With appropriate care, your teeth that have received 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, Endodontic Retreatment may be needed.

Improper healing may be caused by:

Curved or narrow canals were not treated during the initial treatment. Complicated canals 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 did not prevent saliva from contaminating the inside of the tooth.

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. Retreatment begins with the dentist reopening your tooth to gain access to the root canal filling material. This restorative material will be removed to enable access to the root canal. Next, the dentist will clean the canals and carefully examine the inside of the problematic tooth. Once cleaned and prepared, the canals will be sealed and covered with a temporary filling in the tooth.

At this point, a return visit will be scheduled as soon as possible to have a new crown or restoration placed on the tooth to restore full functionality.