Procedures | Watsonville Endodontics

Root Canal Therapy

When decay or injury allows bacteria to reach the soft tissue (pulp) inside a tooth, infection and pain can follow. Root canal therapy removes the infected tissue, cleans and disinfects the canal system, and seals the tooth so it can function normally again.

Diagram of root canals filled with gutta-percha and adhesive cement, sealed beneath a temporary filling

Who this is for: Patients with a toothache, sensitivity to hot or cold that lingers, or a dentist referral for a tooth with deep decay or infection near the root.

Retreatment

Occasionally a tooth that has already had a root canal doesn't heal properly, or new decay or infection develops around it. Retreatment carefully reopens the tooth, removes the prior filling material, and recleans and reseals the canal system to give the tooth another chance to heal.

Diagram showing an untreated calcified canal where infection has not healed after a prior root canal

Who this is for: Patients with a previously treated tooth that has become painful, infected, or shows new issues on X-ray.

Apicoectomy

When infection persists at the very tip of a tooth's root even after root canal treatment, a microsurgical procedure called an apicoectomy may be needed. Dr. Cross uses a surgical microscope to remove the infected root tip and surrounding tissue, then seals the root to prevent reinfection.

Diagram of gum tissue retracted to remove infected tissue at the root tip — 1. Remove infected tissue

Diagram of a root-end filling placed and the gum sutured — 2. Seal the root tip

Diagram of bone healed around the root tip after surgery — 3. Bone heals

Who this is for: Patients with continued pain or infection after a root canal or retreatment, often identified through CBCT imaging.

Reimplantation & Orthodontic Extrusion

When a tooth is knocked out or displaced in an accident, quick reimplantation gives it the best chance of survival — the tooth is carefully repositioned in its socket and splinted to neighboring teeth while the supporting ligament heals. When a fracture or decay extends below the gumline instead, orthodontic extrusion can gently draw the remaining healthy tooth structure upward over several weeks, exposing enough sound tooth to support a lasting restoration without an extraction.

Tooth reimplantation

Orthodontic extrusion

Who this is for: Patients with a tooth knocked out or loosened in an accident, or a fracture or decay extending below the gumline that would otherwise require extraction.

Internal Bleaching

A tooth that has had root canal treatment can sometimes darken over time as blood byproducts and old filling materials discolor it from the inside — a change that regular whitening on the outside of the tooth can't fix. Internal bleaching places a whitening agent inside the tooth's pulp chamber, gradually lightening it back toward a natural, matching shade.

Who this is for: Patients with a single darkened or discolored tooth following root canal treatment, especially one that shows when they smile.

Root Amputation & Hemisection

Molars have more than one root, and occasionally just one of them fails from a fracture, bone loss, or infection that won't resolve while the others stay perfectly healthy. Rather than remove the whole tooth, root amputation removes only the failing root, and hemisection divides a tooth so the compromised portion can be taken out, leaving the sound part of the tooth in function.

Who this is for: Patients with a multi-rooted molar where one root is failing but the rest of the tooth and its support are still healthy.

Vital Pulp Therapy

When decay or a small fracture comes close to the nerve but the pulp is still healthy, a full root canal isn't always necessary. Vital pulp therapy — whether pulp capping or a partial pulpotomy — protects and preserves the healthy pulp with a biocompatible material, allowing the tooth to keep its natural nerve and continue developing normally.

Who this is for: Patients, especially younger patients, with deep decay or a minor exposure near the pulp but no signs of infection or irreversible damage.

Cracked Tooth Treatment

Cracks can range from tiny surface lines to fractures that reach the pulp, and often cause sharp pain when chewing or releasing a bite. Using CBCT imaging, magnification, and transillumination, Dr. Cross identifies the extent of the crack and determines whether the tooth can be saved with root canal therapy or requires other treatment.

Who this is for: Patients with sharp pain on chewing, sensitivity that comes and goes, or a known crack from grinding, trauma, or a large existing filling.

Emergency & Traumatic Injury Care

A knocked-out, chipped, or badly injured tooth needs fast attention to have the best chance of being saved. For sudden pain, swelling, or dental trauma that isn't a true emergency, we offer same-week, and often same-day, appointments during regular office hours so you're seen quickly by a specialist rather than waiting.

Knocked-out tooth or a true emergency? Call us right away — including after hours.

Our office line, (831) 536-5295, forwards directly to Dr. Cross after hours for urgent situations. If a permanent tooth has been knocked out, time matters: handle it by the crown (not the root), rinse it gently if dirty, and try to keep it moist — in milk, saline, or held in the cheek — until you're seen. If you can't reach us and the injury involves heavy bleeding, a possible broken jaw, or other serious trauma, go to an emergency room.

Call (831) 536-5295

Who this is for: Patients with sudden, severe tooth pain, facial swelling, or a recent injury to a tooth from an accident or sports impact.

Specialized endodontic procedures