When you have received a root canal and, in the months to come, your tooth begins to hurt again, you need to seek treatment to avoid worsening pain or even the loss of a tooth. Fortunately, we can help! In today’s blog, your El Paso, TX, dentist talks about how we conduct a root canal retreatment.
Root Canals and Reinfection
A tooth is infected once harmful bacteria make contact with the nerve center, the pulp at the center of the tooth. For some, this could be due to an untreated cavity, while others could develop infection following damage to a tooth. Without treatment, the tooth could require extraction to prevent the spread of infection. But with a root canal, we can comfortably remove the interior tissues with precision, replacing them with a special filling material and capping the tooth with a crown. But in rare situations, the interior may be contaminated or complications could arise with the crown that allow reinfection to occur. The tooth could begin to hurt again, and to keep your smile intact you could benefit from a retreatment.
The Retreatment Process
Our team will thoroughly examine your smile with digital x-rays and intraoral camera technology, so we can assess the cause of the reinfection and look at the severity too. Our team can then plan the retreatment process in detail. To ensure you are comfortable, we can numb the area directly with a local anesthetic and also offer sedation to help you enter a deep state of calm and relaxation. We then open the tooth by removing the crown, and then removing the filling and replacing it with a new one, before recapping the tooth with a new crown.
Surgical Options
In some cases, the infection could form at the tip of the tooth roots. When this happens, the most effective retreatment solution could involve an oral surgical procedure known as apicoectomy. Our team will gently open the gums near the root tip, and then remove the tip so we can access and take out the impacted tissues. We then add a medicated material and close the tip of the tooth, suturing the area closed afterward. This can be more effective and ensure the infection stops, so you can enjoy a full and healthy smile, one that is comfortable too.
If you have any questions about the retreatment process, then contact our office to learn more and start your treatment!
Call Omni Endo for Relief From Discomfort
We want to provide treatment to restore your tooth, even if it has become infected once again. To find out more about addressing an infected tooth and protecting your smile, call Omni Endo in El Paso, TX, call 915.990.3636 today.
