Rootin' for Root Canals: A Teen's Journey to a Healthy Smile! | Dr. Vinne Chen
Welcome to the Dentistry for Kidz podcast! In today's episode, we have the privilege of interviewing Dr. Vinne Chen, a renowned root canal specialist and co-founder of Significance Dental Specialists in Las Vegas. Dr. Vinne, as she is affectionately called by her patients, is known for her expertise as an endodontist and is considered one of the best in Las Vegas.
During the interview, we explore the role of an endodontist compared to a regular dentist, the specific conditions that may require the expertise of an endodontist, and how teenagers can recognize potential root canal problems. Dr. Vinne explains when it's appropriate to visit an endodontist directly or go through a regular dentist, and she assures teenagers that they are indeed treated by endodontists. She provides valuable information about the safety and considerations associated with root canal treatment for teenagers, as well as an overview of the procedure and how any potential pain is managed.
Dr. Vinne discusses the typical duration of root canal treatment for teenagers and explains the recovery process, including when it is safe to resume regular activities. We also delve into the potential consequences and complications if a teenager needs root canal treatment but their parents decide against it. Additionally, we explore the reasons why root canal treatment may be preferred over extracting affected baby teeth. Dr. Vinne emphasizes the importance of preventive measures for teenagers to avoid the need for root canal treatment and provides guidance on habits, dietary choices, and maintaining good oral health. Lastly, she shares recent advancements and techniques in endodontics that have improved the success rates and outcomes of root canal treatments for teenagers, addressing common misconceptions and providing accurate information to dispel any confusion.
Join us as Dr. Vinne Chen provides valuable insights into the world of endodontics and root canal treatment for teenagers, helping us better understand the importance of oral health and the role of endodontists in ensuring a healthy smile.
About the Guest:
Vinne Chen, DDS, co-founders of the Significance Dental Specialists, was raised in San Jose, California. Dr. Chen attended University of California at Berkeley where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in the field of Biochemistry. Dr. Chen received numerous scholarships and prestigious awards as an undergraduate in Berkeley, and eventually decided to pursue a career in dentistry. She went on to receive her Doctorate of Dental Surgery degree from Ivy league institution - Columbia University in New York. Following her general dental training, Dr. Chen continued her training and advance education at a fellow Ivy league institution – University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Dr. Chen received her specialty certificate in Endodontics at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Chen is a member of numerous local dental societies and national dental association – American Dental Association and American Association of Endodontists.
About the Hosts:
Angelina Huang, Founder
Angelia is a nationally top ranked junior golfer at her junior high year. Angelina is also ranked number one academically among seven hundred students at Clark High School, Nevada. Angelina hopes to play college golf and pursue a career in the medical field or dentistry. Her passion is Neuroscience and Statistics. Angelina has been travelling around the country competing against the best junior golfers in the world since age of seven. She is also the Amazon published author, “I Want to Play College Golf”. Since Year 2021, Angelina and Cameron have donated over $17,000 their book proceeds back to the community for the underserved family and patients who are in need of cancer treatment. Aside from daily golf practices and school, she enjoys listening to music and watching chilling crime shows.
Cameron Huang, Founder
Cameron is also a nationally top ranked junior golfer at her sophomore year. Cameron is ranked top 5% academically among eight hundred students at Clark High School, Nevada. Cameron also hopes to play college golf and pursue a career as an orthodontist in the future. Cameron is the coauthor of “I Want to Play College Golf” with Angelina, and they have donated over $17,000 their book proceeds back to the community for the underserved family and patients who are in need of cancer treatment. When Cameron isn't on the green or studying, she's enjoying her free time watching K-drama and studying makeup and skincare with her friends.
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Transcript
Welcome to the Dentistry for Kidz podcast. We are Angelina and Cameron and we love candy. Do you all love candy? We've learned how to enjoy all the candy we want without getting cavities or getting in trouble with our dentist wants to learn our magic. Join us discover how to enjoy sweets and have nice bright, clean, shiny white teeth. Let's go
Angelina Huang:Hello, welcome back to the Dentistry for Kidz podcast. This is Angelina here and today we are honored to have Dr. Vinne Chen, the root canal specialists who are dentistry for kids podcast. Dr. Vinne Chen is the co founder of significant central specialists in Las Vegas. Patients who are Dr. Vinne is she's one of the best endodontists in Las Vegas. Dr. Vinne was raised in San Jose, California, and she received her bachelor's degree in science at UC Berkeley. She eventually decided to pursue a career in dentistry and received her dental degree at Columbia University and continued her specialist training at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. So Dr. Vinne, we're so excited to have you here. How are you feeling?
Dr. Vinee Chen:Hi, Angelina, how are you? I'm honored to be here today.
Angelina Huang:Thank you so much. We're so honored to have you too. So I guess let's get moving. So for the first question, what exactly does an endodontist do and how does their role differ from that of a regular dentist
Dr. Vinee Chen:endodontist basically is the dentist has specialized only doing new canals or something related to the new canal surgery. And though that's my insight inside the tooth in the center of the tooth has been so the West specialized only to newcomers Oh more difficult cases. Any general dentists can do canals by the way do some more focus on more difficult
Angelina Huang:Oh, that's really interesting. So I guess why would someone need to see an endodontist
Dr. Vinee Chen:well, for example, is the difficult anatomy how to do and or sometimes they already had it before, but they fail in first place, we have the spatial tools and we use the microscope can make devices much bigger. So we can you can only do whatever you can see. So when can you can see you can do much more fine job. Ah
Angelina Huang:Are there any specific dental conditions I would require to see you
Dr. Vinee Chen:well for example, the most general one would people need a root canal will be the cavity exposure you have huge a cavity or you have the abscess abscess, you found the tooth infection could it be from trauma, you can hit on the face, you can also come in from the like all the filling, but they start to get leaking through the time bacteria getting there. So and also sometimes they come in from the fracture tooth crack to be done something who's got a fractured so this this Oh, the pathway to introduce a bacteria down there.
Angelina Huang:Oh, that's really interesting. Thank you. So I'm just very curious for all the kids here. Do you treat kids and teenagers like me? And if you do, how can a teenager or kid recognize that they have a potential root canal problem they need to see you
Dr. Vinee Chen:well usually that to start to become symptomatic. That's mean you start to hurt most likely you will need to canal that's why for the younger kids or teenagers, most important thing will be the oral hygiene. Because the number one reason kinking age or in the kids new canal will be the cavities, cavities or rely on because of the pool or hygiene you didn't floss nerve. That's how you get a big cavity. Every time you start to feel it most likely 90% You knew Oh, some kids will be the trauma you will act in the active stage of play last sports. You fell you can hit on the face those nah, not another reason you will need to.
Angelina Huang:So for oral hygiene, I know you mentioned that. Are there any specific tips you would recommend these kids to brush their teeth and yet maintain oral hygiene?
Dr. Vinee Chen:Definitely. I mean it just like a shower every day. Same thing is the brushing you brushing every single day with the right technique. Of course flossing is just to get in between the teeth to make sure you clean the food stuck between and yeah, that's basically that's all the thing you need to do.
Angelina Huang:That's very interesting. I thought there'd be more but I guess that sounds so simple. or that kids just do that.
Dr. Vinee Chen:It's just simple, but it's very difficult to it proper. And sometimes you're tired. You're sleeping. And you don't want to brush. Yeah. And also, would you like to drink the sweet stuff, but you don't raise the after? And the Oh, the sugar content on the tooth? That's how people get a cavity. Oh, I
Angelina Huang:see. So I guess regarding a root canal treatment, is it safe for kids undergo these treatments? Yeah,
Dr. Vinee Chen:you can. It's just like any dental procedure. Just like deeper fillings, you just got to numb with do the work. And you just take a little bit longer? Isn't it isn't that you don't have to be put to sleep. local anesthetic. So is the risk of we'll be sending us other simple filling. restorative dental procedure.
Angelina Huang:Oh, thank you for that. So I'm kind of curious. So could you give us like a general breakdown of how the root canal process normally is
Dr. Vinee Chen:looking there, basically, you clean inside the tooth, which the tooth in the center of the tours will be the nerve system with content on the Pope, a blood vessels and is like hollow space in the center of the two. And we look in there basically just go in those space, clean the terminal, clean all the space, and after we'll clean is empty. We seal it with the filling to prevent the future infection, because nothing well see your 100% Even we put the filling on the top and the Crown atop those space will get contaminate later. So we still need to put the filling in the center of the tooth to make sure every single seal properly. Oh,
Angelina Huang:thank you so much for that. So I guess in terms of like, length of time, how long do these procedures generally lasts?
Dr. Vinee Chen:Usually is roughly around 30 minutes to an hour. That's the usual case. Case. Some cases are more difficult. No depends on how many loops, how many canals in some tooth. So it's varies. And also the most important part is how long the patient can get enough and comfortable. For me, the most important part is most of the time I spent is to make sure patient is numb enough, then we can go ahead to do a look in a procedure, otherwise we are touching a nerve is going to be very, very painful if the patient's not enough.
Angelina Huang:Oh, that's really interesting. Thank you. So I guess after the procedure, in terms of recovery, could you tell us a little bit about that process and how long it normally takes?
Dr. Vinee Chen:Yeah, recovery? Well, first off as a nominee, you'll be super enough. So most likely, you'll be numb for at least four to five hours, everyone's different. So you have to be careful not to chew anything, otherwise you're going to be on your term lead without knowing it. And usually, it will be a temporary filly on the top of the tooth app to Luca now. So we usually would come in shoe on the other side for a couple of days. And today we're also going to be tender in the store. So do not to chew on the tooth until they could get the crown to prevent it to get a week and crack before the before the crown protection. Ah, because the most of the tooth require who canal lose a lot to stretch structure due to the cavities. So they 90% of the case they will require chrome placement. So few patients they didn't pay enough attention and to put too much pressure on the tooth and nail because the fractured before they have the chrome protection. Yeah, that's why usually you have to kind of bait it. Ah, otherwise it will be so in the tender just like Bruce kind of filling. A week or so. Yeah. Oh, really? Yeah.
Angelina Huang:Okay. So I guess like in terms of spotting it, do you go to your general dentists first or to endodontists? First, if you suspect you go to the
Dr. Vinee Chen:German dentist first. Because you need to there's a different reason. You have the tooth ache. Could it be fun that gum infection could be from something else. So you want to have the proper initial diagnosis to make sure you are going to the right office. Okay, thank you.
Angelina Huang:So I guess is there any potential risks that parents should know about these treatments or
Dr. Vinee Chen:I will say prevention, prevention is the key. The only thing you can control is oral hygiene. So make sure kids know how important the oral hygiene was. That's it shouldn't be a looting, should it be part of a muscle memory you brush before the sleep? You floss to make sure that you don't even get to that point, you will need a look. I think that's the best way. Prevention estaba later on, it seems to happen, you will never go back. Yeah.
Angelina Huang:fresh every day, what are
Dr. Vinee Chen:you supposed to do that day, you will also have the gun problem, a lot of issues. And also social problem because you don't brush properly, you're gonna have the stinks the breath. And this essentially is going to factor to making a friends too. So
Angelina Huang:I see here that kids, please brush your teeth. So you don't lose any friends. So I guess like, what are some of the common misconceptions you frequently get about your treatments?
Dr. Vinee Chen:Well, most a patient come in the office with the fear phobia for the local now. Because the common consensus first in need. The first impression, then have for Leukemia is pet, it's hurting a lot. But again, you can just like any dental procedure, if you are numb enough, doesn't matter what kind of dental procedure we're doing for you, you should not hurt at all. Just again, it's very routine procedures, nothing to worry about. If you add unfortunately you need is one we will make sure you now properly. Also the anesthesia will take care of the most important part. So Oh, the horror story from Lucanus? Because they are not properly now.
Angelina Huang:Do you let your patients or do you give them the option of choosing whether or not they want anesthesia? Or do you just give it to them?
Dr. Vinee Chen:Interesting question. No one wants to be in pain. I don't give them the choice. Because I don't want the patient it's very difficult to work on the patient when they are in pains hurt. So we have to constantly stop. Since you actually have few patients they request not to be not I think only one or two case I did it without the local anesthetic because tooth already go under necrosis. So basically nervous debt, they won't feel too much when I touch it. So those kinds of patients actually I can give you some, like exception with our local anesthetic. But a live tooth is very painful to even touch it. So I don't even give them the options you have to be now. Ah,
Angelina Huang:very, very interesting.
Dr. Vinee Chen:I don't want to lose my reputation. Occasionally she's Oh, she hurt me so much. It's not gonna be option.
Angelina Huang:Yeah, especially since it won't be your fall. Yes. Yeah. Take it. Well, thank you, Dr. veiny. So, I guess, specifically to any teenager kids, what are kind of the final advices you have in regards to their oral health and to improve the importance of early intervention or preventative measures.
Dr. Vinee Chen:Again, brush you have to care in order to make the become part of a routine. brushing, flossing is part of a routine your life because they are very, it's a little thing to life, but they actually have a huge impact for the long run. It's very important to maintain your oral health. And again, once you become happier routines, you don't have to deal with like B major stuff, major dental work, so we don't even have to think about oh, I have to have to do the big filling what I have to do look now like to end up become much bigger job.
Angelina Huang:I see. Thank you so much for your insight. Well, that wraps it up today on the dentistry for kids podcast. Make sure to come and subscribe and we will be back for more episodes in the future. Thank you.
