Endodontic Retreatment
With appropriate care, 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 return if a new problem exists. 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 that were not treated during the initial treatment.
- Complicated canals that 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 contaminate a root canal filling, causing a new infection.
- A cracked or loose filling or crown can expose the tooth to new infection.
Once retreatment has been recommended and a referral is made to our office, Dr. Moore will reopen your tooth to gain access to the previous root canal filling. The material will be removed to enable access to the root canal system. Dr. Moore will re-clean and shape your canals and carefully examine the inside of the problematic tooth. Once clean, he will fill and seal the canals and place a temporary filling in the opening in the crown of your tooth.
At this point, you will need to return to your dentist as soon as possible to have a new crown or restoration placed to restore the tooth to full functionality.