Does a root canal save a tooth forever?

According to the American Association of Endodontists, root canals have a success rate of more than 95% and, in most cases, last a lifetime. The success rate of endodontic treatment is very high. This is something we see first-hand with the patients in our office, and scientific research supports our observations. One of the most detailed studies on the subject examined the long-term effectiveness of 487,476 endodontic treatments.

According to this report, 98 percent of root canals last one year, 92 percent last five years, and 86 percent last ten years or more. Molars treated by endodontists had a 10-year survival rate, significantly higher than that of molars treated by general dentists. Root canals are designed to save teeth that are severely damaged or infected. With proper care, a tooth that has been treated with a root canal can last a lifetime.

However, while this treatment is more than 95% successful, there is a remote chance that your dentist will recommend that you have your treatment done again. Here's why you might need a new endodontic treatment in Edmond and what you can expect when repairing your smile. It's very important for patients to understand that endodontic treatments DO NOT last forever. Endodontics performed in the Northeast region lasted almost twice as long as in other areas of the country, an average of 20.5 years.

When the pulp of a tooth becomes infected or inflamed, root canal treatment may prevent it from having to be removed. Extracting the tooth instead of performing a root canal leaves the space empty, which can affect the alignment of the rest of the teeth, as well as the ability to chew food properly. When it comes to restoring molars, dental crowns help protect the tooth from stress, which is why they are often preferred over dental fillings under these circumstances. First, anatomical variations in the structure of a tooth's root, curved canals, blocked canals, and irregularly shaped canals can pose complications in treating tooth roots.

Root canals are common and are performed when the pulp of a tooth (the nerve, blood vessels, and other tissues inside the tooth) becomes infected or painfully damaged and must be removed. Another factor is that the 99 dental offices across the country can perform root canals in slightly different ways, Zweig added. An endodontist can save your natural tooth and potentially preserve it for years, decades, or even a lifetime, by extracting the pulp and cleaning, shaping and disinfecting the root canals. If you wait longer than recommended between endodontics and restoration than recommended, your tooth will be at greater risk of complications.

The question then is whether root canal retreatment can be performed successfully and with a good prognosis. However, the study also shows that there were large variations in the longevity of the teeth depending on whether the filling and crown were performed shortly after endodontics and in what part of the country the procedure was performed.