Relief. Preservation. Function
Root Canal Retreatment
With proper care, teeth that have undergone root canal therapy can last just as long as your natural teeth. However, in some cases, a tooth may not heal as expected or discomfort may return—even months or years after the original treatment. When this happens, endodontic retreatment may be necessary to save your tooth.
Why might a root canal need retreatment?
A tooth may fail to heal properly for several reasons, including:
Bacteria that remained after the first treatment
Curved, narrow, or complicated canals that weren’t fully treated
A crown or restoration that wasn’t placed in time after treatment
Saliva leaking into the tooth due to an ill-fitting restoration
Cracks or fractures in the crown or root
In some cases, new problems can influence a tooth that was successfully treated
- New decay can expose a root canal filling material, causing infection.
- A cracked or loose filling or crown can expose the tooth to new infection.
Once retreatment has been selected as a solution to your problem, the Doctors will reopen your tooth to gain access to the root canal filling material. This restorative material will be removed to enable access to the root canal. The Doctors will now clean and disinfect your canals and carefully examine the inside of the problematic tooth. Once cleaned, the Doctors will fill and seal the canals and place a temporary filling in the tooth.
At this point, you may 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.