Root Canal 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, root canal retreatment may be needed.

Improper healing may be caused by:

  • curved or narrow canals that could not be treated during the initial treatment
  • additional canals that were not treated during the initial treatment
  • failure to follow up for a permanent restoration or crown, allowing contamination of the treated canals

In some cases, new problems can develop after successful treatment:

  • 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.

At this point, you will need to return to your dentist as soon as possible in order to have a new crown or restoration placed on the tooth to restore full functionality.

Root Canal Retreatment

The following video explains the likely situations where retreatment may be necessary and includes 3-D images to explain how endodontic retreatment works.