
Jan
Every year, millions of root canal procedures are completed in the U.S. Most are successful, but some fail because the procedures are not completed properly. When this occurs, there are three options: extraction, retreatment (redoing the root canal procedure), or surgery. At Endodontic Consultants of San Antonio, approximately 1/3 of the patients we evaluate have failing root canal treatments that were performed by other dentists. We discuss the three options with the patient, and after discussing the pros and cons of each, we proceed with the best course of treatment. If the decision is made to save the tooth, the appropriate treatment is provided by Drs. Rick Schwartz, Rick Davis, Zac Liang, or Sam Sakr at our San Antonio office on Sonterra Blvd.
The pulp resides inside every tooth and contains blood vessels, fibrous tissue, and nerves. It may become inflamed or infected due to tooth decay, trauma, crack formation, or multiple dental procedures. Decay, which contains bacteria, can penetrate the hard outer enamel layer and underlying dentin layer to cause infection in the inner pulpal tissue. This can cause pain, swelling, and necrosis of the pulp.
Often, but not always. An infected tooth may be tender or outrightly painful. Infection from the pulp can spread into the bone and gums and even cause swelling in the cheek or neck. Some infections are well contained by the body’s immune system and may go years without causing pain or swelling. They may only show up on X-rays as a dark area at the tip of the root. The dark area is where the bone has been lost because the infection “eats away” at the bone. The good news is that when the infection is eliminated, the bone grows back.
Root canal therapy involves accessing and removing the affected pulp tissue. The tooth is then flushed out, disinfected, and sealed with a biocompatible material. If you are having tooth pain or swelling, or your dentist identifies a suspicious dark area on one of your x-rays, call us for an appointment at Endodontic Consultants of San Antonio. Our doctors will evaluate your situation, discuss your options (including cost) and proceed with the appropriate treatment, based on what you decide.
In some cases, surgery is the only option to save a tooth with failing root canal treatment. Examples include anatomical variations that occur in certain teeth when there is an obstruction that doesn’t allow adequate removal of the infection without surgery or a process known as resorption, where a portion of the root is dissolved away by cells from your immune system. Extraction is sometimes the best course of action in these situations. This is all sorted out by our doctors at an evaluation appointment.
This surgical procedure is also known as “root-end resection.” In most cases, the gums are lifted up, the infection is removed from the bone around the root, the tip of the root is removed, and a small filling is placed in the root end to seal the root canal system. If there is tissue around the root end, it is usually sent to the pathology lab at the dental school to make sure it is just an infection and not something more serious. At the end of the procedure, a few sutures are placed.
Our specialists have 2-4 years of additional training in endodontics beyond what most dentists receive in dental school. Our doctors have performed about 50,000 root canal treatments and related procedures. As specialists, they do this all day long, every day. Advanced technologies onsite complement our specialists’ expertise. Request your consultation today. Call our San Antonio, TX office at (210) 405-0473.