Re Root Canal Treatment
A tooth that has been root canal treated can last many years, particularly if it is appropriately restored following root canal treatment (e.g. with a crown). On occasion, teeth that have had a root canal treatment can fail to heal or become infected again. This can happen months or years after the original treatment. If a root canal treatment has failed it may be noticeable: The tooth becomes painful and/or a sinus (gum boil) appears. Sometimes, there are no symptoms from the tooth and the failure of the treatment is detected on an x-ray as a radiolucency (dark shadow) associated with a root treated tooth.
Carrying out a root canal re-treatment can give a tooth a second chance.
Carrying out a root canal re-treatment can give a tooth a second chance.
Before Treatment
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During Treatment
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After Treatment
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Why does my
root canal treatment need to be re-done?
The previous treatment has not allowed healing as expected and the infection will not heal without further treatment.
Failure of a root canal treatment can happen for many reasons including:
Most commonly:
· Bacteria (infection) remaining within the root canal system e.g. a missed or incompletely filled canal
· New bacteria have entered the root canal system e.g. through a lost or leaking filling/crown/bridge; decay; root cracks/fractures.
Less commonly:
· Infection has spread from within the root canal and into the surrounding tissues.
· A reaction to filling materials placed beyond the root canal into the tissues surrounding the root.
· A cyst has developed at the end of the root (although often these will heal with root canal treatment).
Failure of a root canal treatment can happen for many reasons including:
Most commonly:
· Bacteria (infection) remaining within the root canal system e.g. a missed or incompletely filled canal
· New bacteria have entered the root canal system e.g. through a lost or leaking filling/crown/bridge; decay; root cracks/fractures.
Less commonly:
· Infection has spread from within the root canal and into the surrounding tissues.
· A reaction to filling materials placed beyond the root canal into the tissues surrounding the root.
· A cyst has developed at the end of the root (although often these will heal with root canal treatment).
Is root canal re-treatment painful?
It should not be painful and local anaesthetic is always used. You should expect 2-3 days of mild discomfort following your appointment. This is best managed with a painkiller such as ibuprofen (if you know that you can take this and that it does not upset your stomach) or paracetamol.
What is the likely success of a root re-treatment and what can I do to keep my root treated tooth as long as possible?
The success of a root canal treatment is reported with a large range from 60-100% and depends on many different factors.
Factors which increase success:
· Success rates are higher where treatment is done by a specialist
· If a root canal treatment is done while the pulp is either healthy or damaged, but not yet dead, a success rate of more than 90% would be expected.
· Being able to find all the root canals and clean, shape and fill them to the very end of the root canals.
· Having a good quality permanent restoration placed as soon as possible after the root treatment will increase the odds of success by around 10-fold
· In the case of premolar and molar (back) teeth, the restoration of choice is a crown. The survival of a root treated back tooth is increased about 6 times when they are crowned.
Factors which decrease success:
· If there is a radiolucency (dark shadow) on the x-ray associated with the tooth.
· If there is a sinus (gum boil) associated with the tooth.
· If a large, longstanding perforation (communication through the root into the surrounding gum or bone) is present.
Factors which increase success:
· Success rates are higher where treatment is done by a specialist
· If a root canal treatment is done while the pulp is either healthy or damaged, but not yet dead, a success rate of more than 90% would be expected.
· Being able to find all the root canals and clean, shape and fill them to the very end of the root canals.
· Having a good quality permanent restoration placed as soon as possible after the root treatment will increase the odds of success by around 10-fold
· In the case of premolar and molar (back) teeth, the restoration of choice is a crown. The survival of a root treated back tooth is increased about 6 times when they are crowned.
Factors which decrease success:
· If there is a radiolucency (dark shadow) on the x-ray associated with the tooth.
· If there is a sinus (gum boil) associated with the tooth.
· If a large, longstanding perforation (communication through the root into the surrounding gum or bone) is present.
