Have you ever had a root canal procedure, with the hope that the pain would be gone for good, only to find that the same tooth bothers you months or years later? Sometimes, even though the nerve is removed from a tooth, it doesn't heal as anticipated. The discomfort that you feel long after your root canal has healed might be a signal that the tooth needs endodontic retreatment. If this is the case, schedule an appointment with your endodontist for an evaluation, and be sure to ask the following questions.
What is endodontics dentistry?
According to the American Association of Endodontics (AAE), many root canal treatments last a lifetime if they're correctly cared for. Unfortunately, sometimes endodontic retreatment might be the best option to give your previously treated tooth a second chance, especially if your dentist diagnoses one of the following:
- Extra, oddly shaped, or restricted canals in the root of the tooth were not detected initially and treated
- A delay in placing a protective crown on the toot
- Failure of the tooth restoration to prevent contamination from your saliva
- A new infection from new decay, caused by a damaged crown or a filling exposing the tooth to bacteria
- A crack or fracture in the tooth