Endodontic Retreatment

Aibel Endodontics – Saratoga, Schenectady, Albany NY

With the appropriate care, your teeth that have had endodontic treatment should last as long as other natural teeth. When a root canal is performed using advanced techniques and equipment, extremely high success rates can be achieved.

A small percent of teeth that have had root canal treatment in the past may fail to heal or may have persistent symptoms. Sometimes the symptoms or pathology may reoccur months or years after treatment. In these cases, endodontic retreatment may be needed.

Causes of post-treatment infection and inflammation:

• Residual bacteria and/or tissue remaining in the roots.
• The crown or restoration was not placed within the appropriate amount of time following the procedure, leading to infection of the tooth.
• Defective crowns or restorations allowed bacteria to reinfect the tooth.
• Cavities caused reinfection of the tooth.
• Cracks or fractures of the root may have developed.

Once retreatment has been selected as the procedure of choice, Dr. Aibel or Dr. Moshman will reopen your tooth to gain access to the root canal filling material. He will then remove this material and carefully examine the inside of your tooth using a surgical microscope in order to determine the cause of the problem. Drs. Aibel or Moshman and his team will then choose the best technique to correct these problems. With successful retreatment, your tooth will heal and your symptoms will subside.

After the endodontic retreatment has been completed, you will need to return to your dentist as soon as possible in order to have a new crown or restoration placed. If the tooth already has a crown, the access opening can be sealed with a filling and the crown usually does not have to be remade.

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