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 or pain may continue to exist. Sometimes, the pain may occur months or years after treatment. If so, Drs. Hall or Gailey may need to perform Endodontic Retreatment.

Improper healing may be caused by:

  • Curved or narrow canals that were not treated during the initial treatment.
  • Complicated canals that went undetected during the initial treatment.
  • The crown or restoration was not placed within the appropriate amount of time following the procedure.
  • The crown or restoration that did not prevent saliva from contaminating the inside of the tooth.
Dental implant illustration showing tooth cross-section with root canal and surrounding teeth in clinical setting.
Inflamed Tissue
Dental implant illustration showing tooth replacement with internal structure and adjacent natural teeth in cross-section view.
Filling Removed
3D dental illustration showing root canal treatment procedure on a tooth with endodontic file.
Canals Cleaned
Dental cross-section showing tooth anatomy with root canal treatment illustration and nerve visualization.
Root Material Placed
Dental cross-section showing tooth anatomy with root canal highlighted in red among white teeth models.
Filling Restored
3D dental illustration showing tooth cross-sections with root canals and endodontic instruments highlighted.
Healed Tooth

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 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 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.

PROCEDURES