Of all the dental procedures used today, root canals probably have the worst reputation. For the record, a lot of this is pure myth: root canals should be painless and even boring. However, even if your first procedure was comfortable and easy, you don’t want to repeat it.
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Unfortunately, problems can persist even after a root canal. Debris and bacteria can remain in the pulp or in the many cracks and crevices of a tooth, or seep back inside despite the crown and filling. Luckily, you aren’t doomed to a life of repeated procedures: one more treatment could fix your pain permanently.
Complications following a root canal
With appropriate care, teeth that have undergone root canal treatment should be able to stand up to a lifetime of daily use. Sometimes, however, a root canal doesn’t fully heal and may become painful or infected, either shortly following or long after the original treatment. Some causes 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.
New, unrelated issues can also affect treated teeth. These include:
- Recent decay unmasking the root canal filling to bacteria, thereby causing new infection.
- Cracked, broken, fractured, or loose fillings and crowns.
Re-treatment options for long-term dental health
A skilled endodontist can assess your former surgeon’s work and perform a second, more thorough procedure in eight simple steps:
- Diagnose why your initial treatment didn’t work.
- Extract the original filling materials.
- Examine your tooth under a microscope to identify signs of new infections or canals.
- Remove any infection.
- Clean and shape the canal.
- Insert new filling materials.
- Secure the aperture with a temporary filling.
- Once the tooth has healed, place a new crown or other material over the tooth to support it.
The Precision Promise: Fully Microscopic Treatment
If you’ve undergone a root canal and are experiencing new pain or discomfort in that area, consider contacting Dr. Aaron McCann and his dental staff at Precision Endodontics. Our procedures are 100 percent microscopic, allowing us to be more thorough – and precise – when performing root canal surgery. This makes us particularly qualified to re-treat root canals that didn’t work, assessing why they failed and taking the necessary steps to ensure your long-term dental health. Call today to schedule an appointment with our office.
