Root Canal Retreatment

Dentists always prefer to preserve your natural teeth and will
explore all possible treatments before deciding to extract your teeth. A
root canal treatment is one way of preserving natural teeth that have
been damaged by decay or severe injury. Sometimes you experience pain in
the tooth that received the root canal treatment. You still have a
chance of saving the tooth through a root canal retreatment.

Root canal treatment and root canal retreatment are similar
procedures done by an endodontist. The latter is done after the failure
of the former.

Root canal treatments rarely fail, but like any other dental
procedure, chances of failure cannot be completely eliminated.

A root canal treatment may fail because of the following:

• Narrow or curved canals which were difficult to treat.

• Complicated canal anatomy that was either disregarded or
  undetected during the initial treatment.

• Delayed placement of a crown that resulted in reinfection of the
  root canal system.

• New decay/broken filling/fracture/crack which exposes the root
  canal filling to bacteria.

How do I know that I need a root canal
retreatment?

You may require a root canal retreatment:

• If you are experiencing pain in a tooth that previously received
  a root canal treatment.

• If you have an abscess around a tooth that previously received a
  root canal treatment.

Is root canal retreatment good for me?

Retreatment is sometimes the only way of saving your tooth from
extraction. If your initial root canal treatment was done some years ago
you have a good chance of saving the tooth now that dental technology
has advanced. Your endodontist will discuss other treatment options
according to your individual circumstances.

What to expect with root canal retreatment

• The first step in the root canal retreatment procedure involves
  reopening the tooth to gain access to the root canal system.

• Your endodontist uses an operating microscope to examine the
  inside of your tooth after removing your existing filling to find
  complicated canal anatomy or other narrow canals.

• Your endodontist then cleanses the inside of your tooth and
  places a temporary filling that will be removed after restoration has
  occurred.

• You will need to follow up with your dentist to receive a
  restorative crown if the existing crown has been damaged.

If you have done a root canal procedure before and suspect
reinfection, talk to our endodontist today. You still have a second
chance to preserve your natural teeth.