It can be frustrating to experience a secondary tooth infection after you already sought care to solve the initial problem. It’s important to see a dentist, however, if your recently treated tooth is still sore, sensitive, and painful after treatment. While some sensitivity can be expected after a root canal and restoration, your tooth should not be as bothersome as it was when it was infected.
Determining Source of the Problem
There are two main reasons why a previously treated tooth would require another root canal: either the restoration used to seal the tooth was faulty and allowed bacteria back into inner tooth systems, or initial bacteria was not completely removed from tooth canals. Dr. Amini utilizes X-ray imaging to pinpoint why your root canal failed, so that the most effective treatment can be applied to get you out of pain and ensure that your smile is healthy again.
Providing Additional Care
- In the event that the crown is the problem, Dr. Amini can provide you with an all-new, cosmetically appealing, and properly applied/sealed dental crown. Making sure that all margins are correct and that your finalized crown fits your smile just right is an important part of preventing re-infection. Crowns removal can be completed with one step, if your prosthetic is temporary. For removal of permanent crowns, the prosthetic typically has to be filed down before it can be taken out. A second root canal will need to be performed to clean out additional bacteria.
- Teeth that weren’t comprehensively treated with root canal therapy in the first place require a second root canal as well, but your crown can be kept in-tact, if permanent. Dr. Amini can create a small opening in the existing crown to access tooth pulp inside organic tooth structure and more thoroughly eliminate the source of infection. After treatment is complete, your existing crown can be sealed and protected.
Helping Patients Maintain Excellent Oral Health
It should be noted that infected teeth cannot necessarily be treated via root canal therapy perpetually. If you have a tooth that has been repaired with a root canal and restoration several times, it may need to be removed and replaced. The same goes for faulty dental crowns; each time a crown is removed and re-applied, there is a slightly increased change that the tooth will either not be eligible for a restoration, or at some point or a root canal will become necessary.
Arden Executive Dental is committed to restoring your oral health in the event of tooth infection and re-infection. If you have questions about re-treatment with a second root canal, call our office for additional information.