Birmingham VA gets to the root of pain-free, one-stop dental procedures

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By James Branch, Public Affairs Specialist, VA Southeast Network

The Birmingham VA Health Care System dental clinic recently became the first in VA to implement GentleWave root canal treatment, a system promoting a pain-free and fast healing experience to

Alabama Veterans.

Root canals are dental procedures performed to repair and save a tooth when it is badly decayed, damaged, or infected. Signs of a needed root canal can include toothaches. tooth sensitivity,

tooth discoloration, or swollen gums.

“The GentleWave is a high-pressure irrigation system used in endodontics, for root canal therapy,” Dr. David Clanton, BVAHCS Chief of Endodontics said.” “It pressures up to 9,200 psi, and is

wired to a suction unit, creating a negative pressure at the same time. It eliminates all of the organic product inside of an infected root canal space.”

For Birmingham VA dental patients, traditional root canals can require up to three separate dental appointments. A GentleWave procedure can typically be completed in one session.

“The implementation of the GentleWave is win-win in my opinion,” Clanton said. “By reducing the time typically required to perform the root canal procedure, it allows us to not only treat

more Veterans, but allows us to give them back important personal time.”

According to Sonendo, the GentleWave manufacturer, 92% of its patients report a pain-free experience when they receive root canals.

“Our Veterans deserve nothing less than the best health care we can offer,”  Dr. Jerry Hamlin, BVAHCS Chief of Dental Services said. “We’ve taken steps to incorporate technology that will

not only improve the quality of patient care, but also the level of comfort during their visit.”

Birmingham VA dentists perform 15-20 root canal procedures per week.