Did you know that the reason your teeth stay intact is because they have strong roots that fasten them firmly to your jawbone? Some teeth, like molars and premolars, have 3 roots while others, like front incisors, have only one root. At the very tip of the root is something called the apex where the blood vessels and nerves go into the tooth and keep it healthy sending blood upward toward the crown, the visible, top of the tooth. In Sebring, Florida we make a failed root canal no longer a problem with our apicoectomies.
When a patient comes in for a root canal, our dentists clean the canals and remove any infected or inflamed tissue in the root. In some cases, the infection may persist even after root canal treatment so our dentists do a procedure call apicoectomy. This procedure removes the apex from the root and places a filling there to seal the root off from any further infection. An apicoectomy is necessary to ensure that further damage is not incurred, spread to other teeth, or reach the jawbone. Trust Dental Care of Mid Florida since we have the most caring, skilled dentists in all of Florida.
When an Apicoectomy is Necessary
When the soft tissue around the tooth’s apex is inflamed or infected it can be very painful. We perform apicoectomies to eliminate the infection and help the tooth to function properly again, avoiding potential need for extraction. Note: we never perform an apicoectomy unless a root canal fails.
It is important to understand the reasons an infection occurs and causes a root canal to fail:
- A Root Canal is Blocked – When a root canal is blocked by a fractured file from previous procedures, we must perform the apicoectomy. Infection and debris can majorly affect adjacent teeth, so we try to avoid the spread of damage throughout the mouth at all times.
- Root Branches – The roots contain many small branches which complicates some root canal therapies. If the dentist cannot clean and seal the tiny branches then the inflammation will not decrease. This calls for apicoectomy procedure to remedy the problem.
- The Root Canal is Curved or Too Narrow – Sometimes the root canal is oddly shaped this makes it difficult for the dentist to reach the apex during the root canal. If this is the case, an apicoectomy is necessary to diminish the spread of infection or continued inflammation.
What happens during an apicoectomy?
Many patients want to know what does an apicoectomy involve. Here’s our general outline:
- We prescribe an antibiotic medication to treat the infection before performing the procedure.
- We take panoramic x-rays to allow the dentists to properly prepare for the apicoectomy.
- When it’s time for the procedure, we offer a local anesthetic
- The dentist makes a small incision in the gum to get to the root. (in some cases they will remove a small portion of the jawbone if they can’t see the root’s apex.
- They remove the root tip along with the infected connective tissue using ultrasonic instruments.
- The dentists seal the root with a filling and then stitch up the gum so it heals.
- In 7-10 days the patient will come back to have the stitches removed.
This is an outpatient procedure with a high success rate for all Dental Care of Mid Florida patients.
Please contact us immediately if you are experiencing ongoing swelling or pain after you have had a root canal. You may need to have an apicoectomy to get your tooth well again and back to full health.