Endodontic Retreatment
With proper care, the teeth that have had the root canal treatment last for a lifetime. In a small percentage of cases the initial canal treatment can fail due to various reasons and causing pain and disease to return months or even years after initial canal treatment. If this happens to your treated tooth you have a second chance to save the tooth with a procedure called retreatment. In many of these cases retreatment will help diminish pain and discomfort and promote healing.
The following are some of the causes for the failure of the initial canal treatment.
- The placement of a crown or permanent restoration was delayed after initial treatment
- If all the all canals were not treated during initial canal treatment
- Atypical anatomy that wasn’t completely addressed during initial treatment
- New decay and cracks causing the contamination of the initial canal filling.
If retreatment is necessary Dr. Kell, will administer local anesthesia to get your tooth profoundly numb. While working under a microscope (which provided superior magnification and lighting) she will make a hole in the biting surface of the tooth to gain access to the old canal filling material. Once the previous canal filling is removed the inside of the tooth will be explored for cracks and canals that weren’t treated during the initial treatment. If there are no significant cracks Dr. Kell will reclean the inside of the root and shape the canals. We use state of the art technology in our office that not only disinfects the canals thoroughly but also minimizes the postoperative discomfort. Once cleaned and shaped the canals will be medicated and you wil return to the office at least a week later. At that time your canals will be cleaned thoroughly again and the sealed. A temporary filling will be placed over the access opening to protect the tooth from contamination and your dentist will restore the tooth for you.
Saving the teeth by root canal treatment has advantages of
maintaining the chewing efficiency, natural appearance and health of adjacent
teeth.
Local anesthesia will be administered so you will not feel any pain during the procedure. You may have mild discomfort for a few days after the procedure. The state of the art procedure that we use in our office not only disinfects the root canals thoroughly, it is known to minimize the postoperative discomfort.
The following are some indications for retreatment.
- Sensitivity to hot and cold in a previously root canal treated tooth
- Pain while biting or chewing
- Swollen or tender gums
- Pimple-like bump on the gum near the tooth