Endodontic Retreatment

With the appropriate care, your teeth that have had endodontic treatment can last as long as other natural teeth. Occasionally a tooth that has received endodontic treatment may fail to heal or pain may persist. Sometimes the pain may occur months or years after initial treatment. If such a circumstance arises, Dr. Angell may need to perform Endodontic Retreatment.

Improper healing may be caused by:

• Curved or narrow canals that were not treated during the initial treatment.
• Complicated canals that went undetected during the initial treatment.
• A crown or restoration that was not placed within the appropriate amount of time following the endodontic procedure.
• A crown or restoration that did not prevent saliva from contaminating the inside of the tooth.
   

   

   

In some cases, new problems can influence a tooth that was successfully treated:

• New decay can expose the root canal filling material to bacteria in your saliva leading to infection.
• A cracked or loose filling/crown can expose the tooth to bacteria and possible infection.

Once retreatment has been selected as a solution to your problem, Dr. Angell will reopen your tooth to gain access to the root canal filling material. This restorative material will be removed to enable access to the root canal system. Dr. Angell will re-clean your canals and carefully examine the inside of the problematic tooth with a microscope. Once re-cleaned, Dr. Angell will fill and seal the canal(s) then place an appropriate restoration in the chewing surface of the tooth.

You will need to return to your dentist within a timely manner to have a new restoration or crown placed on the tooth to restore full functionality.