Endodontic treatment is a reliable and effective way to save a damaged tooth, and with proper care, it can last a lifetime. However, sometimes, a tooth that has been treated doesn't heal properly and can become painful or sick months or even years after treatment. In such cases, the dentist may recommend a root canal retreatment to save the tooth. The process of getting your root canal redone is similar to the first procedure.
The dentist will use new techniques, technologies, and anesthetic medications to make the treatment more comfortable and effective. Once the mouth is numb, the dentist will remove the dental crown (if needed) and reopen the tooth. Then, they'll remove the canal filling, as well as any tissue that hasn't been previously treated or that has recently been infected. The dentist may repeat endodontic treatment on a tooth two or more times.
While teeth that undergo an endodontic procedure can last a lifetime, some of these teeth may not heal properly due to salivary contamination and other reasons. This causes new problems to develop a few months or years after the first treatment, so your dentist may perform a new treatment or a second root so that you can keep your tooth for life. Endodontic retreatment is a procedure in which an endodontist removes the original fillings from the root canal and then cleans and disinfects the inside of the tooth. The dentist then fills and re-seals the canals.
The goal is to save the natural tooth, as with any other root canal. The most common option for failed root canals is retreatment. This option has the highest success rate and involves removing the original filling and disinfecting the channel. Then, we re-seal the area to help prevent further infections and prevent bacteria from entering.
The only constant is that, whether you are performing an original root canal or a removal, the goal is to eliminate all bacteria. The need for additional endodontics may arise within a few weeks of the first procedure, or even after many years. This is unlikely, but may be due to cracks in the root area or an obstruction that could make it difficult to properly clean the root area of the tooth. Endodontists (the specialists) have much more experience performing original retreats and endodontics, and since they perform these procedures every day, they can be a great resource when needed. This gives the dentist access to the pulp chamber and root canals, which he will clean before removing the infected pulp with the help of specialized instruments. Now the dentist tells me that I need an endodontic removal, because it was done years ago, it was the old way of doing it and I need to have better endodontics. This procedure is done when there is an obstruction around the tooth that prevents access to the root canal.
A root canal is a process in which infected pulp is removed from the blades of a damaged tooth and then the tooth is sealed.
