals to save teeth. While a general dentist may perform simple root canals on single root teeth, an endodontist specializes in root canals on teeth with more than one canal, such as molars, or teeth with narrow or blocked canals or unusual anatomy. Because they limit their practices to endodontics, they treat these types of problems every day. An endodontist may use advanced technology including operating microscopes, ultrasonics, and digital imagining.
Endodontics is a recognized American Dental Association specialty of dentistry and requires at least two additional years of advanced specialty education in diagnosis and root canal treatment. A root canal is a dental procedure to remove dead or dying nerve tissue (root pulp) and bacteria from inside a tooth. Once an affected tooth's canals are sufficiently cleansed and shaped, they are filled with materials designed to prevent pain and infection from recurring. Once the tooth is filled, a permanent crown may be placed on top.
Doctor density varies by specialty and location. The United States has 4,325 practicing endodontists. Broken out by state, endodontics doctor density in Alabama is 58, in Alaska is 10, in Arizona is 108, in Arkansas is 21, in California is 661, in Colorado is 89, in Connecticut is 69, in Delaware is 11, in District of Columbia is 21, in Florida is 308, in Georgia is 89, in Hawaii is 16, in Idaho is 22, in Illinois is 163, in Indiana is 74, in Iowa is 35, in Kansas is 28, in Kentucky is 37, in Louisiana is 46, in Maine is 13, in Maryland is 117, in Massachusetts is 194, in Michigan is 137, in Minnesota is 70, in Mississippi is 17, in Missouri is 56, in Montana is 9, in Nebraska is 24, in Nevada is 41, in New Hampshire is 31, in New Jersey is 182, in New Mexico is 22, in New York is 343, in North Carolina is 114, in North Dakota is 6, in Ohio is 139, in Oklahoma is 39, in Oregon is 76, in Pennsylvania is 176, in Rhode Island is 14, in South Carolina is 54, in South Dakota is 8, in Tennessee is 63, in Texas is 223, in Utah is 44, in Vermont is 7, in Virginia is 112, in Washington is 140, in West Virginia is 19, in Wisconsin is 60, and in Wyoming is 3.
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