While root canal therapy is generally highly successful in treating teeth that are infected or damaged, there are occasionally cases where the initial treatment may not have completely restored the tooth and the tooth may become infected and painful once again. This can occur if the tooth did not heal properly or if a new infection develops in the tooth root due to complications with the tooth anatomy or the restoration not being placed immediately following treatment. If this is the case for you, our dentist may recommend root canal retreatment.
Root canal retreatment, or endodontic retreatment, is very similar to your initial root canal treatment. When you receive a root canal retreatment, our dentist will reopen the tooth and remove the filling materials that were placed during the first treatment. We will carefully examine the tooth, paying particular attention to new infection or additional canals that were not initially treated. The infected and damaged tooth tissue is then removed, the root canals are cleaned and shaped, and the new filling material is placed. Finally, we will seal the tooth with a temporary filling prior to placing a new crown to restore and protect the tooth.
