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 appropriately or pain may continue to exist. Sometimes, the pain may occur months or years after treatment. If so, endodontic retreatment may be indicated.
Improper healing may be caused by:
- Curved or narrow canals not treated during the initial treatment.
- Complicated canals undetected during the initial treatment.
- The crown or restoration not placed within the appropriate amount of time following the procedure.
- The crown or restoration failing to prevent saliva from contaminating the inside of the tooth.
In some cases, new problems can influence a tooth that was successfully treated:
- New decay exposing a root canal filling material, causing infection. (Image 2)
- A cracked or loose filling or crown exposing the tooth to new infection.
Once retreatment has been selected as a solution to your tooth’s condition, it will be reopened to gain access to the root canal filling material. This restorative material will be removed to enable access to the root canal. The canal system will be thoroughly cleaned and carefully examined. Ultimately the canal system will be sealed and a temporary filling placed in the tooth.
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.