Protecting Our Kids' Smiles

There are various treatment options available when you have a problematic tooth. It is important for you to understand some of the choices you have and how they can impact your dental health in the future. One of the options you have is getting endodontic treatment. This can help you regain your smile and maintain your eating habits. Ideally, once you have received treatment, your teeth are supposed to give you good service for a long time. However, sometimes there might be problems since the human body is ever changing. That is why you get a second chance with endodontic retreatment. This helps to alleviate the problems and restore your dental health. Knowing what this retreatment entails can help you know what to expect.

Improperly Healed Teeth 

One of the main reasons for needing a retreatment is an improperly healed tooth. After the initial treatment, the expectation is that the tooth will heal properly with good care. However, some factors may interfere with the healing process. For instance, the narrow or curved canals may have been left untreated. Your canal anatomy may also be complicated, which means some of the damaged tissue may be undetected during the initial treatment. In addition to these factors, a delay may have occurred between the initial treatment and the placing of the crown. The placement of the crown may also not have prevented saliva from coming into contact with the inside of your tooth. All these factors mean that you need an endodontic retreatment.

Factors after Treatment

The other main reasons for needing a retreatment arise after a tooth has been properly treated. A new decay can arise even after the tooth has healed and this brings about a new problem. The crown or filling can get loose, crack or break and this can lead to a new infection. A fracture of the tooth can also open up an opportunity for infection to occur.

Retreatment Procedure

The first step for the endodontist during the retreatment is to reopen the problematic tooth and remove all the materials that were placed during the initial procedure. He then examines the root canals and the tooth for any additional problems. A cleaning is then done to remove the infection and new fillings are installed. A temporary filling is placed on the tooth to seal it as it heals. After healing, a more permanent crown is installed. You should then care for the tooth to prevent a reoccurrence of the same problem.