Endodontic Retreatment

With the appropriate care, your teeth that have had endodontic treatment will last as long as other natural teeth. Yet, a tooth that has received treatment may fail to heal or pain may continue to exist. Sometimes, the pain may occur months or years after treatment. If so, Endodontic Retreatment may be needed.

Improper healing may be caused by:

• Curved or narrow canals were not treated during the initial treatment.
• Complicated canals went undetected during the initial treatment.
• The crown or restoration was not placed within the appropriate amount of time following the procedure.
• The crown or restoration 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 a root canal filling material, causing infection.
• A cracked or loose filling or crown can expose the tooth to new infection.

If retreatment is recommended, the doctor will reopen your tooth to gain access to the root canal filling material. This material will be removed to enable access to the root canal system. The doctor will now carefully examine the inside of the problematic tooth under the microscope and reclean the contaminated canal spaces. Once cleaned, the doctor will fill and seal the canals and place a filling in the biting surface of the tooth. If the tooth has already had a crown, the doctor may place a permanent restoration to seal your tooth. If no permanent crown is present or there is a problem discovered with your crown, you will need to return to your dentist to have a new crown placed to restore full functionality.