Endodontic Retreatment

With the appropriate care, endodontically treatment teeth last as long as other natural teeth. However, a tooth that has received treatment may not heal fully or pain may continue to exist. Sometimes, the pain may occur months or years after the initial root canal treatment. If so, Endodontic Retreatment may be needed.

Improper healing may be caused by:

  • Curved or narrow canals that were not cleaned fully 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, allowing leakage to occur.
  • The crown or restoration did not prevent saliva from contaminating the inside of the tooth. in other words, the restoration broke down over time which allowed contamination of the sealed canals to occur via leakage.
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 (i.e. cavity) can expose a root canal filling material, causing leakage which will lead to contamination and eventually infection.
  • A cracked or loose filling or crown can expose the tooth to new infection.

Once retreatment has been selected as a solution to your problem, the doctors will gain access through the filling or crown into the tooth. Often a small canal was missed in the initial treatment. The endodontists at Township Endodontic Centre are experts in finding these difficult canals. In addition, the material in the treated canals will be removed from top to bottom. The endodontist will now re-clean all the canals and carefully examine the inside of the tooth for any problems such as cracks, fractures, perforations, etc…. Once all the canals have bee sufficiently instrumented, irrigated, and cleaned, they will be fully sealed. Often a temporary filling is placed in the top portion of the tooth and you return to your dentist for ‘core‘ restoration and/or crown.

When endodontic treatment is completed it is important to return to your dentist within 30 days to have a new crown or restoration placed on the tooth to restore full functionality