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, endodontic retreatment may be needed.

Improper healing may be caused because of:

-Curved or narrow canals which were not treated during the initial treatment.

-Canals which were not cleaned and filled to the apex (or end of the root).

-Complicated canals which went undetected during the initial treatment.

-The crown or restoration not being placed within the appropriate amount of time following the procedure.

-The crown or restoration not sealing off the tooth, allowing saliva to contaminate the inside of the tooth.

In some cases, new problems can influence a tooth that was successfully treated:

New decay can expose the 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 endodontist 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 doctor will clean the canal(s) and carefully examine the inside of the problematic tooth. Once cleaned, the doctor will fill and seal the canal(s) and place a temporary filling (or build-up) 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.

Southwest Endodontics, Root Canals, St. George, UT, Dentist Endodontist, Root Canal Dentist, Root Canal Pain, Endodontist, Endodontics, Board Certified