Endodontic Retreatment

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, there may a need to perform Endodontic Retreatment.

Improper healing may be caused by:

• Curved or narrow canals that were not treated during the initial treatment.
• Complicated canals that went undetected during the initial treatment.
• The crown or restoration was not placed within the appropriate amount of time following the procedure.
• The crown or restoration that did not prevent saliva from contaminating the inside of the tooth.

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

• New decay can expose a root canal filling material, causing infection.
• A cracked or loose filling or crown can expose the tooth to new infection.

In general, all cases that are referred for endodontic retreatment will have a prior consultation appointment and a few may have treatment initiated at the same visit. This is because endodontic retreatment usually presents with a range of challenges that need to be carefully evaluated compared to initial treatments especially in terms of benefit for long-term tooth survival and procedural costs.