ENDODONTIC RETREATMENT (A chance to rewrite History)


Your grandparents probably did not expect to reach retirement with a full set of natural teeth. But young people today think a perfect and complete smile is a birthright, not a luxury.



This shift in attitude reflects the tremendous advances that have occurred in dentistry over a single generation. Dentists are challenged to save teeth that in a previous era would have been extracted without question.



Endodontics plays a significant role in raising the standard of oral health. With advances in the techniques and technology for cleaning , shaping, and obturating (filling and sealing) root canals, clinicians can successfully treat increasingly more difficult cases. This new knowledge can also improve or correct earlier efforts. Endodontic re-treatment is an opportunity to resolve problems with new state-of-the-art solutions. In other words, we can rewrite history.



Clinicians in the new millennium can work more three dimensionally within the root canal than ever before. They have a deeper understanding of anatomy and biology, more precise diagnostic skills, and instruments that enhance vision, illumination, and clinical techniques. It is now possible in most cases to remove posts and other restorative materials without sacrificing the tooth structure necessary for a solid restoration. Advances in endodontics mean that a failed root canal may have a second chance. Working together, we can help rewrite dental history.



Even with advances in endodontic surgical techniques, surgery cannot fully eliminate bacteria and their by-products from the root canal system. Retreatment offers the opportunity to address anatomical complexities that were not initially managed, during the first root canal therapy attempt.



New technology makes non-surgical re-treatment, when feasible, the option of choice. Treatment that was once more difficult or impossible is now facilitated by enhanced illumination and magnification, ultrasonics, apex locators, engine driven nickel-titanium instruments, Variably tapered shaping instruments, contemporary filling techniques, and devices to remove intra-canal obstructions. However, endodontic surgery may still be necessary even after a non-surgical re-treatment.



Sometimes surgery is the only alternative. If the canal has been blocked, ledged, perforated, or transported, or if there are canal filling materials/posts that cannot be removed, surgery may be indicated. If re-treatment might compromise a strategic restoration or bridge, then surgery may also be considered. Calling us and receiving a consultation will help you evaluate these issues.



The difference between routine endodontic treatment and re-treatment is the difference between building a new house and renovating an old one. Improvements must be made on a solid foundation. There are important decisions at each step in the process. Builders learn to expect the unexpected when they tear down an old structure. As a restoration is dismantled, we prepare to resolve problems that were not visible on radiographs. Removing restorations to access the root canals can reveal caries, restoration failures, complete and incomplete fractures, leakage, missed canals, Blockages, ledges, and perforation. Preparation of the access cavity is also improved by removing the restoration.