Endodontic (Root Canal) Retreatment (non surgical)

With the appropriate care, your teeth that have had root canal treatment will last as long as other natural teeth. Occasionally, a tooth that has received treatment may fail to heal or pain may continue to exist. Sometimes, the pain may occur months or years after treatment.


Common cause for failure of root canal treatment or improper healing are:

  • Complicated canals or hard to find canals were not identified and treated during the initial treatment.
    Curved or narrow canals were not thoroughly cleaned.
  • The crown or restoration was not placed within the appropriate amount of time following the procedure.
  • Leakage of salivary bacteria contaminate the root canal due to poorly sealed root canal, cracked or poor fitting crown or filling, or through an area of new decay.

These types of issues can usually be corrected with proper retreatment (redoing root canal procedure). Part of an endodontist's evaluation is to identify the specific sources of a dental problem and to assess whether or not they will be able to correct it. Often a 3-dimensional image, or CBCT scan, is extremely useful in assessing teeth with previous endodontic treatment. The CBCT scan can detect canals that were missed, lesions, and fractured teeth not readily identifiable with traditional 2-D imaging.


The objectives of retreatment are the same as with initial root canal treatment. They are to:

  1. Mechanically remove debris, tissue and infection from within the canal spaces.
  2. Chemically disinfect the spaces and return them to a clean state.
  3. Seal off the spaces within the tooth with a root canal filling so that recontamination does not occur

When retreatment has been selected as a solution to your problem, the doctors will reopen your tooth to gain access to the root canal filling material so existing restoration and previous root canal needs to be disassembled. This might include removing or making an access opening through an existing crown, removing existing posts and cores, and removing previous root canal filling materials, so all canal spaces can be cleaned, disinfected, and thoroughly examined. Once all identified canals are cleaned and disinfected, the doctors will fill and seal the canals and place a temporary filling in the tooth.

At this point, you will need to return to your dentist as soon as possible in order to have a new crown or restoration placed on the tooth to restore full functionality. If the previous restoration is damaged or leaking, it will need to be replaced. A well-fitting final restoration is essential for the success of root canal treatment.