The only thing worse than having a root canal is having two root canals. However, there are some cases where root canal retreatment is necessary, for example if root canal therapy fails and your tooth is not healing properly. When this happens, it indicates that there may still be an infection inside your tooth deep in the roots. Therefore, root canal retreatment is needed to remove this infection.
The root canal retreatment procedure is similar to a traditional root canal. First, you will be anesthetized and then a small hole will be made on the inner part of your tooth to access the root canal filling material. The filling material will then be removed from the pulp chamber and root canals using special tools. Your endodontist will then use a microscope with a light to look for any missed canals. Each canal will be cleaned and disinfected before they are filled with new material and sealed.
When is root canal retreatment needed?
There are a few reasons why the initial root canal may have failed and warranted the need for root canal retreatment. These include:
- Narrow or curved canals were missed
- Complicated canal anatomy was undetected
- Dental crown placement was delayed
- Saliva was able to contaminate the inside of the tooth
- Gum disease or fractured tooth caused a new infection
Do I need root canal retreatment?
In most cases, you will begin to experience symptoms if you are in need of root canal retreatment. These symptoms can begin months or years after your initial root canal. The most common symptom is tooth pain in the affected tooth. However, some cases may not cause pain and are only detected when the infection shows up on a dental x-ray. For this reason, it is important to keep up on semi-annual dental appointments to prevent a potential infection from getting worse.
