Our practice is dedicated exclusively to endodontic care. We utilize state-of-the-art technology, including operating microscopes and 3D imaging, to provide precise and comfortable treatment.
When the soft inner tissue of a tooth (the pulp) becomes inflamed or infected, a root canal is necessary to save the tooth and alleviate pain.
What the procedure involves:
Occasionally, a tooth that has received treatment may fail to heal or pain may continue. Retreatment gives the tooth a second chance.
What the procedure involves:
Sometimes, standard root canal treatment is not enough to heal the tooth. An apicoectomy is a microsurgical procedure to remove the infected root tip.
What the procedure involves:
Cracked teeth can present a variety of symptoms, including erratic pain when chewing or temperature sensitivity.
What the procedure involves:
Traumatic dental injuries often occur as a result of an accident or sports injury. We are experts in treating and saving traumatized teeth.
What the procedure involves:
Most patients arrive with a symptom rather than a diagnosis. The condition guides below explain what the diagnosis means, how Dr. Kung confirms it, and which of the treatments above is typically used.
A cracked tooth is a fracture that begins on the chewing surface of a tooth and runs vertically toward the root. Most cracks are too narrow to see on a regular X-ray, but they let bacteria reach the dental pulp and irritate the surrounding ligament — producing a very recognizable pattern of symptoms.
Pulp necrosis means the soft tissue inside a tooth — the pulp, made up of nerves, blood vessels, and immune cells — has lost its blood supply and died. A necrotic tooth no longer feels temperature, but the bacteria left behind can leak out the root tip and infect the surrounding bone.
Irreversible pulpitis is the stage of pulp inflammation past which the tissue can no longer recover, even if the irritant (a deep cavity, a leaking crown, a fractured filling) is removed. It almost always progresses to pulp necrosis if untreated, and it produces a pain pattern that is so distinctive it is one of the most reliable diagnoses in dentistry.
A dental abscess is a localized collection of pus that forms at the tip of a tooth's root when bacteria from a necrotic pulp escape into the surrounding bone. The body's immune system mounts a powerful response, and the pressure produces some of the most severe pain in clinical medicine.
Root resorption is the dissolving away of root structure by specialized cells called odontoclasts. Internal resorption begins inside the root canal; external resorption begins on the outer surface of the root. Both are usually painless in the early stages and most often discovered incidentally on routine X-rays.
External root resorption is the breakdown of root structure that begins on the outer surface of the root and works inward. It is driven by specialized cells called odontoclasts that have been stimulated to attack the cementum and dentin from the outside. Most early-stage external resorption is painless and discovered incidentally on a routine X-ray — by the time symptoms appear, a significant amount of root has often already been lost.
Internal root resorption is the loss of dentin from inside the root canal, caused by odontoclast cells activated within an inflamed but still partly vital pulp. Unlike external resorption (which works inward from the outside), internal resorption widens the canal from inside out — producing a characteristic ballooned or oval-shaped enlargement of the canal on imaging. It is much less common than external resorption but is more often saved when caught before perforation.
A horizontal (transverse) root fracture is a clean break that runs across the root of a tooth rather than down its length. It is almost always caused by a sudden blow — a fall, a sports impact, or a vehicle accident — and most often affects the upper front teeth in patients under 30. Unlike a vertical root fracture (which usually means the tooth must be extracted), a horizontal fracture can frequently be saved if it is diagnosed and stabilized within the first few days.
Endodontists complete two to three additional years of training after dental school, focused exclusively on diagnosing tooth pain and saving teeth. Published outcomes data show that molar root canals performed by specialists have higher success rates than the same procedure performed in general practice — a difference driven by magnification, 3D imaging, and case volume.
Accredited endodontic residency beyond dental school, with thousands of supervised cases.
Every procedure performed under high-magnification Zeiss OPMI optics for canals invisible to the naked eye.
Cone-beam CT for complex anatomy, missed canals, cracks, and surgical planning.
Patient-friendly guides to cracked teeth, irreversible pulpitis, pulp necrosis, dental abscess, and root resorption.
Out-of-network PPO coverage, carrier-specific guides, CareCredit, HSA/FSA, and transparent pricing.
Dr. Jason Kung provides specialist endodontic care to patients across Silicon Valley from our Sunnyvale office. Evening and weekend hours, same-day emergencies, free on-site parking.