With the appropriate care, your teeth that have had root canal therapy will last as long as other natural teeth. Yet, a tooth that has received treatment may fail to heal. Sometimes pain may continue to exist, and may only occur months or years after treatment. If so, Endodontic Retreatment may be needed.

Improper healing may be caused by:

• Bacteria and diseased pulp tissue that could not be removed during the first treatment.
• Complicated canals went undetected, or curved and narrow canals were not treated during the initial treatment.
• The restoration or crown was not placed within the appropriate amount of time following the root canal procedure. Because of this, bacteria in saliva contaminated the root canal system.
• An injury to the tooth.

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

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