When a Root Canal Fails, There's Still Hope For Your Tooth!

Typically, a tooth that has undergone a root canal can last the rest of your life and never need further treatment. However, in some cases, a tooth may not heal or become infected due to one of the following:

• Unusual and undetectable tooth anatomy
• Small accessory and lateral nerve canals that cannot be treated
• Cyst formation
• Cracked Tooth

A root canal can fail (turn painful or diseased) months or even years after a successful treatment. The good news is, with the exception of a severely cracked tooth, most of the "failures" can be saved with an apicoectomy. The surgery is performed in our office using a local anesthetic and you may have IV sedation to relax you. Pain medication will be prescribed to help alleviate any discomfort. The area may be sore for three to four days.

Surgical Details

• The gum is lifted from an area adjacent to the root area of the tooth. A small part of the root tip is removed, along with any inflamed or infected tissue, and the remaining root is checked to make sure it is sealed.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Apical or Retrofilling (reverse filling) will be required to seal any canals that are not properly sealed. This is done using the latest ultrasonic technology. Sometimes it is also advantageous to have bone material added in the area to speed up bone regeneration in areas where bone has been damaged or is missing*.The gum is placed back into position and sutured (stitched).
  
  
  
  
• After healing, all infection at the tip of the root should disappear and the bone should heal to fill in the area around the root tip.

*In some cases teeth may need to be extracted if infection has caused too much bone loss and damage or if the tooth is badly cracked. Sometimes this needs to be determined at the time of surgery.