Posts by Dr. Peter Shelley

At Elm Endodontics in Broomfield we use the following terminology in describing pulpal and periapical conditions.  This is information mainly for general dentists to understand the terms we use. American Board of Endodontics Pulpal & Periapical Diagnostic Terminology: PULPAL: Normal pulp – A clinical diagnostic category in which the pulp is symptom free and normally responsive…

The following post addresses the importance of good initial root canal therapy. If endodontic treatment fails, there is statistically a lower success rate with retreatment.  If retreatment is necessary, however, seeking out an endodontist to perform the retreatment of a prior root canal can bring long term success. Continue reading below an original post from theendoblog.com. The…

Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) 3-D imaging is allowing us to more thoroughly evaluate, diagnose, and treatment plan root canal treatment at Elm Endodontics in Broomfield, CO.  This post documents some of the unique cases seen during the week of June 28th – July 6th 2012, so that our readers can see that CBCT imaging adds value by allowing…

Not long ago my wife started teaching our oldest son how to tie his shoelaces.  One day while he was struggling to get it right, I came over to help.  I taught him to hold the loop with his right hand and to wrap the lace around with his left.  He was adamant that Mom had…

CBCT findings are sometimes surprising.  Below are three cases where radiographic findings related to impacted wisdom teeth changed the treatment plan.  Keep in mind that the radiation exposure from the Kodak 9000 3D for each of these cases is reported by Kodak to be similar to four standard periapical radiographs. Case #1: You Better Keep that Tooth…

Why do I need a specialist to do my root canal? Root canal anatomy can be highly complex as seen in the following high resolution CT images. While attending the inaugural meeting of the International Academy of Endodontics in Dallas in January 2012, I heard from Marco Versiani (DDS, MS, PhD) of Brazil on the…

I often hear patients say, “My neighbor says to not get a root canal, because he’s had three of them and each of those teeth have been pulled.  Do root canals work?”  Although root canal failure is a reality, it happens more often than it should.  When a root canal failure is present, root canal…

The day after I wrote my article entitled “Does Root Canal Treatment Really Work?” with an emphasis on root canal re-treatment, the very first case I completed was the following. This was a young female with a root canal done several years earlier by her general dentist.  She presented with swelling and deep pocketing around…

When patients are referred to us for endodontic treatment, their dentists are counting on a favorable outcome. At Elm Endodontics, our goal is not only to deliver a favorable outcome, but a favorable experience.  Root canal treatment gets a bad rap, when in reality it can be a relatively good experience when done in the right environment. …