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. An evaluation is always done prior to an Endodontic Retreatment at our office. This evaluation will determine whether an Endodontic Retreatment is necessary. Most Insurances require an evaluation and predetermination before the scheduling of a Retreatment.

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 an infection.

Once a Retreatment has been selected as a solution to your problem, the doctor 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. The doctor will now clean your canals and carefully examine the inside of the problematic tooth. Once cleaned, the doctor will evaluate the internal aspect of the tooth for cracks or problematic areas. The next step will be to fill and seal the canals. If are no fractures are present and the tooth can be properly restored by the restorative dentist a temporary filling will be placed.  At this point, you will need to return to your dentist as soon as possible in order to have a new crown or restoration placed on the tooth to restore full functionality.