Most of the time, a root canal is all that is needed to save a tooth. Occasionally, an apicoectomy, or endodontic surgery, is needed when the non-surgical therapies weren’t sufficient to heal the tooth. This procedure can be used to locate fractures or hidden canals that do not appear on x-rays but still manifest as pain in the tooth.
Our doctors at Bucktown Endodontics will make an incision on top of the tooth in the gums to expose the bone and surrounding inflamed tissues. The damaged tissues are removed along with the end of the root tip. A filling material is placed at the end of the root to prevent reinfection. The bone is able to heal around the root over a period of months and full function is restored.