Endodontic Retreatment
For many patients, root canal therapy will offer life-long prevention of further infection or loss of a tooth. However, in some instances, a patient who has had a root canal treatment will need another treatment on the same tooth. If your dentist recommends endodontic retreatment, our team at Apex Endodontics can take care of you with comfort, precision, and technology.
What Is Endodontic Retreatment?
Occasionally, a tooth treated with root canal therapy may become infected in the future. This may happen if the patient waited too long to get a crown over the treated tooth or if the crown loosened or cracked in the future, allowing bacteria to enter the tooth. New decay or a crack can also necessitate retreatment.
Other reasons for requiring endodontic retreatment include having highly intricate passages inside the root canal that the original doctor could not clean out or contamination of the tooth during the initial procedure.
Do I Need Endodontic Retreatment?
You may need to schedule retreatment if your dentist recommends it. You may also notice that a tooth you had root canal therapy on starts causing you pain after a time without pain. Whether you had the tooth treated years ago or just a few weeks ago, something may have occurred to cause an infection inside the tooth, requiring endodontic retreatment.
What Happens During Endodontic Retreatment?
The procedure for endodontic retreatment mirrors that of the root canal therapy your tooth originally received. However, the difference with retreatment is the need for the doctor to remove the dental materials from the first root canal therapy before cleaning out the tooth. Retreatment also requires addressing any unique intricacies of your tooth that may have caused the reinfection.
During endodontic retreatment, the doctor will need to numb the area so that you will be comfortable throughout the procedure. Next, they will access the root canal filling from the initial procedure. Cleaning this out gives the doctor access to the root canal system so that bacteria and other microorganisms can be removed from it.
At Apex Endodontics, we use state-of-the-art technology, such as the Gentlewave and the Waterlase iPlus, to clean out the canals inside the tooth, reducing the likelihood of retreatment and infection.
After cleaning the canal system, the endodontist will fill and seal the tooth's canals. Sometimes, you will have a temporary filling after root canal therapy. As with root canal treatment, you may need to have a crown placed by your dentist after the procedure. Your endodontist will provide you with guidance about the next steps of treatment.
As with root canal therapy, you want a dental professional who does a thorough job of cleaning out the canals and protecting the tooth during the procedure to prevent future infection. Our expert team of endodontists at Apex Endodontics uses the latest technology to ensure that your root canals are cleaned out as thoroughly as possible. Plus, they do everything they can to ensure your comfort: our office has the ability to provide nitrous oxide, oral sedation, and IV sedation.
Schedule an Appointment with Apex Endodontics for an Evaluation
Connect with us at Apex Endodontics online or by phone to set up an appointment for an evaluation. If you need endodontic retreatment, we can schedule your visit for the procedure. Our technology and attention-to-detail help to maximize comfort for every one of our patients. Our practice strives to provide comfort, precision, and technology to each patient and every procedure.