Your endodontist may suggest endodontic microsurgery after your root canal. This can happen if your dental decay or dental trauma has resulted in deeper tissue and dental damage. In this case, non-surgical removal of the pulp is not enough anymore. You will need to go through surgery. If you want to know what endodontic microsurgery is, here are the details.
Sometimes, a dentist cannot detect the true problem in the patient’s tooth. The patient may be experiencing different symptoms the X-rays cannot show. This may be minute damage in a tiny canal. The problem may not have been detected or resolved by the previous regular root canal treatment.
Calcium deposits could produce very narrow root canals. These canals often make it difficult for shaping and cleaning instruments to do their jobs during root canal therapy. The ends of each dental root may not receive the proper treatment. This is when endodontic microsurgery can help. It can clean out and close up the remaining part of the root canal.
A root canal therapy often lasts for a lifetime. In some cases, the tooth does not heal. This may result in another infection. The symptoms may start to appear weeks, months, or years after the root canal treatment. The endodontist can help the patient with microsurgery.
Damaged neighboring bone or root surfaces can also receive treatment in the form of endodontic microsurgery. Root-end resection or apicoectomy is the most common type of procedure for this problem. The dentist may use this procedure when the end of the root canal develops an infection. It may take time for the infection to come out.
The dentist will open up the gum tissue near the affected tooth. This will reveal the hidden jawbone. The dentist will then extract the infected or inflamed gum tissue. Removing the end of the dental root must also happen to prevent more infections from developing. Sealing the end of the root canal will come next. The dentist will close up the gum tissue to help it heal.
This procedure will not hurt at all because of the local anesthetic. The patient may need a more powerful form of sedation to deal with dental anxiety. The stitched-up area might swell and ache as it heals. The dentist will prescribe pain relievers and anti-inflammatories to manage the discomfort.
Dental extraction and tooth replacement are the alternatives to microsurgery. The endodontist will remove the infected tooth and replace the missing tooth. A partial denture, dental implant, or dental bridge can restore the tooth. These replacements can prevent the neighboring teeth from shifting.
Endodontic microsurgery is more cost-effective than the mentioned alternatives. Having natural teeth is better than having artificial teeth. A root canal therapy has already helped the tooth improve. It is more economical to choose microsurgery to help it along.
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In some cases, root canal therapy cannot reach and remedy the damage or infection in the narrow root canals. The tools for this semi-invasive treatment may not be thin enough to do this. That is why the dentist may suggest endodontic microsurgery. This is much better than tooth replacements because it saves the natural tooth. An appointment with your endodontist will help answer more of your questions before your procedure.
Request an appointment or call Saman Malkami DMD at 714-459-8002 for an appointment in our Fullerton office.
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