Retreatment of the Root Canal - What Can Go Wrong With It?

Retreatment of canals is a dental procedure, and it is much more complicated than the primary filling of a tooth. Retreatment of canals requires good skills and a high qualification of the doctor.

Often patients think that canal retreatment is necessary only if poor-quality primary treatment was performed. In fact, there can be other indications for this procedure. Here they are:

• Repeated infection in the root of the tooth from the periodontium;

• Part of the apex of the tooth root had problems that weren’t developed at the time of treatment;

• Poor tightness of the inlay or filling, due to which bacteria enter the periodontium even through a high-quality filling.

Retreatment of canals is prescribed in the following cases:

• Repeated pain in the tooth after a certain period after treatment;

• Identification of repeated pathologies on the radiograph or insufficient filling of the canal with filling material.

Retreatment of channels occurs in several stages:

• Channel opening;

• Removal of filling material;

• Canal sanitation;

• Elimination of the pathological focus by processing root canals along their entire length;

• Re-sealing of canals.

A very important step in this procedure is the mechanical processing of the canals using special nickel-titanium equipment, which cleans the root canal from malignant bacteria and the previous filling.

Medicinal root canal therapy is also practiced. If the patient has a complex structure of the root canal, then intracanal electrophoresis, copper-calcium hydroxide depot phoresis, etc. are additionally used.

Canal retreatment ends with obturation (filling). During obturation, it is necessary to completely fill the root canal with filling material in order to avoid another outbreak of inflammation.

Retreatment of the canal will bring the desired result under the following conditions:

• Treatment should be performed by a qualified specialist in a modern dental clinic;

• For a more accurate diagnosis of the root canal, a microscope and modern dental equipment are necessary;

• Reliable sealing of the canal should be carried out using high-quality filling materials.

The most important step in the re-treatment of the root canal is the treatment of the affected area. For more reliable cleaning of the canal in modern dentistry, instruments made of an alloy of titanium and nickel are used. The use of the mist advanced tools allows perfectly cleaning the canal from infection and prevents further development of the disease. In some cases, special medications are used to remove the infection.

Increased Sensitivity after Root Canal Treatment - Is It Normal?

Often, patients mistakenly believe that after treatment they will no longer feel discomfort in the treated tooth. When, after one or several days, the discomfort still remains, one gets the impression of the incompetence of the doctor. However, such symptoms are a variant of the norm.

After pulpitis therapy, the body reacts to the material with which the root canal is closed, which can manifest itself in the form of a certain sensitivity and mild pain. Within a few days, the discomfort will disappear.

The recovery process for periodontitis is much more complicated because during the period of the disease, the bone around the root has been thinned out. The recovery process will be much longer than after pulpitis. The patient may feel discomfort when biting or slight pain for a while. Try not to load the treated tooth and avoid biting on it. When the filling properly restores the lost tissue and the necessary chewing pressure is applied, there is an abundant blood supply to the tissues surrounding the root. Therefore, the process of recovery will not keep you waiting.

What If Something Goes Wrong Again?

All of the following complications are the result of poorly treated root canals. The reason may be the rest of the nerve fragments in the canal or its poor quality medical and mechanical processing. Such complications can occur if the doctor has not cured all the root canals, performed their sealing in an improper way, etc.

The symptoms may be following:

• Persistent pain after treatment;

• Recurrent severe inflammation of the gums;

• The root is surrounded by a cyst or granuloma;

• The tooth changes its color.

If one or more of these symptoms occurs, contact your doctor as soon as possible.