Expert: Gary Backlund, DMD, MSD - 2/26/2009

Question
hi there..thanx in advance for answering this if you can. basically, i have bben told i may have to have an apioaectomy if the antibiotics i have been given do not work-this is for pain after a root filling. however they do not seem to be and im soo scared of having this done!!!i hate needles for a start. i wanted to know what happens and more importantly, will it cure the pain problem?also will the tooth be okay? its the upper left canine.
thanx,natasha

Answer
Hi Natasha,

I'm sorry to hear all this is going on. Basically, when we do an apicoectomy, we make a small incision in the gum, locate the end of the root, put a filling in the end and stitch you up. In our office it takes about an hour and you should take it easy the rest of the day and by the next day, you should be fine. If you want more detailed info, I would refer you to our national website www.aae.org. There's lots of info there for patients.

As for success, there is no way to be sure it will fix the problem. However, at this point you don't have many option....live with the pain, extract the tooth or go for the apico. That's it. The procedure will not affect the life of the tooth at all as only a small amount of root is cut away to prepare it for the filling.

I hope this helps.

Gary Backlund DMD, MSD