Root Canal Retreatment
After you have had root canal therapy, the treated tooth can last an entire lifetime with proper care and good hygiene. However, there are some instances when the bone fails to heal correctly or can become re-infected. This can occur months or even years after the tooth has been treated.
Why Your Tooth May Not Heal Correctly After Root Canal Therapy
It may seem puzzling when a tooth starts to experience painful symptoms months after having it treated. However, there are several different reasons why a tooth may not heal as expected.
In other situations, the need for re-treatment may be caused by a new issue that developed on the treated tooth.
How Root Canal Re-Treatment Is Performed
Prior to recommending retreatment, we will go over all the options available to you, and give you the option of choosing what you feel most comfortable with. If you select retreatment as a solution to your problem, the doctors will reopen your tooth to gain access to the root canal filling material. The restorative material will be removed to enable access to the root canal. The doctors will now clean your canals and carefully examine the inside of the problematic tooth using high magnification dental microscope. Once cleaned, the doctors will fill and seal the canals and place a temporary filling in the tooth.
In cases where the canals are very narrow or blocked, we may recommend endodontic surgery.
Once treatment is completed, you may need to follow up with your dentist as early as possible to have a permanent crown or another restoration placed on the tooth for full protection.
We always attempt to save your natural tooth whenever possible. Even after being retreated, a tooth can last for years or a lifetime.
If you are interested in exploring re-treatment therapy, please contact Vienna Endodontics in Northern Virginia at 703-938-5920.