Endodontic Retreatment Spokane Valley

With the appropriate care, your teeth that have had endodontic treatment will last as long as other natural teeth. Yet, a tooth that has received endodontic treatment may fail to heal or pain may continue to exist. Sometimes, the pain may occur months or years after treatment. If so, Dr. McKinley, Jr. may need to perform Endodontic Retreatment.

Improper healing may be caused by:

• Curved or narrow canals that were not treated during the initial treatment.
• Complicated canals that went undetected during the initial treatment.
• The crown or restoration was not placed within the appropriate amount of time following the procedure.
• Saliva leakage around the crown or restoration resulted in contamination of the material inside the tooth.

Contaminated Root Canal Material

Filling and Old Material Removed

Canals Cleaned

New Root Material Placed

Filling Restored

Healed Bone and Saved Tooth!

In some cases, new problems can influence a tooth that was successfully treated:

• New decay can expose a root canal filling material, causing infection.
• A cracked or loose filling or crown can expose the tooth to new infection.

Once retreatment has been selected as a solution to your problem, the doctor will remove the restorative material to reopen your tooth and gain access to the root canal filling material inside. After removal of the root canal filling material, the doctor will clean your canals and carefully examine the inside of the problematic tooth. Once cleaned, the doctor will fill and seal the canals.  At times the final restorative material will be placed inside your tooth by your Endodontist, otherwise a temporary filling will be placed and you will be referred back to your dentist for the crown or other restorative treatment.

At this point, if you are referred back to your dentist, you will need to return as soon as possible to restore your retreated tooth to full functionality. We will be happy to help you schedule that appointment!