Root Canal Retreatment
As occasionally happens with any dental or medical procedure, a tooth may not heal as expected after initial treatment for a variety of reasons:
- -Narrow or curved canals were not treated during the initial procedure.
- -Complicated canal anatomy went undetected in the first procedure.
- -The placement of the crown or other restoration was delayed following the endodontic treatment.
- -The restoration did not prevent salivary contamination to the inside of the tooth.
-In other cases, a new problem can jeopardize a tooth that was successfully treated. For example:
- New decay can expose the root canal filling material to bacteria, causing a new infection in the tooth. A loose, cracked or broken crown or filling can expose the tooth to new infection. A tooth sustains a fracture. (content provided by AAE)
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Unfortunately the options are limited. The only alternative to root canal treatment is often extraction of the tooth. After an extraction the surrounding teeth have a tendency to shift and move into the newly created space. This can cause aesthetic concerns and occlusion (chewing) problems. It is thus recommended that this space be filled with an implant or a fixed bridge, which are both more costly than a root canal. Although these are adequate and quite successful replacements, nothing is as good as your natural tooth.