Why do I need another endodontic procedure?
With proper care, teeth that have had endodontic treatment will last as long as other natural teeth. In some cases, however, a tooth that has received endodontic treatment may fail to heal or pain may continue to exist. Occasionally, the pain may occur months or years after treatment. If so, endodontic retreatment may be needed.
Improper healing may be caused by:
- Narrow or curved canals were not treated during the initial treatment.
- Complicated canals went undetected during the first treatment.
- The crown or other restoration was not placed within the appropriate amount of time following the procedure.
- The crown or the restoration did not prevent saliva from contaminating the inside of the tooth.
In other cases, new problems can influence a tooth that was successfully treated:
- New decay can expose the root canal filling material to bacteria, causing a new 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 endodontist will reopen your tooth to gain access to the root canal filling material. This restorative material will be removed to permit access to the root canal. After removing the canal filling, the endodontist can clean your canals and carefully examine the inside of the tooth searching for additional canals or unusual anatomy that requires treatment. After cleaning the canals, the endodontist will fill and seal the canals and place a temporary filling in the tooth.
After the treatment, you will need to return to your dentist as soon as possible to have a new crown or other restoration placed on the tooth to protect and restore it to full function.