Endodontic Retreatment

If you require endodontic retreatment, you may be feeling worried about the procedure, or maybe you don’t even know what endodontic retreatment means. In the hand of an experienced endodontist, undergoing this type of procedure should be smooth and painless. At Precision Endodontics, we even have a dental therapy dog to ease the anxiety of patients who may be uneasy about undergoing treatment.

Endodontic retreatment typically picks up where prior procedures left off. Even teeth that have undergone root canal treatment can endure a lifetime of daily use with appropriate care. However, sometimes, a root canal doesn’t fully heal and may become painful or infected shortly following, or long after the original treatment. If you notice new issues with your tooth post-treatment, or if it is not properly healing, there are supplementary remedial treatments available that can save your tooth. Keep reading to learn more about root canal retreatment and how we can help alleviate your pain, and save your tooth from a previously unsuccessful root canal treatment.

Am I A Good Candidate For Retreatment?

Despite the very high success rates of root canal therapy, there are a few scenarios that may cause the tooth to not heal as anticipated and subsequently require endodontic retreatment. These scenarios can include:

• Untreated narrow or curved canals during the initial treatment.
• Undetected complications in the canal anatomy during initial treatment.
• Postponed placement of the crown or other restorative material following the initial treatment.
• Salivary infection inside the tooth due to an improper restoration.

Alternatively, sometimes new issues can threaten successfully treated teeth. These issues can include:

• Recent decay unmasking the root canal filling to bacteria, thereby causing new infection.
• Cracked teeth, broken teeth, fractured teeth, or loose fillings and crowns.

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What to Expect During Endodontic Retreatment

During the endodontic retreatment procedure, our endodontists will perform a comprehensive reassessment of your tooth, and extract the original filling materials used in the initial root canal procedure. Then, we will meticulously inspect the tooth under a microscope to identify any signs of new infection or canals. The next step is to remove any infection, clean and shape the canal, and insert the new filling materials. Once complete, we secure the aperture with a temporary filling. The final step, once the tooth is fully healed, is to place a new crown or other restorative material over the tooth to support it.

To learn more about how endodontic retreatment can help alleviate your pain, and save your tooth, please contact our Buffalo root canal specialists today to arrange a consultation.

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