Alex Troxel came to Steamboat Springs in 2019 with the dream of opening an endodontic practice that combines his personal small-town approach with the technology and services typically found in larger communities.
That dream became a reality in April 2022 when Troxel opened Yampa Valley Endodontics at 1120 S. Lincoln Ave.
“I did my training in Indianapolis and then I worked for about three years in Fort Collins in an endodontic practice there, but I wanted to live in a more rural place,” Troxel said. “It’s small. I run two operators. I have an exam room and a treatment room, and that’s kind of the beauty of it — where Steamboat is a small area, I run a small practice and it’s very patient-centered.”
Troxel grew up in Northeast Indiana, where he completed his undergraduate studies at DePauw University and graduated with honors.
He continued his dental training at the Indiana University School of Dentistry, was awarded a Doctor of Dental Surgery, and completed a residency in General Dentistry at the Veterans Affairs Hospital, which focused on comprehensive care, surgery and anesthesia.
He completed his training at Indiana University Graduate Endodontics, where he earned his Master of Science in Dentistry, as well as his certificate in Endodontics.
Most days, Troxel has one person in the exam operating room and one person in the treatment operating room. The entire office is 1,500 square feet, but it’s packed with the latest equipment Troxel needs to perform a root canal — including advanced technology like 3D scanners and the GentleWave root canal procedure that uses sound waves and fluids to effectively reach deep in the canals of a tooth.
“The GentleWave allows me to cycle through a channel system 100 times the amount of antibacterial fluids that I couldn’t do otherwise,” said Troxel.
He added that the machine allows him to get into the smallest crevices of the tooth to clean out bacteria, infected debris and inflamed pulp that other systems can’t reach.
Root canal treatment is a dental procedure to remove inflamed or infected pulp inside the tooth, which is then carefully cleaned and disinfected before the tooth is filled and sealed. The patient will then return to the dentist, who will place a crown or other restoration on the tooth to protect it and restore it to full function.
Once this is done, the tooth will continue to function like any other tooth. The treatment is designed to eliminate bacteria from the infected root canal, prevent re-infection of the tooth and save the natural tooth.
Troxel is a root canal only specialist and almost all of his patients have been referred to him by general dentists. Troxel is the only endodontist in town, but he said there are many general dentists in town who do root canals, and it depends on the general dentist, his or her comfort level and experience with the procedure as to whether he or she thinks a patient will be served. better to see a specialist.
“The preference is for a patient to see their general dentist first,” Troxel said. “(The dentist) is kind of the strategist and will determine whether or not the patient’s case would be better served by seeing a specialist for that kind of care.”
Troxel has been doing root canals in Steamboat Springs since moving to the area in 2019, but just opened his own office in 2022. He has worked to build strong relationships with general dentists in the area and prefers his patients to receive referrals to see him. see from these dentists.
“I would say the level of expertise is the biggest difference. The only thing I do on a day-to-day basis is root canals and root canal revisions,” Troxel said. “Yampa Valley Endodontics offers the most advanced and patient-oriented root canal services you won’t find anywhere in the state.”
John F. Russell is the business reporter at the Steamboat Pilot & Today. To reach him, call 970-871-4209, email jrussell@SteamboatPilot.com or follow him on Twitter @Framp1966.
