What is Root Canal Retreatment?
Your tooth has had a root canal but now we’re recommending retreatment of the tooth. What does this mean?
Sometimes, the tooth doesn’t heal properly and can become diseased or painful, even years after initial treatment.
Reasons for inadequate healing include:
Cracked crown and leaking filling material
Additional canals
Delay in filling/crown material placed after original procedure (leakage occurs)
New decay to the tooth
New fracture to the tooth
Saliva entering the restorative structure
In these cases, retreatment can be an option, as it gives your tooth a second chance.
Root canal retreatment involves the removal of the previous root canal filling materials, cleaning and shaping the canals and placing new packing material inside them.
It is the same as the original procedure plus the removal step.
Other options include:
Surgery (apicoectomy)
Extraction
Depending on the individual case, retreatment will either be done in our office or we will refer you to an endodontist, a dentist who specializes in these types of procedures.