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 prior treatment may fail to heal or pain may continue to exist for a few different reasons – most commonly, a crack, previously missed canals or new decay that can cause recontamination of the root canal system. Sometimes, the pain may occur months or years after treatment. In such cases, Drs. Penn or Sasthri may 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.
  • Lack of a proper seal of the restorative material causing recontamination of the root canal system.
An example of a tooth with inflamed tissue
Inflamed Tissue
A visual of removing fillings from a tooth
Filling Removed
A representation of a tooth with its canals cleaned
Canals Cleaned
An illustration of new root filling material placed into a tooth's canals
Root Material Placed
An example of a tooth's filling restored by new root canal filling
Filling Restored
A representation of a fully healed tooth by new root canal filling placed
Healed 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.

Once retreatment has been selected as a treatment course, your endodontist will reopen your tooth to gain access to the previous root filling material. The tooth will be examined for the cause of the failure through the microscope, then thoroughly cleaned and irrigated with advanced technology, and ultimately filled and sealed. After the root canal, a temporary filling is placed to seal the root canal system. At this point, you will need to return to your dentist as soon as possible in order to have a new crown or permanent restoration placed on the tooth to restore full functionality.