When root canals fail, patients find relief at the offices of the Oral Surgery Consultants of Pennsylvania. An apicoectomy is a treatment done after a root canal was unable to remove a dental infection. It is a minor bit of surgery that can save a patient’s tooth, and potentially their life.
The most common reason for root canals to fail is that the vessels in the tooth roots branch in a way that was unexpected and the doctor doing the root canal was unable to remove all the infected material. If the tooth’s crown had already been replaced with a prosthetic, a second attempt to drill into it may be too damaging. In those cases, it would be simpler to cut away a flap of gum tissue near the root of the tooth and observe the infection at the apex of the root. The apex and surrounding infected material can then be cut or drilled away. The apex of the root is replaced with a filling and the gum flap is sutured up.
While some soreness is expected after an apicoectomy, the sutures can usually be removed after a week. Patients are kept numb during the actual procedure, which is done using micro tools to minimize collateral damage. Patients usually resume normal activities within two weeks.
The Oral Surgery Consultants of Pennsylvania operate in Philadelphia, Folsom, and Clifton Heights. Visit Oral Surgery PA or call 215-463-4141.
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