RETREAT ROOT CANAL
What Happens During Re-Treatment?
Understandably, a patient will be anxious about having to have re-treatment for a painful tooth after they thought it was all over, but there is nothing to worry about. Your endodontic specialist will be on hand to guide you through the procedure, and if you have any questions, make sure you ask them – it’s best to know what you want to know, especially if it calms your fears.
If you do need to undergo a second procedure, you will discuss your treatment options with the endodontist. If a root canal is the best option and the patient and dental specialist both agree, then the tooth will be opened again. This will be more complex than the first time since the new crown and filling will need to be taken apart and removed as well as the tooth needing to be opened.
Once everything has been removed, the canals can be cleaned and examined under illumination and magnification to ensure that every section of the canal is seen and cleaned. Once it has been, the tooth will be sealed and filled as before, and again, a permanent crown or filling will need to be arranged as soon as possible.
It may be that the specialist was unable to reach all the canal area due to unusual anatomy, narrow canals, and similar issues. If this is the case, they will discuss the option of endodontic surgery (apicoectomy). This is a more invasive procedure, but maybe the only way to fully clean the root canals.
Is Re-Treatment The Best Choice?
Ideally, your dentist will want to save your tooth wherever possible, and ultimately this is what most patients want too. It may even be that, due to the passage of time, new technology has emerged that wasn’t available the first time you had the procedure done, meaning that with re-treatment today, there is much more chance for the procedure to be longer-lasting. Root Canal Treatment is a viable option to save your tooth for many years to come.
As with any medical procedure, there are no guarantees with endodontic treatments. The dental specialist will do their best work as hard as possible to give you the results you want.
What Are The Alternatives To Re-Treatment?
The discussion you have with your endodontist is a crucial part of any decision-making regarding your teeth and what treatment you decide to have. If, as we have discussed, endodontic treatment is not going to be possible for any reason, endodontic surgery (apicoectomy) could be the next step. This could be carried out as a lone procedure, or it might take place before standard endodontic treatment can happen. Again, your Endodontist with go through everything with you and help you make the right decision for your oral health.