How retreatment and surgery can save a tooth with a failing root canal treatment

As specialists in root canal treatment, Dr. Rick Davis and Dr. Rick Schwartz of Endodontic Consultants of San Antonio are well-versed in all aspects of root canal treatment. We routinely  get patients out of pain and preserve teeth that would otherwise be extracted.. 

Dentists from Boerne, Eagle Pass, Spring Branch, Laredo, Kerrville, Del Rio, Fredericksburg, and all around south-central Texas refer patients to us for retreatment or  surgical options when their patients with root canal treatment fail to heal properly.

Root canal re-treatment 

Root canal treatment can fail if it wasn’t performed properly the first time, or if the tooth becomes re-infected due to new decay, cracks, leaky fillings or crowns, or due to trauma.  

Our specialists can re-access the inside of the tooth, then clean, disinfect, seal and restore the tooth with a dental restoration.  In many cases your regular dentist will also recommend a crown at a later time. 

Apicoectomy

Apicoectomy is a minor surgical procedure that is sometimes recommended for failing root canal treatment.  The infection is removed from the bone and a small filling is placed in the root end.  A few sutures are placed, which are generally removed the next week. 

For both of these procedures we like to do a 6 month recall to assess healing.  Endodontic Consultants of San Antonio welcomes your concerns and questions. We can be reached at (210) 405-0473.

Dr. Richard Davis, DDS

Richard D. Davis, DDS, graduated from high school in Japan, attended the University of Washington dental school, and joined the Air Force as a general dentist in 1978. He completed the Air Force one-year AEGD residency, a two-year Advanced General Dentistry Residency, and a fellowship in biomaterials at the University of Indiana. Dr. Davis was a clinical instructor, research director, and lecturer at the Air Force. He has published many scientific articles and research papers, and has lectured on many topics. Following retirement from the Air Force in 1999, he completed the graduate program in endodontics at the University of Oregon in 2001, and joined Dr. Schwartz and has been in private practice in endodontics since then.

Dr. Richard Schwartz, DDS
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Richard S. Schwartz, DDS, graduated from the University of Minnesota dental school in 1977. He was a restorative dentist for 19 years: Early in his career, he attended a two-year general dentistry residency while in the US Air Force, and then did a combination of private practice, teaching, and dental materials research before entering endodontic post-graduate training in 1996. He has authored over 100 articles and abstracts in scientific journals and lectured extensively in the US and in 21 other countries, including 12 times at the American Association of Endodontists’ national meeting. Since 1998 Dr. Schwartz has been in full-time private practice in endodontics in San Antonio, TX, and has practiced with Dr. Davis since 2001. He was a founding member and first secretary/treasurer of the International Association of Endodontics. He is also a member of the American Dental Association and International Association of Dental Specialists.

Dr. Zhangrui Liang, DDS, MS

Dr. Zhangrui “Zac” Liang, DDS, MS, grew up in China and has been in the US since 2015. He attended dental school in China and did his endodontic training at UCLA, where he also received a Masters of Science degree. He has practiced with Dr. Davis and Dr. Schwartz since 2022.

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