Retreatment

Retreatment, also known as root canal retreatment, refers to the re-treatment of a tooth that has previously undergone root canal therapy.
In some cases, infection may recur at the root of the tooth after the initial treatment, or the first treatment may not have been fully successful. In such situations, retreatment is performed to save the tooth and prevent further infection.

There are several possible reasons for the failure of an initial root canal treatment.
These may include incomplete cleaning of the root canals, residual infected tissue, or a poorly sealed canal filling that allows bacteria to re-enter and cause reinfection.

During retreatment, the filling material from the initial root canal treatment is removed.
The root canals are then thoroughly cleaned, disinfected, and reshaped if necessary.
Once the canals are completely cleaned, they are refilled with new root canal material.
This process aims to eliminate the infection entirely and restore the tooth to proper health and function.

Retreatment is generally more complex than the initial root canal procedure because the internal structure of the tooth may have been altered during the first treatment.
As a result, the success rate of retreatment is typically lower compared to a primary root canal.
Local anesthesia is used during the procedure to ensure that the patient does not feel pain.